Arthrosis of the knee joint: causes, symptoms and treatment

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

The causes of arthrosis of the knee joint

Despite the widespread prevalence of arthrosis, there is still a confusion with the name of this disease.It is officially called "deforming osteoarthritis".But also from the lips of the doctors, you can listen to the word "arthritis" - here there is no significant error, although more often this term is used in relation to rheumatoid arthritis: another disease that has different origin and symptoms compared to osteoarthritis.

The deformation of osteoarthritis is a progressive injury of the cartilage that covers the surface of the joint, which leads to a violation of his work and his pain.

This is an extremely common pathology, which is more common in women of age who suffer from overweight.However, sometimes there is also the arthrosis of deformation in young sportsmen: the momentum for the development of the disease is the sports trauma caused by excess loads in the gym.

In addition, gonartrosis occurs for the following reasons:

• leg fractures and dislocations of the knee joints;
• Menisc injections;
• Inflammatory joint diseases (rheumatism, gout, bekhterev disease, etc.);
• metabolic violation;
• congenital weakness of the binding apparatus (hypermability of the joints);
• Hereditary predisposition to arthrosis of the knee joint.

Hast onhaver can develop in one of us - experts note that this is a consequence (paradoxically) an increase in the average life expectancy of the population: our joints fail before we feel as the elderly and reject the activity.

Symptoms of arthrosis of the knee joint

Arthosis never occurs suddenly.The first symptom that occurs long before the accelean of the disease is a slight knee pain during the walk, intensifying during lifting and descent up for the stairs.The unpleasant sensations, as a rule, appear at the beginning of the movement, disappear after a short walk and after a long load on the joint, they return again.

Over time, if arthrosis is not treated, the symptoms are aggravated: the pain becomes continuous, the movements in the knee joint are increasingly limited and the knee increases in size.Doctors advise not to make a visit to the hospital already when the first unpleasant sensations appear.This will do without prolonged and expensive treatment: with the development of the disease, freeing it is becoming increasingly difficult.

Degree of gonartrosis

There are three degrees of arthrosis of the knee joint:

• 1 degree of gonartrosis is a gap from the first symptoms of the disease to the appearance of bone deformations, which are evident during the examination or in the X -rays. In this case, the knee can change shape in the first months of arthrosis, but due to the accumulation of fluid in the joint (this phenomenon is called synovite).1 degree of gonartrosis is mainly characterized by pain of different intensity that occurs during movement.
• 2 The degree of arthrosis of the knee joint is accompanied by unpleasant sensations to the minimum load, a creak in the knee when walking and crouched and a decrease in joint mobility.On radius X, the growth of bone tissue along the edges of the joint and the narrowing of the joint gap are visible.Externally, the knee with 2 degrees of gonartrosis also seems deformed and increased in size.
• With 3 degrees of gonartrosis of the cartilage tissue, there is almost no departure within the articulation and in the serious form of osteoarthritis, the bones grow together, which leads to the complete immobility of the sick leg.It is difficult for a person with such a disease to take a position in which the pain attenuates itself: a dream is disturbed and becomes impossible to move without a creaking or a stick.

Only one doctor is able to establish the degree of arthrosis of the knee joint after studying the X -ray: there are cases in which the slight symptoms characteristic of the first degree are far accompanied by the destruction of the intra -articular cartilage.

Treatment of arthrosis of the knee joint

If the diagnosis has detected gonartrosis, it is necessary to approach the imminent treatment responsibly.Don't expect it to be compressed or ointments from the nearest pharmacy solve the problem: this disease requires an integrated approach and compliance with a specialist's recommendations.

There is no and should not be a single "scenario" of the treatment of arthrosis of the knee joint: the orthopedist is required to take into account the patient complaints, pay attention to the concomitant pathology and take into account the arsenal of the physiotherapeutic techniques available in the medical institution.The best option is the treatment of gonartrosis in a specialized orthopedic clinic.

Pharmacological treatment (drugs for the treatment of arthrosis of the knee joint)

Medicines are important in the treatment of gonartrosis, in particular in situations where it is necessary to urgently alleviate the symptoms of acute pain and reduce inflammation.To this end, doctors prescribe non -short anti -inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs): diclofenac, indometacin, nimesulide and others.To combat a serious inflammatory process, steroids are prescribed and to improve the condition of the cartilage tissue - drugs for joints and vasodilated drugs.All these drugs are prescribed both in a tablet and in the form of creams, ointments, injected solutions (with any degree of gravity of the arthrosis of the knee joint).

A special mention is deserved by the molding method: the introduction of the blood plasma of the patient enriched with the plasma in the articulation of the knee affected by arthrosis.This technique is successfully used in sports medicine, where particular attention is paid to the rapid restoration of the musculoskeletal system.

It has long been considered one of the main popular remedies for arthrosis: it was used both for infusions (for example, by Linden flowers) and for compresses and massage.It is difficult to say how honey helps to eliminate the causes of the disease, but this tool will certainly not cause damage, doctors say.

Surgical treatment

The objects of various 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 the excess fluid in the joint cavity, surgeons resort to drilling - this minimally invasive intervention reduces inflammation and restores knee mobility.
• Arthroscopy.If arthrosis requires a surgical operation (usually with 2 degrees of gravity), it can be performed endoscopically - this technique does not require the dissection of the joint cavity and all manipulations are performed by thin flexible tools under the control of the control of the micro -camera.Artroscopy involves the purification of joint surfaces from fragments of the destroyed cartilage.
• Osteotomy near the joints is a more traumatic intervention.During the operation, one of the bones that forms the knee joint is cut and then fixed again, but with 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 osteoarthritis of the knee joint.
• Endoprothetics implies the replacement of the knee joint with a compatible organic design, providing the previous volume of movements.This complex surgery requires prolonged rehabilitation, therefore, as a rule, patients are decided with 3 degrees of gonartrosis.

Non -surgical methods for the treatment of the deformation of osteoarthritis

However, any operation is a serious body test, so people who suffer from arthrosis of the knee joint prefer conservative treatment.The practice shows that physiotherapy methods and others, as well as a change in lifestyle, lead to a tangible improvement, with the minimization of the use of pharmaceutical products.

Physiotherapy

• The therapy of shock waves (UVT) was used in clinics for 20 years.During the procedure, the doctor acts on the affected area with a device that generates radial acoustic waves (2000-4000 impulses for procedure).The therapeutic effect is obtained due to the activation of the blood supply in the articulation and stimulation of the processes of restoration of bones and cartilage.
• The myostimulation implies the effect of the muscles that surround the articulation with the impulses of the weak current, due to which mobility increases in the painful leg, pain and resistance increases to physical activity.
• FONOFORESI - A combination of ultrasonic therapy and the effects of drugs, which is very effective for gonartrosis.It is known that normally, only 5-7% of the drug in the form of an ointment, gel or cream is absorbed through the skin.With this procedure, high frequency vibrations heat the tissues of the knee joint and improve the absorption of medicine, which allows you to save on expensive medicines, obtaining a good result.
• Ozonotherapy.The effect of the oxygen active on the tissue has an anti -inflammatory and analgesic effect, through which with the arthrosis of the knee joint, you can refuse to take hormonal drugs or reduce their dosage.

Kinesitherapy

• Medical physical education (exercise therapy), according to doctors, allows a responsible and laborious patient with arthrosis to "escape" the operation.According to a special technique, daily training reinforces the legal process of the legological process without problems, which in some cases bring back the patient to the previous mobility.The key success factor is a competent sequence of exercises that says an expert operating instructor.
• Massage (including lymphatic drainage) and manual therapy - passive effect methods on the muscles, joints and patient ligaments.They are suitable for sedentary patients and are perfectly combined with operating therapy, physiotherapy and pharmacological treatment to deform limb.
• Meccanotherapy involves the use of special devices that improve the effect of exercise and massage therapy - vibrational simulators, weighting and mechanical masseurs.
• Articular traffic is a mechanical increase in the space of their cavity, due to which the pain leaves and the destruction of the articulation slows down.The application of the course of this technique allows several years to delay the progression of the arthrosis of the knee joint.

Diet therapy

The consultation with a nutritionist and the subsequent treatment of overweight and obesity is an effective addition to the main methods to combat arthrosis of any location.Losing weight relieves the load on the joints and facilitates operating therapy in fatty people.Often, the radical treatment of obesity - bariatric surgery - allows you to make a diagnosis in people who have suffered from arthrosis for many years.

Orthopeda doctors recommend thinking about knee health even before feeling pain in this sector.The recommendations are simple: monitor the weight, carefully choose the suitable shoes, approach rationally physical training, engage in swimming (remove the load from all the joints simultaneously), avoid the hypothermia of the legs and abandon smoking.