Therapy of shoulder arthrosis | Therapy of arthrosis

Therapy of shoulder arthrosis

Arthrosis of the shoulder is treated conservatively whenever possible (especially in the early stages), i.e. without surgery. A combination of pain therapy and physiotherapy can have a positive influence on the course of shoulder wear. This can often slow down the arthrosis and alleviate the shoulder complaints.

Pain therapy involves direct injections of painkilling medication (usually with an addition of cortisone) into the shoulder joint itself, into the shoulder capsule or the upper gliding space (between the head of the humerus and a bony projection of the acromion). This often makes it possible to achieve freedom from pain and, since the drugs also have an anti-inflammatory effect, the irritation (inflammation) in the glenohumeral joint is reduced. Targeted physiotherapy to strengthen the shoulder muscles and correct possible incorrect posture in the upper sections of the spine can also support the healing process.

In some cases, cold applications or X-ray stimulation can also prevent the progression of arthrosis in the shoulder. Surgical therapy can be useful in cases of advanced shoulder arthrosis. For example, the sliding space in the shoulder can be expanded and the shoulder muscles (rotator cuff) can be reconstructed.

Relief or removal of parts of the shoulder joint can also be performed. In the case of very pronounced arthrosis of the shoulder, an artificial joint replacement should be considered in order to treat the pain in the long term and improve the limited shoulder mobility. There are various shoulder joint prostheses (e.g. cap prosthesis, humeral head prosthesis, total shoulder prosthesis, inverse shoulder prosthesis) that can be used in cases of advanced arthrosis.

In the case of knee arthrosis, the first therapeutic goal is always a reduction in pain. With the help of medication, physiotherapy, electrotherapy or X-ray radiation, knee pain caused by osteoarthritis can be alleviated. In some cases, cartilage build-up preparations can also improve the symptoms in the knee joint.

In particular, targeted muscle build-up can help to alleviate the symptoms by strengthening the coordination and stability of the knee joint. Only when all conservative treatment options have been exhausted should surgical treatment of knee arthrosis be considered. In the case of minor meniscus or cartilage damage, a joint endoscopy (arthroscopy) may already be sufficient to alleviate the arthrosis symptoms.

A repositioning operation, in which malpositions such as bow legs and knock-knees are corrected, can also improve the statics of the knee joint. If the arthrosis in the knee is very advanced, an artificial knee joint (knee endoprosthesis) is the option of choice. In most cases, only the uppermost layer of the joint bone is removed and the implant takes over the function of the joint cartilage (as a placeholder, so to speak). Currently, the durability of artificial knee joints is between 8 and 15 years, after which it must be renewed or replaced.