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Arthritis can lead to loss of working capacity and disability. This is often the result of incorrect or late treatment. Advanced arthritis can also cause serious complications that significantly worsen the outlook for treatment and the patient's quality of life.
Arthritis is inflammation of one or more joints that shows up as pain, swelling, redness and stiff movement. It can be caused by infections, injuries, metabolic disorders or an immune malfunction in which the body attacks the tissues of its own joint. Arthritis can be acute or chronic, so treatment depends on the cause.
In brief
At CSM Clinic in Kyiv, joints are examined by an orthopedic traumatologist, and, if needed, a rehabilitation doctor and physical therapy specialists join the treatment.
Arthritis is a group of inflammatory joint diseases with different origins, such as infections, injuries and metabolic disorders. Arthritis can be either a primary problem or a secondary one that develops alongside another condition. It can run an acute, subacute or chronic course and affect one joint or several.
Arthritis is among the most common conditions of the musculoskeletal system worldwide. It was previously thought to occur mostly in women over 40, but the pattern has changed: the disease can affect young and older people alike, regardless of sex. Cases of arthritis in children are also becoming more frequent.
Want to know the condition of your joints, which doctor to see for joint pain, how and with what to treat arthritis, how to avoid flare-ups and ease pain? At the multidisciplinary CSM Clinic you can have an examination on expert-level equipment, receive a conclusion and consultation from experienced rehabilitation doctors, orthopedists and other specialists, and undergo treatment and rehabilitation according to internationally recognized protocols.
Troubled by joint pain? Book a consultation with an orthopedic traumatologist or a rehabilitation program at CSM Clinic in Kyiv.
The main causes of arthritis include factors such as:
Arthritis can also be caused by gout, psoriasis, tuberculosis, dysentery, gonorrhea and other diseases (especially of the nervous and endocrine systems).
Risk factors for arthritis:
Arthritis has several classifications.
By the number of joints involved, the disease is divided into monoarthritis and polyarthritis (this diagnosis is usually made when 5 or more joints are affected).
By the form of its course, arthritis is divided into:
The process may also be divided into 4 stages depending on the severity of inflammation (1 is the mildest, 4 means severe irreversible changes, most often with complete immobility of the joint).
By location, the condition is divided into arthritis of the shoulder, elbow, hip, knee, ankle and finger joints.
Depending on the etiology (cause), arthritis can be:
1. Infectious:
2. Traumatic (may occur after closed joint injuries or wounds, repeated minor trauma, and sometimes as a result of neglected rheumatoid arthritis).
3. Dystrophic:
4. Associated with other diseases, including autoimmune conditions (psoriatic, rheumatoid, gouty arthritis and others).
The classification is often simplified into inflammatory, degenerative (osteoarthritis) and traumatic arthritis.
In children and adolescents, doctors distinguish the juvenile form (in patients under 16, most often an autoimmune disease diagnosed when inflammation lasts more than 6 weeks) and idiopathic arthritis (its causes are also unknown; the main difference is widespread foci of inflammation that affect the whole body and can slow the child's growth and development). The idiopathic form is difficult to treat and therefore often leads to severe disability.
Deforming arthritis can also develop in the course of any type of the disease; it is characterized by bulky overgrowth of connective tissue, as well as deformity and impaired mobility of the joint.
Symptoms of arthritis depend largely on its type, stage, location (the knee joint is the most commonly affected) and cause. Even so, some general signs of inflammatory joint disease can be named.
In the initial stage, the pathological process in the joint shows itself as:
The symptoms of a latent form of arthritis are almost imperceptible, at least until a certain trigger (usually external factors such as cold or overexertion). So it is important to take into account such signs of inflammation as:
The chronic course of the disease shows itself as:
In secondary arthritis (cases where joint inflammation develops as a complication of other diseases), the clinical picture is often "blurred" because the symptoms of the underlying disease overlap with it. This leads to late detection, which worsens the outlook for treatment.
Arthritis in children may be accompanied by signs such as:
Arthritis can lead to loss of working capacity and disability. This is often the result of incorrect or late treatment. Advanced arthritis can also cause serious complications that significantly worsen the outlook for treatment and the patient's quality of life.
Possible complications include conditions such as:
Rheumatoid arthritis can lead to obliterative bronchiolitis, bronchopleural fistulas, pleurisy, chronic kidney failure, visceral amyloidosis, polyserositis and other complications.
If signs of arthritis appear, or you have any concerns about an inflammatory process in your body, see a doctor promptly, who will carry out a differential diagnosis and identify the real cause. The following diagnostic methods may be used to establish the diagnosis:
Any other tests may also be ordered at the doctor's discretion. Every test is justified by the need to determine the true cause of joint inflammation, in particular to identify the underlying disease (when arthritis is a secondary problem).
CSM Clinic treats diseases of the musculoskeletal system, including arthritis, with treatment directed at the causative factor. This means that when arthritis is secondary, treatment programs may include etiotropic therapy aimed at eliminating the causes of arthritis. For this reason, treatment at our clinic aims for a good result in the shortest practical time.
When designing a course of therapy, our specialists use treatment methods for arthritis such as:
Non-thermal physical therapy is considered particularly useful in joint treatment: it may enhance the effect of medicines and help make remission more stable, improve joint mobility, reduce pain and ease other manifestations of the disease.
This is achieved through effects such as:
Some procedures also have an anti-allergic effect.
All physical therapy procedures are carried out on BTL equipment, which uses technologies designed to be safe for the body.
The clinic uses the following types of physical therapy to treat arthritis:
Treatment of arthritis in children includes the same measures as in adults: drug therapy, massage, physical therapy and therapeutic exercise. In addition, temporary immobilization of the damaged joint is very often used.
In children and adolescents, the outlook for arthritis treatment is generally more favorable.
Prevention of arthritis should begin while there are still no signs of inflammation or damage to cartilage tissue. To prevent arthritis, you should:
The doctor chooses the treatment plan depending on the cause of inflammation. Usually anti-inflammatory and pain-relief medicines are combined with physical therapy, therapeutic exercise and massage, and if the cause is infectious or autoimmune, the underlying disease is treated. Strong and hormonal medicines are prescribed only when indicated; self-treatment is dangerous here.
You can start with an orthopedic traumatologist or a general practitioner, who will refer you to a rheumatologist if needed. A rheumatologist treats inflammatory and autoimmune forms, while an orthopedic traumatologist deals with joints after injuries and with cartilage wear. A rehabilitation doctor joins in to restore mobility.
Arthritis of the hands and fingers is treated on the same principles as other joints: first the doctor finds the cause, then prescribes medicines, physical therapy and hand exercises. During a flare-up the joints need rest; in remission, light warm-up exercises chosen by a rehabilitation doctor help. If your fingers swell, go numb or change shape, do not delay an examination.
Arthritis usually causes not only pain but also swelling, redness, warmth over the joint and morning stiffness that lasts a long time, more than half an hour. Pain from overload most often eases after rest. An accurate diagnosis is made from an examination, blood tests and an ultrasound or MRI.
No, folk remedies do not replace treatment. Compresses, tinctures and rubs may ease pain a little, but they do not stop inflammation, and time for real treatment is lost. A diagnosis is needed first, and home methods should be used only with your doctor's knowledge.
Rest the joint; do not warm it or rub it. If the joint has swollen sharply, turned red and hot, you have a fever or you cannot move, see a doctor the same day: this is how infectious and purulent arthritis present. You may take a painkiller according to its instructions, but it does not replace an examination.
Want to know which doctor treats arthritis, how much diagnostics and arthritis treatment cost in Kyiv at CSM Clinic, and what results and timelines are possible? Book a consultation by contacting our contact center or by filling in the feedback form on the website. A treatment program can also be completed at our branch in Bila Tserkva (accommodation in a hotel on the clinic's premises is available). Take care of your health and quality of life by entrusting them to professionals.
