Shoulder Arthrosis

What is

Shoulder osteoarthritis is a degenerative disease of the joint that joins the humeral head and the glenoid cavity of the shoulder blade. It occurs “through wear and tear” whereby the degenerative disease triggers a loss of the cartilage covering the articular surfaces, so that the joint space progressively disappears.

This results in the loss of articular cartilage and hardening with the possible formation of bony formations called osteophytes that can restrict joint mobility.

Its development is slow and the pain appears gradually and worsens over time. Since there is no cure, the objective is to stop the deterioration of the joint and provide the ideal conditions for it to last for many years.

Causes

Age: the cartilage’s low capacity for repair decreases every year, to which we have to add the wear and tear that occurs.
Hereditary factors: the shape of our arms and chest can lead to a direct overload of this joint.
An old trauma.
An extensive tear of the shoulder tendons.

Symptoms

The symptoms accompanying osteoarthritis generally do not appear suddenly, but develop over the years. The most frequent are:

Pain in the area that is no longer protected due to cartilage wear.
The crunching sounds that occur when the joint wears out.
The effusion that produces inflammation that is triggered in an unprotected joint.
The daily and continuous shock of bones devoid of cartilage.
Decreased mobility.

Approach protocol

Diagnosis and assessment

A correct medical evaluation will be necessary by means of a good anamnesis, physical examination and, if necessary, imaging tests. Focusing especially on identifying risk factors that may have influenced the development of the pathology.

Complementary tests

X-ray and/or MRI.

Treatment

The treatment of this pathology will depend to a large extent on the patient’s condition, age and symptoms, the condition of the cartilage, the degree of osteoarthritis in the joint and how much of the total joint is affected by osteoarthritis will determine the approach to be followed. Below, we outline some of the possible treatments:

- Hyaluronic Acid Blocks
- Corticosteroid blockades
- Regenerative medicine:
  - Platelet-rich plasma: the compound extracted from the patient’s own blood has a concentrate of anti-inflammatory factors and cytokines that make it very useful for this pathology.
  - Cytokine-rich serum: this is a different process to platelet-rich plasma in which a compound rich in anti-inflammatory cytokines is also obtained from the blood.
  - Stem cells: originating from the patient’s bone or fat, they have a regenerative and anti-inflammatory power that makes them a unique treatment for pain relief.
- Radiofrequency
- Physiotherapy: methodology based on knowledge and clinical reasoning in which we combine a series of techniques and treatments both manual therapy and invasive techniques, always associated or complementing them with cutting-edge technology that allows us to accelerate the recovery process. Among other high-tech devices include Magnetolith, SIS, focal shock waves, Indiba, among others. This therapeutic combination allows us to activate the patient early to begin with a routine and a process of specific therapeutic exercises that allow us to enhance and strengthen the lost functional patterns.

Here begins your life without pain

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María Soler Schneider

14 hours ago

Parece que los seres humanos estamos programados para quejarnos y muchas veces se ve lo que esta bien con normalidad. En este caso quiero reconocer la siempre buena atención en mostrador del MIVI Fuengirola, así como la Jose. el profesor de pilates, por la excelencia en su trabajo, su paciencia, su trato siempre amable, recordando siempre los problemas y preferencias de cada una. Gracias

María José Arenas Bermúdez

3 days ago

Después de muchos años padeciendo fuertes dolores y tras someterme en otros centros a otras pruebas e intervenciones , el Dr. Rubén Algarra ha conseguido que a día de hoy viva sin dolor. Desde el primer día que me vio ya acertó con el diagnóstico .Gran profesional al que le estaré eternamente agradecida. Y a la señorita Raquel por su amabilidad y su gran ayuda al darme las citas.