Joints are structures in the body that connect two or more bones, providing stability to the skeleton and allowing it to move. When inflammation occurs that degrades the cartilage or wears that damage the bones, the joints can run into pathologies such as arthropathy.
Read on to find out more about these pathologies and what the therapies are for treating pain.
What is arthropathy
The term arthropathy does not mean a specific name for a disease, but it is a broader and generic concept that groups all the pathologies that affect joints, muscles and bones. The diseases included are often rheumatic and can also be very different from each other. Only one joint may be involved, as may multiple depending on the type of pathology diagnosed.
Those prone to the development of this pathology may experience severe pain in the joints and difficulty in movements, even the simplest and most everyday ones. Arthropathy includes several forms, the most common and known are:
- inflammatory, such as rheumatoid arthritis;
- degenerative, such as osteoarthritis;
- dysmetabolic, such as gout.
Then other types of arthropathy are not due to aging as the previous ones, but to the presence of germs and bacteria in the joints, in these cases, we speak of infectious arthritis. Finally, there are trauma-related arthropathies, such as accidents or severe falls.
The inflammatory process that develops is autoimmune and often related to structures near the joints. For example, the most common arthropathy is osteoarthritis which is characterised by progressive erosion of the articular cartilage. The causes of osteoarthritis are not only inflammatory. They can be linked to biochemical and metabolic alterations of the cartilage, trauma, surgery, ageing and environmental factors, such as obesity.
How to treat arthropathy
LArthropathy, therefore arthritis and osteoarthritis, are not entirely curable. Their development can be slowed down and pain and inflammation can be alleviated, but it is not possible to completely eradicate them.
This degenerative disease can be fought on two fronts. On the one hand, physical activity strengthens the muscles and slows down degeneration. On the other hand, carrying out specific therapies in the most acute phases can bring some relief.
At a medical level, medicines and food supplements for osteoarticular well-being can be taken or even recourse to intra-articular infiltrations of high molecular weight hyaluronate acid that target inflamed points in a targeted way.
Infiltrative therapeutic techniques play a very important role in the treatment of arthropathy and other degenerative diseases of the bones and joints. Infiltration with hyaluronic acid is the most popular therapy for the control or mitigation of ongoing diseases.
What are the benefits of hyaluronic acid infiltrations?
In the presence of traumatic and degenerative diseases of the joints, the quality of hyaluronic acid in the synovial fluid loses viscosity, causing impairment of joint function and painful symptoms. The intra-articular infiltrations of hyaluronic acid can restore the viscoelastic properties of the synovial fluid, with the alleviation of pain and the improvement of joint mobility.
Why is it important to use medical devices that contain high molecular weight hyaluronic acid?
- The higher the molecular weight of hyaluronic acid, the higher the viscosity of the joint infiltration and therefore, the greater the benefit for the joint in terms of mobility and pain reduction.
- The higher the molecular weight of the hyaluronic acid and therefore the longer the molecule of the hyaluronic acid, the longer the use time of the enzymes (the hyaluronidases) to degrade the molecule and therefore the longer the treatment duration.
Thanks to the infiltrations of hyaluronic acid, the medical device immediately reaches the area to be treated and the injured part with the right concentration of the active ingredient. This therapy is functional in cases of arthropathy and arthrosis: it reduces pain, reduces inflammation in the affected areas and restores the biological balance thanks to the lubricating action. In addition, mobility improves and therefore daily actions also become simpler. Thanks to the infiltrations, cartilage degeneration can be delayed.
When this type of treatment is used, the benefits can be multiple it will also be possible to obtain a reconstruction of the superficial amorphous layer of the cartilage. Depending on the person and the progress of the disease, the results of these treatments can last from six months to a year.
It is important to remember that hyaluronic acid infiltrations must be envisaged as a therapy before an advanced stage of inflammation is reached. For effective results, cycles should be continuous and only stopped once therapy is complete. They must also be repeated periodically.
