Artrose

(Correct: Osteoarthritis)

There are more than a hundred different causes of Artrose known. The Artrose is the number one social disease. It is much more common than we assume. Before the 45th Year of life, men are more often affected than women.

These Relationships change over 55 years, then female fotolia_6135154_xs

s more affected. The most commonly affected are the heavily polluted hip and knee joints. If the hip joint fotolia_6135181_xs

b etroffen called this a Coxarthrose / Hiparthritis - when it is knee Osteoarthritis / knee osteoarthritis.

The treatment of Artrose aims mainly to provide pain relief, possible to dampen inflammation, the flexibility to receive, disability and minimize the quality of life of patients.

The treatment scheme of Artrose can be in the form of an inverted pyramid:

At the top are the measures for all patients: education about the disease, and life counseling, diet counseling (for weight) and exercises with the aim of the mobility of the joints and to maintain muscle strength.

In severe forms of Artrose measures, aids and devices to protect the joints, simple analgesic medications and treatment cycles with conventional Antirheumatic and now with the modern, anti-stomach kind recommended.

The treatment of Artrose aims mainly to provide pain relief, possible to dampen inflammation, the flexibility to receive, disability and minimize the quality of life of patients.

What is a Artrose?

A Artrose with an increasing injury to the cartilage, or a loss of cartilage mass in one or more joints connected.

The cartilage is a tissue with high protein content, between the bones of the joints as a 'shock absorber', power brokers and serves sliding. The cartilage cells are present from birth and show growth after completion of no division while in the surrounding layer of Proteoglykanen are embedded. Only under laboratory conditions, this layer can be removed enzymatically, then again, the cartilage cells propagating in the sense of cell division again. This is the reason why a cartilage transplant only with the help of laboratory cultured cells is possible.

As the cartilage layer contains no sensitive nerve endings, damage to the cartilage are always detectable, if the defects are already up to the cartilage under the underlying layer of bone. Everyone knows how painful a jostle for elbow or shin edge can be. This demonstrates how to pressure the bone skin (periosteum) is responding to shocks.

What triggers a Artrose from?

The primary Artrose or osteoarthritis is primarily associated with age. The water content in cartilage tissue decreases with age and wear the cartilage tissue. The causes are varied, but are always associated with the stress on the joint. The mechanical load on the cartilage leads to irritation and inflammation in joints. The cartilage surface breaks rissförmig to be holes in its surface or is simply thinner. This is from one person to another. In advanced cases, the cartilage is completely lost. The shock absorber function of the cartilage in the joint is lost. The loss leads to increased mechanical load on the joint. The friction in the joint is significantly, the pressure of the adjacent bone is growing rapidly and the inflammation in the joint is stronger.

The inflammation results from the primary Artrose by the abrasion of the joint. It is caused by an inflammation of the mucous entertain joint (called Synovialitis).

The more wear, the more inflammation. The more inflammation, the more Knorpelerweichung. The more Knorpelerweichung the more cartilage wear.

How can the cycle is increasing at a simplified Artrose denominator.

The Einzündungsreaktion and the altered mechanical stress leads in addition to a reaction of the adjacent bone. New bone may like outgrowths forming the joint (called Osteophyten). The bones under the cartilage layer can thicken (subchondral sclerosis) or bone druckbelasteten strong areas can be dissolved (bone cysts or cysts detritus)

How can her doctor make the diagnosis?

The indication of discomfort, as well as the clinical examination can often suspected diagnosis arise. Additional clinical tests such as the so-called Impimgement characters as well as evaluating the ability to swivel in the broad conclusions on a possible cause.

The X-ray often secures the diagnosis. But not everyone wear of the cartilage or not any incipient Artrose may be using an X-ray images are detected.

A Verschmälerung articular bony gap and edge additions are most conspicuous in the standard X-rays.

When is the articular surface to replace it?

Take the complaints to, and conservative therapies are unsuccessful, then the cartilage transplantation or insertion of an artificial joint, the only alternatives. In Germany alone each year are currently about 200,000 hip and knee endoprosthesis used around 150,000. The experience of recent years continue to give hope for an improved treatment of this disease. The insertion (implantation) of an artificial joint (Hüfttotalendoprothese - Hüftoberflächenersatz - Total Knee prosthesis - knee joint prosthesis part - Sprungelenksprothese - big toe joint prosthesis) is the normal form of the natural joints with head and pan feel and restore its function.

Other links to Artrose on our website (Quick Links):

Arthritis of the hip, knee arthritis, ankle arthritis, big toe joint arthrosis, facet arthritis, shoulder arthritis