General description of the disease
Contracture is a limitation of motor functions in various joints, which occurs due to the tightening of muscle tissue, skin, and fiber surrounding the affected joint.
Kind of contractures:
Depending on the position of the reduced joint, contracture is:
- 1 flexion – limited movement in the joint during extension;
- 2 extensor – the joint is limited in motor function during flexion;
- 3 abducting – the normal functioning of the joint is disrupted during adduction;
- 4 leading – reduced range of motion during abduction.
Depending on the nature, contractures are:
- congenital (very rare) – arise due to the incomplete development of muscle tissue (torticollis), joints (clubfoot), skin (a person has swimming membranes);
- acquired (the most common cases) – in turn, they are paralytic, dystrophic, inflammatory, fixative, traumatic.
Depending on the contracted joint, contracture is:
- 1 primary – the movement of the affected joint is limited;
- 2 secondary – the affected joint remains in the usual and normal action, and the movement of the adjacent, with the damaged, joint is limited.
Types of acquired contractures, depending on the reason for the formation of contraction:
- dermatogenic – contracture occurs at the site of large scars that have formed due to severe burns or mechanical injury to the skin;
- arthrogenic – contraction occurs due to severe blows and bruises of the joints or at the site of periarticular fractures;
- desmogenic – the cause of this type of contracture is inflammatory processes, due to which the subcutaneous tissue dries out (a striking example is angina in severe cases, after which torticollis may develop);
- myogenic – the cause of formation is a violation of blood supply and circulation in muscle tissue due to ischemic disease, myositis, prolonged presence of the joint without movement due to wearing a plaster cast or tourniquet;
- reflex – occurs due to wounds from a firearm, after which, for a long time, tissue fibers near the joints are irritated;
- neurogenic – inflammation or injury in the nervous system is to blame;
- tendon – after injury to the tendons.
Arthritis, arthrosis, and strokes are considered the cause of non-traumatic contractures.
Useful products for contracture
In order to prevent contracture from developing after injuries, burns and other injuries, you need to eat foods with mucopolysaccharides (natural lubricant for joints), with iron, which helps in removing excess phosphorus (so that its excess on the bones does not build up), magnesium (they are responsible for the condition nervous system) and vitamins. These products are:
- seafood (mackerel, shrimp, sardines, mussels, seaweed);
- meat products from which jellied meat is cooked, aspic dishes, rich broths;
- dairy products;
- vegetables and fruits (especially fresh);
- gelatin;
- buckwheat honey;
- legumes;
- porridge (especially viscous);
- bran bread and wheat germ;
- dried fruits (prunes, dried apricots, raisins, dates) and nuts;
- cocoa and dark chocolate;
- homemade jelly, jelly, soufflé, marmalade.
It is better to replace fried dishes with those baked in foil, boiled or stewed. It is better to pickle canned vegetables and freeze fruits. If possible, reduce the time of heat treatment of vegetables and fruits Soda should be replaced with juices (preferably freshly squeezed), fruit drinks, jelly.
Traditional medicine for contracture
Conservative medicine provides for a complex of directions in the fight against this disease:
- 1 Physiotherapy… It will help improve blood circulation in blood vessels, improve the condition of muscle tissue, which in turn will reduce contraction, and after regular exercise, it will stop altogether.
- 2 Massage – it is carried out in 2 stages: first, the massage should be carried out in the form of stroking, then you need to start rubbing. For massage, it is better to take vegetable oils or fresh (homemade) butter. Take at least 15-20 minutes for each arm, leg, forearm, knee or other damaged part of the body.
- 3 Warming mixtures (can be bought at the pharmacy) and mud therapy (you can also use any clay).
- 4 Phytotherapy… It includes taking relaxing baths with decoctions of herbs from nettle, chamomile, lovage, pine needles, alfalfa, birch buds, lingonberry leaves, eucalyptus, chaga. Also, three times a day, you should drink decoctions and infusions from the above herbs. In addition, baths of sea salts and salts of the Dead Sea, potassium, magnesium and silver sulfates, with the addition of aromatic oils, are useful. To relieve stiffness throughout the body, do light exercises while taking a bath. Hot water and exercise can help relieve tension and stiffness.
- 5 Baths for hands and feet… Peelings are taken from carrots, beets, potatoes, onions, put in a 5 liter saucepan, add a tablespoon of salt and 20-25 drops of iodine, boil everything until the peelings are cooked; then wait until the infusion cools down to a tolerable temperature and dip hands or feet for 12-15 minutes. While taking such a bath, you need to knead and remove the limbs while you can endure the pain. After the bath, if the legs are affected, wear warm socks, if the brushes, cover with a warm blanket).
Dangerous and harmful products in contracture
- smoked, dried fish and meat;
- fried foods;
- sweet soda;
- crab sticks;
- condensed milk;
- dishes prepared with baking powder, food colors and various additives;
- processed and glazed curd cheeses;
- shop sausages, sausages, canned food;
- marinades;
- alcoholic beverages;
- semi-finished products and fast food;
- sorrel, spinach, radish (oxalic acid contained in them destroys the structure of blood vessels).
All these products have a destructive effect on the condition of the joints, their blood supply.
Attention!
The administration is not responsible for any attempt to use the information provided, and does not guarantee that it will not harm you personally. The materials cannot be used to prescribe treatment and make a diagnosis. Always consult your specialist doctor!