Knee arthrosis: Causes, symptoms and treatment

A healthy person perceives the ability to walk and run as something natural and simple.But those who have encountered diseases of the musculoskeletal system know how much difficulty the temporary or constant restriction of mobility carries.In the meantime, every second person over 50 suffers from inflammation of the joints, and arthrosis of the knee joint is one of the main causes of damage in women and men.

The causes of knee arthrosis joint

Despite the widespread spread of arthrosis, there is still confusion with the name of this disease.It is officially called "deformation of osteoarthritis".But even from the lips of the doctors, you can hear the word "arthritis" - there is no significant mistake here, although more often this term is used in connection with rheumatoid arthritis: another disease that has different origin and symptoms of osteoarthritis.

Deformation of osteoarthritis is a progressive cartilage lesion lining the surface of the joint, leading to a violation of its work and pain.

It is an extremely common pathology that is more common in elderly women suffering from overweight.However, sometimes deformation of osteoarthritis is also observed in young sports men: the impetus for the development of the disease is a sports trauma caused by unnecessary workloads in the gym.

In addition, gonarthrosis occurs for the following reasons:

• leg fractures and dislocations of the knee joints;
• Menisk injections;
• Inflammatory joint diseases (rheumatism, gout, Bettev's disease, etc.);
• metabolic disorder;
• congenital weakness of the ligament apparatus (hypermobility of the joints);
• Hereditary predisposition to arthrosis of the knee joint.

Honarthrosis can develop in each of us - experts note that this is a consequence (paradoxical) increasing the average life expectancy of the population: our joints fail before we feel like elderly people and refuse activity.

Symptoms of knee arthrosis joint

Arthrosis never occurs suddenly.The first symptom that occurs long before the acceleum of the disease is a slight knee pain when walking, intensifying during lifting and down the stairs.The unpleasant sensations, as a rule, appear at the beginning of the movement, disappear after a short walk and after a long joint they return again.

Over time, if arthrosis is not treated, the symptoms worsen - the pain becomes continuous, the movements in the knee joint are increasingly restricted and the knee increases in size.Doctors advise not to attract a visit to the hospital anymore when the first unpleasant sensations appear.This will be done without a long and expensive treatment: with the development of the disease to get rid of it becomes more difficult.

Gonarthrosis

There are three degrees of knee arthrosis:

• 1 degree of gonarthrosis is a precipice from the first symptoms of the disease to the onset of bone deformities, which are noticeable during examination or in X rays.In this case, the knee can change its shape during the first months of arthrosis, but due to the accumulation of fluid in the joint (this phenomenon is called synovitis).1 degree of gonarthrosis is mainly characterized by pain of varying intensity that occurs during movement.
• 2 the degree of arthrosis of the knee joint is accompanied by unpleasant sensations at the slightest load, crunching in the knee when walking and squatting and reducing the mobility of the joints.On X -ray bone tissue growth at the edges of the joint and narrowing of the gap of the joint.Externally, the knee with 2 degrees gonarthrosis also looks deformed and enlarged in size.
• With 3 degrees, cartilage tissue gonarthrosis, there are almost no left inside the joint, and in the severe form of osteoarthrosis, the bones grow together, leading to the complete immobility of the diseased leg.It is difficult for a person with such a disease to take a position in which the pain disappears - sleep is disturbed and it becomes impossible to move without a crout or stick.

Only a doctor is able to determine the degree of arthrosis of the knee joint after examination of the X -ray: there are cases where mild symptoms characteristic of the first degree are accompanied by the destruction of the intra -shaped cartilage.

Treatment of knee arthrosis joint

If the diagnosis has detected gonarthrosis, it is necessary to responsibly approach the upcoming treatment.Do not expect that it compresses or ointments from the closest pharmacy will solve the problem - this disease requires an integrated approach and adherence to the recommendations of a specialist.

There should be no "scenario" of knee arthrosis treatment - the orthopedist is obliged to take into account the patient's complaints, to pay attention to the concomitant pathology and to take into account the arsenal of physiotherapy techniques that are available in the medical institution.The best option is to treat gonarthrosis in a specialized orthopedic clinic.

Treatment with medicines (medicines for the treatment of knee arthrosis)

Medicines are important for the treatment of gonarthrosis, especially in situations where you should urgently alleviate the symptoms of acute pain and reduce inflammation.To this end, doctors prescribe non -steroidal anti -inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs): Diclofenac, Indomethacin, Nimesulide and others.Steroids are prescribed to combat a severe inflammatory process and to improve the condition of cartilage tissue - medicines for joints and vasodilating drugs.All these drugs are prescribed both in tablet form and in the form of creams, ointments, injection solutions (with any degree of severity of knee arthrosis).

A special mention is deserved by the plasmolifting method - the introduction of the patient's blood plasma enriched with the plasma in the knee joint affected by arthrosis.This technique has been used successfully in sports medicine, where special attention is paid to the rapid recovery of the musculoskeletal system.

It has long been considered one of the main folklore drugs for arthrosis: it is used for both infusions (such as Linden flowers) and packaging and massage.It is difficult to say how honey helps to eliminate the causes of the disease, but this tool will definitely not harm - even doctors say.

Surgical treatment

Objects with varying degrees of invasiveness are designed not only to relieve the symptoms of the disease, but also to eliminate its causes.

• Puncture.To get rid of excess fluid in the joint cavity, surgeons resort to puncture - such minimal invasive intervention reduces inflammation and restores knee mobility.
• Arthroscopy.If arthrosis requires surgery (usually with 2 degrees of weight), it can be performed endoscopically - this technique does not require dissection of the joint cavity and all manipulations are performed by thin flexible instruments under the control of the control of the micro -camera.Arthroscopy involves the purification of the joint surfaces of fragments of the destroyed cartilage.
• Osteotomy near the joints is a more traumatic intervention.During the operation, one of the bones forming the knee joint is cut and then fixed again, but at a different angle.This approach allows you to redistribute the load on the knee, which reduces pain syndrome and increases knee mobility.Osteotomy is usually used for 1 and 2 degrees of osteoarthrosis of the knee joint.
• Endoprotetic implies the replacement of the knee joint with a biological design, ensuring the previous volume of movements.This complex surgery requires prolonged rehabilitation, therefore, as a rule, patients with 3 degrees of gonarthrosis are decided on it.

NO -BERGICAL methods for treating osteoarthritis deformation

However, every surgery is a serious test for the body, so people suffering from knee arthrosis are preferred conservative treatment.Practice shows that physiotherapy and other methods, as well as a change in lifestyle, lead to a tangible improvement, minimizing the use of pharmaceuticals.

Physiotherapy

• Impact wave therapy (UVT) has been used in clinics for 20 years.During the procedure, the doctor acts on the affected area with a device generating radial acoustic waves (2000-4000 impulses per procedure).The therapeutic effect is achieved due to the activation of blood supply to the joint and stimulating the processes of bone and cartilage restoration.
• Myostimulation implies the effect of muscles surrounding the joint with impulses from weak current, which is why mobility in the inflamed leg increases, the pain disappears and endurance increases to physical activity.
• Phonophoresis - a combination of ultrasound therapy and the effects of drugs, which is very effective for gonarthrosis.It is known that usually only 5-7% of the drug in the form of ointment, gel or cream is absorbed through the skin.With this procedure, high frequency vibrations heat up the tissues of the knee joint and improve the absorption of the drug, which allows you to save on expensive drugs while receiving a good result.
• Ozone therapy.The effect of active oxygen on the tissue has an anti -inflammatory and analgesic effect by which with knee arthrosis you can refuse to take hormonal medicines or reduce their dose.

Kineshitheap

• According to doctors, medical physical education (exercise therapy) allows a responsible and hardworking patient with arthrosis to "escape" from surgery.Daily workouts according to a special technique smoothly strengthen the muscles of the legs, which in some cases returns the pathological process, returning the patient to previous mobility.The main factor for success is the competent sequence of exercise that an experienced exercise instructor tells.
• Massage (including lymphatic drainage) and manual therapy - methods of passive effect on the muscles, joints and connections of the patient.They are suitable for sedentary patients and are ideally combined with exercise, physiotherapy and drug treatment to deform osteoarthrosis.
• Mechanotherapy involves the use of special devices that enhance the effect of exercise and massage therapy - vibration simulators, weights and mechanical massage.
• Joint traffic is a mechanical increase in the space of their cavity, which is why pain leaves and the destruction of the joint slow down.Applying the course of this technique allows for a few years to slow down the progression of knee arthrosis.

Dietary therapy

Consultation with a nutritionist and subsequent treatment of overweight and obese is an effective addition to the basic methods of combating arthrosis at any localization.Weight loss relieves joint load and facilitates exercise exercises.Often, radical treatment for obesity - bariatric surgery - allows you to diagnose people with arthrosis for many years.

Orthopedics doctors recommend that you think about your knee health, even before you feel pain in this area for the first time.The recommendations are simple: to keep track of the weight, carefully choose the right shoes, rationally approach physical education, participate in swimming (eliminates the load from all joints at the same time), avoid hypothermia of the legs and abandon smoking.