Part I: What is osteoarthritis? And what prospects there !?
The osteoarthritis, the conceptually translated from the ancient language elements “joint” and composed “mutilation” and thus historically documented was earlier known today is called the “age than usual increase in joint wear” defined.
This accompanies the consequences of pain, deformity and loss of performance of the corresponding joint disease with wear of the articular cartilage is one of the most common diseases of civilization in the 21st century. The aging of our society with rising life expectancy (at present. Man> 79 / woman> 83) can, of course, especially the chronic diseases in their frequency and intensity may be compounded. In Germany, around five million men and women from disorders that are caused by osteoarthritis, and rising. Almost 70% of over-65s can be radiographically sign of osteoarthritis notice. Two million people have even daily because of their arthritis pain in their joints. But even in younger people can be found clinical evidence of osteoarthritis.
In addition to cardiovascular disease osteoarthritis is already the second most common cause of individualization. Basically, you really distinguishes primary and secondary osteoarthritis. But the experience of dealing with the disease, and recent studies show that this old idea of pathogenesis probably so is no longer true and the limits of the possible causes are more fluent. Genetic individual requirements, but also aging, as well as micro and macro injuries, and chronic congestion of the musculoskeletal system with the consequences of the continued reduction of the joint quality at best incomplete natural self-healing lead to severe damage.
This generally always in other bindegewebliche various structures, such as cartilage / tendons / muscles and Kapselbandapperates, is taking place in a vast imbalances negative processes that foster continued “inflammatory” and “destructive” wear process. Again and again it comes to inflammation and activation of harmful direct local processes, then unfortunately usually incomplete reparations of the smallest cell structure, and the way to organized cell structure. The biological inferiority of the cartilage tissue, mechanical stress and inflammatory / metabolic changes result in a stages of a curve (grade 1-4) to the final destructive result of osteoarthritis with the eventual simultaneously develop symptoms such as malposition / persistent pain / reduced mobility and a substantial performance penalty. This growing and significant quality of life reducing disease is unfortunately still too often accepted in society and among the so-called “experts” as immutable and natural.
It is with timely risk detection and proper diagnosis, as well as a time / stages according to the onset of right “therapy” almost every osteoarthritis treatable. It thereby provides a wide variety of treatment options. In addition to a variety of so-called conservative (lat. = Conserving, preserving) with different therapeutic approaches, there are almost as many operational (lat. = Do) measures.
When conservative measures were here from the plurality brief measures such as medication, physiotherapy, balneo-physical and orthopedic-technical procedures indicated. Operational joint-preserving, and gelenksersetzende methods have successfully standardized. In Germany alone, every year about 200,000 hip replacements, artificial knee joints 150,000, approximately 6,000 artificial shoulder joints and other “artificial joints” are used. And rising.! When alone almost 400,000 surgeries of an artificial joint replacement, of course, increases despite longer “Stand / survival” time of an artificial joint as the “exchange-OP” rate and is annually at nearly 40,000. As with all other human diseases, the success of each therapy depends on a variety of conditions. Surely even and especially in the “age of health” preventive measures “disease osteoarthritis” occupy a substantial rise and important part of the individual and societal concepts of modern treatment of osteoarthritis, but here, as in so-called other. Civilization / common diseases is the long-term success have yet to show.
Information also available at: http://www.arthrose.de
