Osteoarthritis, whose medical term is osteoarthritis, is a bone change that occurs at the edges of the joints, accompanied by local loss of articular cartilage, the frequency of which increases with age. Clinically, the main complaints are pain and
stiffness.
Acalcification increases with the aging of the population all over the world and negatively affects the quality of life, especially in the second half of life
.
Radiological images such as plain radiography have an important place in the definition of calcification.
Narrowing of the joint space, formation of new bone protrusions, and cysts are frequently encountered radiological images.
What is calcification? What are the risk factors?
Individual risk factors in arthritis are effective on two basic mechanisms: increasing susceptibility to the disease and causing abnormal biomechanical
loading on the joints.
Age- gender-race: Age is one of the strongest risk factors for both genders. While knee arthritis is more common in women, hip arthritis is more common in men.
Genetics: The effect of genetics on arthritis is 50-65% and the genetic effect is on the hands and hips
It is more evident in osteoarthritis than in knee arthritis.
Obesity: Being overweight is an important risk factor for both the formation and course of knee arthritis in both genders, especially in women. In hip calcification, this relationship is not as strong as in the knee joint
. Increase in mechanical load is considered as the basic mechanism in the relationship between obesity and calcification.
Injury: Major traumas and repetitive movements that strain the joints prepare the ground for the development of arthritis
. In joints that are rarely affected by arthritis, such as the ankle and elbow, arthritis usually occurs after injury. Hip arthritis is more common in farmers, waist and knee arthritis in miners.
What is arthritis? What are the symptoms?
The appearance of arthritis-related findings is rare before the age of 40. The frequency and severity of findings
increases with age. Pain is the main symptom of arthritis. It is defined as deep and aching.
The air is clear. Mu and may decrease or increase depending on strain in daily life. As the disease progresses, the pain begins to increase even with minimal
movement and even rest. In cases of pain, the patient begins to wake up from sleep due to pain. Stiffness is a common finding and occurs mostly in the morning and following a certain period of inactivity. There may be swelling and deformation of the joints. Inability to grasp in hand arthritis
, difficulty in dressing in shoulder arthritis, painful walking and
decrease in walking distance and easy fatigue may be observed in hip and knee arthritis.
Knee calcification ranks third in terms of incidence, after spine and hip calcification
. Patients can be clinically examined in two categories. In the first category, the patient is often young and
male. Calcification of the knee is detected due to a previous injury or meniscus surgery. In the second category, the patient is middle age or older and is often female. In addition to the knee, there is also involvement in other
joints. Patients state that the pain increases with movement and decreases with rest. Pain increases especially during walking and going up and down stairs. Sensitivity is detected in various parts of the joint. Knee arthritis can significantly limit the patient's activities.
During examination, osteophytes (bone protrusions) in the knee joint are palpated as irregular and hard swellings
. Restriction in knee joint movement may occur. In the advanced stages of the disease, there may be wasting of the muscle located on the front of the thigh. Due to the loosening of the lateral ligaments of the knee, the normal
mechanical structure of the knee is disrupted and deformities occur in the knee.
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