Can the narrowing of the joint space be restored?

Joints are a very important part of the human body. If there is a disease in the joints, it will not only cause pain in the joints, but also cause swelling or affect the movement of the joints. Narrowing of the joint space is also a relatively common disease. It is generally difficult to recover from narrowing of the joint space. This is a disease caused by the degeneration of articular cartilage.

Can joint space narrowing be restored?

The narrowing of the joint space is generally irreversible, which is caused by cartilage degeneration.

Causes

1. Age

Advanced age is the main risk factor for the disease.

2. Occupation

This disease is occupation-related. Long-term and repeated use of certain joints can cause an increased incidence of disease in these joints. Such as the elbow and shoulder joints of foundries, the spine and knee joints of miners, the knee and ankle joints of loaders, the shoulder joints of drivers, the wrist joints of repairmen and textile workers, the metatarsophalangeal joints of ballet dancers, and the cervical joints of people who work in embroidery, typing, or desk work for a long time.

3. Racial genetic factors

4. Physical factors

Weight gain adds heavy load to already worn and degenerate joints, making them more vulnerable to damage. Therefore, this disease often occurs in the hips, knees, calcaneus, lumbar vertebrae and other parts of the body that bear heavier loads.

5. Poor posture

The incidence of cervical degenerative diseases is particularly high among people who work at a desk for a long time, have poor sleeping posture, or use inappropriate pillows. This is due to the imbalance of the paravertebral muscles, ligaments and joints. The side with greater tension is prone to varying degrees of strain.

6. Intraosseous venous congestion and intraosseous hypertension

The abnormal bone hemodynamics characterized by intraosseous venous congestion and the resulting intraosseous hypertension reduce the arteriovenous pressure difference, reduce the blood flow in the nutrient vessels, and nutritional disorders can cause trabecular necrosis. Osteocyte necrosis may be one of the causes of this disease.

Clinical manifestations

1. Degenerative lesions of the cervical spine

The neck feels stiff, has limited mobility, and has snapping sounds when the neck moves. The pain often radiates to the shoulders and upper limbs. The hands and fingers have numbness and an electric shock-like sensation, which may be aggravated by moving the neck to a certain angle. Different lesions affect different parts of the body and cause different symptoms. In severe cases, the cervical spinal cord may be compressed, leading to paralysis.

Certain types of cervical vertigo can also cause cervical vertigo, cervical spondylosis hypertension, cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, gastritis, angina pectoris, dysphagia, etc.

2. Lumbar degenerative disease

L3 and L4 are the most common. Clinically, symptoms such as soreness, distension, stiffness, fatigue in the lumbar spine and lumbar soft tissues, and even limited bending ability are common. If the adjacent nerve roots are compressed, it may cause corresponding symptoms, such as local pain, stiffness, posterior root neuralgia, numbness, etc. Compression of the sciatic nerve can cause sciatica, with radiating numbness, burning pain, cramping pain, and stringy pain in the affected limb, radiating to the entire lower limb. Intermittent claudication may occur if spinal canal stenosis occurs.

3. Degenerative lesions of the knee joint

For those with a slow onset, the knee pain is not serious, but it is persistent and dull. The pain worsens when the temperature drops, which is related to climate change. The knee joints are painful and stiff when starting to move after getting up in the morning, walking for a long time, doing strenuous exercise, or standing up from sitting for a long time. The pain improves after a little activity. Going up and down stairs is difficult, and the knee joints become weak when going downstairs, making it easy to fall. Pain and stiffness when squatting. In severe cases, there is soreness and swelling in the joints, lameness, and limited joint function, which is most obvious when squatting. There is a popping sound when extending and flexing. Some patients may have joint effusion, obvious local swelling and tenderness. Those with combined rheumatic disease may have redness, swelling and deformity of the joints.