Human legs, especially the small joints of the feet, experience considerable stress every day, bearing the weight of the body, often excessive. If concomitant diseases of the musculoskeletal system join this, then the cartilaginous tissue of the joints wears out and leads to deforming arthrosis of the feet. Chronic destruction of the cartilage of the legs occurs more often in men and women over the age of forty. This disease is systemic. To some extent, all the joints of the body suffer, but the changes undergo those that are subjected to maximum load. It all depends on lifestyle, professional activities, genetic predisposition and some provoking factors. This article will describe the causes, manifestations of arthrosis of the foot, symptoms and treatment of the disease.
General information
All joints of the foot are susceptible to the disease, but the ankle and metatarsophalangeal thumb are more often affected. The disease manifests itself not only in people after forty years, but also at a young age. Athletes involved in gymnastics, jumping, boxing, wrestling often experience symptomsthis disease.
A chronic disease called osteoarthritis is associated with damage to the joints, cartilage and inflammatory processes in the periarticular tissues that disrupt their metabolism and blood microcirculation. As a result of this, sharp painful sensations appear, fingers are bent, and corns appear in places of high load. Every movement is accompanied by pain. Trying not to disturb the affected joint, the person transfers the load to the outer edge of the foot. As a result, the gait changes, fatigue sets in, activity and working capacity decrease.
Causes of disease
Many believe that the main cause of osteoarthritis is the physiological aging of the body and increased cartilage wear as a result of heavy physical exertion and a number of factors that contribute to their degeneration. The main circumstances leading to the development of arthrosis of the foot:
- congenital features of the structure of the foot - flat feet, improperly formed joints, one limb is longer than the other, wide foot;
- wrong posture;
- joint overload - sports, long standing;
- overweight;
- injured feet - dislocations, sprains;
- constantly wearing uncomfortable shoes;
- violation of metabolic processes;
- diseases of the endocrine system;
- permanent hypothermia;
- inflammatory processes in the joints.
All of these factors contribute todevelopment of pathology.
Symptoms of osteoarthritis of the foot
Signs of the disease appear depending on abnormal changes in the joints of the foot. The disease has a long course, it takes several years to develop. Seek help from a doctor when severe pain occurs or fingers are deformed. The disease proceeds through three stages of development, with various symptoms:
- First. There are no distinct signs. Patients complain of leg fatigue after walking for a long time. Pain is rare and completely disappears after rest. Many consider this symptom to be overwork and do not pay any attention to it. In addition, a crunch appears in the joints of the foot, but this is not a characteristic sign of the disease.
- Second. The symptoms of osteoarthritis of the foot are getting worse. Intense pains begin to appear, disturbing with small loads and not passing after a long rest. There is a thickening of the heads of the bones and the growth of connective tissue around the affected joints. As a result, you have to buy shoes one size larger. The big toe deviates to the outside of the foot, forming a protruding bone.
- Third. The pain becomes constant, taking analgesics does not always help. Poor mobility of the joints of the foot joins the deformation of the fingers. The gait changes, the person rolls from side to side. As a result, the spine and other joints suffer.
Late access to the doctor leads to the progression of the disease, and the treatment of symptoms of arthrosis of the foot becomes much more complicated, which in the future becomescause of disability.
Diagnosis
To make a diagnosis, the following activities are carried out:
- conversation with the patient, during which complaints are heard, an anamnesis is collected;
- visual inspection;
- general blood and urine tests;
- conventional radiography - X-rays are passed through the foot, an image is obtained on which the doctor can clearly see the bone structures and all existing formations;
- nuclear magnetic resonance makes it possible to study soft tissues;
- computed tomography is performed at the initial stages of the disease;
- ultrasound - rarely used for diagnosis, but used to track the condition of cartilage and joints;
- bone scintigraphy distinguishes arthrosis from other pathologies;
- puncture - fluid is taken from the joint, and a laboratory test is done to rule out gout and infectious diseases.
All of the above methods examine the articular area, allowing you to find out a complete picture of the state of the pathology and determine the stage of arthrosis. After the final diagnosis is made, the doctor prescribes treatment for arthrosis of the foot.
Treatment of disease
Deforming arthrosis is treated on an outpatient basis. Patients with severe pain and requiring surgical intervention are subject to hospitalization. When treating at home, the patient is obliged to follow all the instructions of the doctor, which may be a therapist, rheumatologist, traumatologist or surgeon. The choice of doctor depends ondisease resulting in damage to the joint. A complex course of therapy is usually prescribed, consisting of:
- from conservative therapy;
- lifestyle changes;
- folk remedies;
- surgical intervention.
Lifestyle of a patient with arthrosis
To improve well-being, you should give up habits that lead to aggravation of the disease. First of all, you need to reduce the load on the damaged joint, for this:
- limit walking time;
- take five-minute breaks when moving;
- not standing in one place for a long time;
- limit going up and down stairs;
- carry no weight;
- use a cane.
Equally important is weight loss:
- go on a low-calorie diet;
- arrange fasting days;
- perform body massage;
- do exercise therapy.
Medicated treatment
For the treatment of arthrosis of the foot, various groups of drugs are prescribed that fulfill a specific purpose:
- Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are used to relieve pain and inflammation. They serve to alleviate the symptoms of the disease. With a decrease in pain, muscle spasms also reflexively decrease. This leads to improved blood circulation, and increases the possibility of movement. They are taken for no more than ten days, the most effective: Ortofen, Naklofen, Diclofenac, Ibuprofen, Nurofen.
- Chondroprotectors are meansfor the treatment of arthrosis of the joints of the foot, contributing to the improvement of tissue nutrition and the restoration of cartilage, which are difficult to revive. They have an effect when the disease is just beginning to develop. Reception is conducted in long courses up to six months. And only 3-4 months after the start of treatment, signs of improvement appear. Struktum, Artra, Dona are effective.
- Analgesics - with their help, they block severe pain that appears in the second stage of the disease. For this, the ointment "Nicoflex", "Viprosal", "Apizartron" is prescribed.
- Minerals and vitamins normalize metabolic processes, support the immune system. It is recommended to take Vitrum, Oligovit.
In addition to systemic drugs that affect the entire body, for the treatment of arthrosis of the foot, local therapy is used using creams and ointments, such as Fastum-gel, Finalgon. Some drugs are injected into the joint cavity, such as Gialur, Ostenil.
Non-drug therapy
Includes therapeutic exercises, massage and physiotherapy. With their help, a dosed load is created on damaged joints, which contributes to the restoration of functions. Exercises are selected together with the doctor, depending on the condition of the joints. All activities should maintain and improve the functional mobility of the foot. When performing procedures, certain rules must be observed:
- start classes with exercises for he althy joints, gradually connecting the affected ones;
- all movements should be not very intense and not cause pain and injury;
- load gradually increase;
- to conduct classes systematically and for a long time.
From physiotherapy for the treatment of arthrosis of the foot joints are used:
- heat transfer applications - use peat mud, ozocerite and paraffin (under the influence of heat, metabolic processes improve, contributing to the restoration of cartilage);
- magnetotherapy - increases vascular permeability and the rate of enzymatic reactions;
- infrared rays promote pain relief and stop inflammation;
- electrophoresis using "Analgin", "Sodium salicylate" and "Lidocaine" brings relief from pain;
- ultraphonophoresis - drugs "Analgin" and "Hydrocortisone" are administered to prevent inflammation and pain under the influence of ultrasound.
In addition, a special diet with a high content of vitamins and trace elements, wearing special orthopedic shoes and insoles is recommended.
Folk remedies
They are used for symptomatic treatment in order to stop the progression of the disease, until changes in cartilage and joints have occurred. Alternative treatment of arthrosis of the feet is used to reduce redness and swelling of the joints, relieve pain. The following drugs are prepared for treatment:
- Banana. Take the peel of five bananas, wipe and pour 0.5 liters of vodka. Insist for a month, apply for rubbingfeet.
- Garlic. Grind a few cloves into gruel, add vegetable oil. Apply the mixture on the diseased joint under the bandage.
- Hops and St. John's wort. Grind 10 grams of dry grass into powder, add 50 g of petroleum jelly, mix. Lubricate the diseased joints with the resulting ointment twice a day.
- How to treat arthrosis of the foot using honey, alcohol, s alt? Mix equal amounts of ingredients until the consistency of sour cream. From the resulting mass, make a compress on the damaged joint at night. As a result, the pain will decrease.
- Bath with sea s alt. Dissolve 250 grams of sea s alt in two liters of warm water, mix. Hold your legs for 30 minutes. After the procedure, put on woolen socks.
All recipes can also be used as preventive measures: for athletes, the elderly, patients with ankle fractures and sprains.
Surgical treatment
The chronic course of arthrosis of the foot, prone to progression, often leads to the final destruction of the cartilage. The patient is in severe pain, the joint is completely immobilized. In this case, only the operation will help:
- Arthroscopy of the joint. Used in the second stage of the disease in young patients, but gives a temporary effect. A special device called an arthroscope removes blood clots and small pieces of the damaged joint. The pain is greatly reduced as a result.
- Arthroplasty. The operation is performed with complete destruction of the joint and terrible pain. The joint is replaced with an artificial one with a service life of up to 15 years. All functions are retained.feet, the pain disappears. Patients who underwent joint arthroplasty leave mostly positive feedback: foot arthrosis was completely cured, pain was gone, normal foot function was completely preserved. The postoperative period is difficult and lengthy, but the effect is worth the effort. A positive attitude helps a faster recovery.
Treatment of arthrosis of the toes
When this disease occurs, the destruction of cartilage and inflammation of the soft tissue surrounding the joint. This happens as a result of a violation of metabolic processes and blood circulation in cartilage tissues. The disease can affect both one thumb, and several or all together. This is manifested by joint pain, redness and slight swelling. Movement becomes difficult, the person begins to limp. Painful sensations in arthrosis of the joints of the toes and stiffness are more often felt in the evening and morning. The disease is detected by X-ray examination. Next, the causes are established and treatment is prescribed. The patient should change his lifestyle, reducing physical activity on the legs and nutrition, adding more foods containing vitamins and trace elements to the diet. The specific method of treatment is chosen by the attending physician. It is primarily aimed at treating the disease that caused the disease. Comprehensive treatment for arthrosis of the toes consists of the use of folk remedies, physiotherapy, therapeutic exercises and drug treatment. The following drugs are mainly prescribed:
- anti-inflammatory - "Indomethacin", "Ketonal";
- painkillers - "Spazmalgon", "Analgin";
- chondroprotectors - restore and slow down the destruction of the joint: "Artra", "Chondroitin sulfate";
- for injection into the joint - "Fermatron", "Synvisk".
In advanced cases, surgery is performed.
Difference between osteoarthritis and arthritis
Both diseases are associated with damage to the joints of the foot. Arthrosis affects articular cartilage and bone tissue. Under mechanical stress, this leads to a slow destruction of the joint. There are many different causes that contribute to the occurrence of osteoarthritis. Of particular importance are heavy physical exertion and ankle injuries. Arthritis is an inflammatory joint disease. It occurs as a result of inflammatory processes that occur in other human organs or during the reproduction of bacteria that are constantly in the body and are activated when the immune system is weakened. Arthritis is characterized by an acute course of the disease with fever and severe pain in the affected joints. Then the disease recedes, but the changes that have occurred in the joint remain, and arthrosis may subsequently develop. Anti-inflammatory drugs are used to treat arthritis in the foot, but osteoarthritis develops slowly and has no effective treatment.
Prevention of arthrosis
For disease prevention it is recommended:
- Proper nutrition. Eat more plant foods, reduce the amount of fatty, smoked, spicy products. Introduce fish oil into the diet.
- Comfortable shoes. Choose with a flexible sole, wide toe and comfortable heels, use orthopedic insoles.
- Monitor your own weight.
- Use bandages if there is a heavy load on the feet.
- Limit the mechanical load on the legs.
- Walking barefoot in the summer.
Arthrosis of the foot affects not only the elderly, but also people of middle and young age. All risk factors for the disease are divided into internal and external. Internal include genetic anomalies and physiological characteristics of a person: congenital pathologies of the joints, flat feet. External ones are made up of lifestyle and environmental influences: wearing uncomfortable shoes, playing sports, a lot of physical stress on the legs associated with work. Knowing these features, you should carefully monitor the feet and consult a doctor in time when the first signs of the disease appear.
