Dr. Rodina Nestorova: The prevention of osteoarthritis begins when we feel a crack in the joints

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Dr. Rodina Nestorova: The prevention of osteoarthritis begins when we feel a crack in the joints
Dr. Rodina Nestorova: The prevention of osteoarthritis begins when we feel a crack in the joints
Anonim

Rheumatologist Dr. Rodina Nestorova is the secretary of the Bulgarian Medical Society for Osteoporosis and Osteoarthritis. Especially for "Doctor", Dr. Nestorova explained the symptoms, prevention and treatment of the most common degenerative joint disease - osteoarthritis.

Dr. Nestorova, what is osteoarthritis?

- It is a degenerative disease of the joints and manifests itself with advancing age, usually after 50 years. The articular cartilage wears out, thins and splits, as a result of which the bone under the cartilage reacts - the so-called spikes in vernacular, or osteophytes in medical language. Any joint can be affected, without exception. In practice, there is no person over the age of 70 without localization of osteoarthritis. The spine and knee joints are most often affected. It also occurs on the hands and feet. Relatively less often it affects the hip joint, but it is the most severe localization.

What are the symptoms?

- Many times osteoarthritic changes are not felt and we accidentally find huge spikes (osteophytes) when we take an x-ray of the patient for other complaints. The opposite also happens - a person has very small osteophytes, but feels serious pain, swelling, stiffness in the joints and limited range of motion. In the case of sprains, the pain after physical exertion is characteristic. A person wakes up without pain in the morning because he is rested. When it begins to move, pain also appears, which becomes greater the more the joint is loaded. In advanced disease, it hurts constantly, 24 hours a day, and movement is completely impossible.

What could we do to prevent osteoarthritis?

- There are several things we can do to delay the onset of the disease and slow its progression. When a person becomes 30-35 years old and begins to feel cracking joints, accompanied by discomfort, without pain, he should start taking chondroprotectors - drugs and nutritional supplements that restore articular cartilage or slow down its breakdown, and not waiting for serious symptoms to appear. The same applies to people who do heavy physical work, as well as active athletes, even if they are only 20-25 years old. If your parents have severe osteoarthritis, you should also start prevention with supplements early.

Such prevention is also necessary for women, who more often and from an earlier age get osteoarthritis, especially after menopause. Estrogens are clearly related to the strength of articular cartilage. Chondroprotection should also be done in symptomatic patients. The main ingredients of chondroprotectors are glucosamine sulfate, chondroitin sulfate, collagen, hyaluronic acid, methylsulfonylmethane (a natural pain reliever), as well as vitamins. Collagen and hyaluronic acid can be taken in the form of injections. In complex treatment, we should not forget physiotherapy. Physical medicine can help these patients tremendously. In some cases, arthroscopy is used to clean the cartilage.

Mara KALCHEVA

FLEXODONE®C - food supplement

What is Flexodon®C?

Flexodon®C supports cartilage protection and collagen formation for normal joint function and contains a combination of glucosamine, chondroitin and vitamin C.

One tablet contains 500 mg of glucosamine sulfate, 100 mg of chondroitin sulfate and 20 mg of vitamin C. An average of 3 tablets is needed for daily needs.

Each of the components has shown unequivocal benefit in maintaining normal structure and function of articular cartilage in the elderly, overweight or overstressed. When taken in combination, each component enhances and complements the efficacy of the other.

The limited capacity to normalize cartilage function is mainly due to a reduction in the ability of chondrocytes (cartilage cells) to synthesize cartilage matrix in a satisfactory quantity and with the necessary physico-chemical properties. With age, the number of functional chondrocytes decreases. Many of these processes can be slowed down by eating a he althy diet, maintaining a normal body weight, exercising, and getting enough essential nutrients needed to maintain the structural and functional integrity of articular cartilage.

How does Flexodon®C work?

Vitamin C contributes to the formation of collagen for the normal function of articular cartilage and bones. Collagen is a natural protein in the connective tissue of the human musculoskeletal system, i.e. in bones and joint structures.

Glucosamine and chondroitin are natural substances found in the human body. They are the main components of articular cartilage and other connective tissues, i.e. bones, ligaments and tendons. In the human body, these substances are important for maintaining its flexibility and strength.

Glucosamine sulfate significantly stimulates cartilage cells in the synthesis of glucosaminoglycans and collagen. It also increases the synthesis of hyaluronic acid, which lubricates the joint bodies and keeps the cartilage surfaces smooth. Chondroitin sulfate also increases the synthesizing abilities of cartilage cells. On the other hand, due to its long structural chain, it successfully inhibits the action of enzymes that cause changes in cartilage.

Based on these characteristics, the combination of glucosamine, chondroitin and vitamin C helps maintain the normal structure and function of articular cartilage.

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