Knee Joint Arthrosis: Causes, Symptoms and Treatment

A healthy person perceives the ability to walk and run as something natural and easy.But those who have developed diseases of the musculoskeletal system know how many difficulties they have to temporarily or permanent movement restrictions.At the same time, all second people over the age of 50 are experiencing joint inflammation, and knee joint arthrosis 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 confusion with the name of this disease.It is officially called "deformity of osteoarthritis".Even from doctors' lips you can hear the word "arthritis" - there is no significant mistake here, although more often the term is used in relation to rheumatoid arthritis: another disease that has different origin and symptoms than osteoarthritis.

Deformity of osteoarthritis is a progressive cartilage damage along the surface of the joint, causing it to disrupt its work and pain.

It is an extremely common pathology that is more common in women of advanced age who suffer from excess weight.However, sometimes osteoarthritis deformity is also observed in young sports men: the impulse of disease development is a sports trauma caused by excessive loading in the gym.

In addition, gonarthrosis occurs for the following reasons:

• Feet fractures and knee joint dislocation;
• Pelvic injections;
• Joint joint diseases (rheumatism, gut, behterev's disease, etc.);
• Metabolic disorder;
• Congenital weakness of the ligament apparatus (hypermobility of the joints);
• Hereditary predisposition to knee joint arthrosis.

Honortrosis can develop in any of us - experts note that this is the result (paradoxically) the average life expectancy of the population: our funds fail until we feel older people and refuse to work.

Symptoms of knee joint arthrosis

Arthrosis never happens suddenly.The first symptom, which occurs long before the disease is given, is a slight pain in the knee walking, enhances the climbing and stairs.Unpleasant sensations usually appear at the beginning of movement, disappearing 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 exacerbated - the pain becomes continuous, the movements in the knee joint are more and more limited, and the knee increases in size.Doctors advise you not to go to the hospital when the first unpleasant sensations appear.This will do without prolonged and expensive treatment: With the development of the disease, it is becoming increasingly difficult to get rid of it.

The degree of gonarthrosis

There are three degrees of knee joint arthrosis:

• 1 degree of gonarthrosis is from the first symptoms of the gap disease, before the appearance of bone deformities, which are noticeable during the examination or in the X -Rays.In this case, the knee may change its form in 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 different intensity, which occurs during movement.
• 2 knee arthrosis degree is accompanied by unpleasant sensations in the slightest load, knee crunch when walking and quarreling and reducing joint mobility.X -ray shows bone tissue growth along the edges of the joint and the gap of the joint narrowing.Outwardly, the 2 degree gonarthrosis article also looks deformed and increased in size.
• At 3 degrees of cartilage tissue, there is almost no left inside the joint, and in severe form of osteoarosis, the bones grow together, causing the sick to improve.For a person with such a disease, it is difficult to hold a position in which the pain stops - the dream is concerned and it is impossible to move without a crutter and a stick.

Only the doctor can determine the degree of knee arthrosis after the study of radiography: there are cases where moderate symptoms of first degree are accompanied by the destruction of internal -arc.

Treatment of knee joint arthrosis

If the diagnosis has detected gonarthrosis, it is necessary to approach the upcoming treatment.Do not expect to solve the problem of compresses or ointments from the nearest pharmacy - this disease requires an integrated approach and compliance with specialist recommendations.

There should be no one "scenario" of knee arthrosis treatment - the orthopedist is obliged to consider the patient's complaints, pay attention to the simultaneous pathology, and take into account the arsenal of physiotherapeutic techniques available at the medical facility.The best option is to treat gonarthrosis in a specialized orthopedic clinic.

Drug treatment (medications for the treatment of knee joint arthrosis)

Medications are important for treating gonarthrosis, especially in situations where you need to relieve symptoms of severe pain and reduce inflammation.For this purpose, doctors prescribe non -anti -anti -anti -anti -anti -anti -anti -anti -anti -anti -lining remedies: diclofenac, indomethacin, namsulide and others.To combat a strong inflammatory process, steroids and cartilage tissue are prescribed - joints and vasodilatory agents.All of these drugs are prescribed in the form of a tablet, as well as in creams, ointments, injectable solutions (with any degree of knee arthrosis).

Special remembrance deserves the plasmolization method - the introduction of the patient's plasma plasma plasma on the knee affected by arthrosis.This technique has been successfully used 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 folk remedies for arthrosis: it has been used for both infusions (for example, from Linden's flowers) and for packaging and massage.It is difficult to say how honey helps to eliminate the causes of the disease, but this tool does not really harm - even doctors say.

Surgical treatment

Objects of various degrees of invasions are designed not only to relieve symptoms of the disease but also to eliminate its causes.

• Puncture.To prevent excess fluid in the joint, surgeons apply a puncture - such minimal invasive intervention reduces inflammation and restores knee mobility.
• Arthroscopy.If arthrosis requires surgery (usually by 2 degrees of gravity), it can be endoscopically - this technique does not require collapse of the joint cavity, and all manipulations are performed with thin flexible tools under the control of micro -camera.Arthroscopy involves cleaning joint surfaces from the fragments of destroyed cartilage.
• Osteotomy near the joints is more traumatic intervention.During surgery, one bone that forms the knee joint is cut and then fixed again, but at another angle.This approach allows you to transform the load on the knee, which reduces pain syndrome and increases knee mobility.Osteotomy is usually used in the knee joint osteoarosis of 1 and 2 degrees.
• Endoprosthetics involves changing the knee joint with a bio -compatible design, which ensures the previous volume of movements.This difficult surgical intervention requires prolonged rehabilitation, so it usually decides to have 3 degrees of gonarthrosis.

Non -surgical methods of treating deformation osteoarthritis

Still, any surgery is a serious test for the body, so people with knee arthrosis prefer conservative treatment.Practice shows that physiotherapeutic and other methods, as well as lifestyle changes, lead to tangible improvement by reducing the use of pharmaceuticals.

Physiotherapy

• Shock wave therapy (UVT) has been used in clinics for 20 years.During the procedure, the doctor acts on the affected side with a device that produces radial acoustic waves (2000-4000 per Pulse per procedure).The therapeutic effect is achieved due to the activation of blood supply to the joint and stimulating bone and cartilage recovery processes.
• Myostimulation implies the effect of muscles around the joint with weak power impulses, thereby increasing leg mobility, pain decreases, and durability increases in physical activity.
• Phonophoresis - a combination of ultrasound therapy and medication, which is very effective for gonarthrosis.It is known that only 5-7% ointment, gel or cream is usually absorbed through the skin.With this procedure, high -frequency vibration warms the knee joint tissue and improves the absorption of medicine, which can save on expensive medicines while taking good results.
• Ozonotherapy.The action of active oxygen on the tissue has an antiniflemian and analgesic effect, through which you can refuse to take hormonal drugs or reduce their dose with knee arthrosis.

Kinesthetic

• Medical physical education (exercise therapy), according to doctors, allows the arthrosis and hard -working patient to "escape" the surgery.Daily exercise according to special techniques, smoothly strengthens the muscles of the legs, which in some cases returns the pathological process, returning the patient to previous mobility.The main factor of success is the competent sequence of exercises that an experienced exercise therapy instructor.
• Massage (including lymphatic drainage) and manual therapy - Passive effect methods on patient muscles, joints and ligaments.They are suitable for sedentary patients and perfectly combine exercise therapy, physiotherapy and drug treatment for osteoarosis deformity.
• The use of the mechanism involves the use of special devices, which enhances the impact of exercise therapy and massage - vibrating simulators, weight and mechanical massages.
• Joint trafficking is a mechanical increase in the space of their cavity, leaving the leaves of pain and the destruction of the joint.The use of this technique course allows for several years to stop the progression of the knee joint arthrosis.

Dietotherapy

Consulting with a dietician and further treatment of overweight and obesity is an effective addition to the basic methods of combating any localization arthrosis.Weight loss relieves joint loading and promotes exercise therapy in fatty people.Often, the radical treatment of obesity - bariatric surgery - allows you to make a diagnosis in people who have suffered arthrosis for many years.

Orthopeda doctors recommend thinking about the health of the knees before you first feel pain in this area.The recommendations are simple: for weight monitoring, carefully select the right shoes, rationally approach physical exercise, switch to swim (it can simultaneously open the load from all joints), avoid hypothermia and abandoned smoking.