Arthrosis of the knee joint: 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 many difficulties the temporary or constant restriction of mobility carries.Meanwhile, every second person over 50 years old suffers from joint inflammation, and 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 even from the lips of doctors, you can hear the word “arthritis” - there is no significant mistake here, although more often this term is used in relation to rheumatoid arthritis: another disease that has a different origin and symptoms than osteoarthritis.

Deforming osteoarthritis is a progressive lesion of cartilage lining the surface of the joint, which leads to a violation of its work and pain.

This is an extremely common pathology, which is more common in women of advanced age suffering from overweight.However, sometimes deforming osteoarthritis is also observed in young sports men: the impetus for the development of the disease is sports trauma caused by excess loads in the gym.

In addition, gonarthrosis occurs for the following reasons:

• fractures of the legs and dislocations of the knee joints;
• Menisc injections;
• Inflammatory joint diseases (rheumatism, gout, illness of Bekhterev, etc.);
• metabolic violation;
• congenital weakness of the ligamentous apparatus (hypermobility of the joints);
• Hereditary predisposition to arthrosis of the knee joint.

Honartrosis can develop in any 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 like elderly people and refuse activity.

Symptoms of arthrosis of the knee joint

Arthrosis never occurs suddenly.The first symptom that occurs long before the acceleum of the disease is slight pain in the knee when walking, intensifying during lifting and descent up the stairs.Unpleasant sensations, as a rule, appear at the beginning of 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, movements in the knee joint are more and more limited, and the knee increases in size.Doctors advise not to pull on 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, getting rid of it is becoming increasingly difficult.

Degree of gonarthrosis

There are three degrees of arthrosis of the knee joint:

• 1 degree of gonarthrosis is a gap from the first symptoms of the disease to the appearance of bone deformations, which are noticeable during examination or in x -rays.In this case, the knee can change its shape 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 that occurs during movement.
• 2 The degree of arthrosis of the knee joint is accompanied by unpleasant sensations at the slightest load, a crunch in the knee when walking and squatting and a decrease in joint mobility.On the X -ray, the growth of bone tissue along the edges of the joint and narrowing of the joint gap are visible.Outwardly, the knee with 2 degrees of gonarthrosis also looks deformed and increased in size.
• With 3 degrees of gonarthrosis of cartilage tissue, there is almost no remaining inside the joint, and in the severe form of osteoarthrosis, 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 subsides - a dream is disturbed, and it becomes impossible to move without a cruttle or stick.

Only a doctor is capable of establishing the degree of arthrosis of the knee joint after studying the radiograph: there are cases when mild symptoms characteristic of the first degree are accompanied by far from the destruction of intra -articular cartilage.

Treatment of arthrosis of the knee joint

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

There is no and there should not be a single “scenario” of the treatment of arthrosis of the knee joint - the orthopedist is obliged to take into account the patient’s complaints, pay attention to the concomitant pathology and take into account the arsenal of physiotherapeutic techniques that is available in the medical institution.The best option is the treatment of gonarthrosis in a specialized orthopedic clinic.

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

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

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

It has long been considered one of the main folk folk remedies for arthrosis: it was used both for infusions (for example, from linden flowers) and for wraps and massage.It is difficult to say how honey helps to eliminate the causes of the disease, but this tool will definitely not bring harm - even doctors say.

Surgical treatment

Objects of varying degrees of invasiveness are designed not only to alleviate 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 minimally invasive intervention reduces inflammation and restores the mobility of the knee.
• Arthroscopy.If arthrosis requires a surgical operation (usually with 2 degrees of severity), it can be performed endoscopically - this technique does not require dissection of the joint cavity, and all manipulations are carried out by thin flexible tools under the control of micro -camera control.Arthroscopy involves the purification of the joint surfaces from 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 the pain syndrome and increases the mobility of the knee.Osteotomy is usually used for 1 and 2 degrees of osteoarthrosis of the knee joint.
• Endoprosthetics implies the replacement of the knee joint with bio compatible design, providing the previous volume of movements.This complex surgical intervention requires prolonged rehabilitation, therefore, as a rule, patients with 3 degree of gonartrosis are decided on it.

Non -surgical methods of treating deforming osteoarthritis

But still, any operation is a serious test for the body, so people suffering from arthrosis of the knee joint prefer conservative treatment.Practice shows that physiotherapeutic and other methods, as well as a change in lifestyle, lead to a tangible improvement, with the minimization of 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 area with a device generating radial acoustic waves (2000–4000 pulses per procedure).The therapeutic effect is achieved due to the activation of blood supply in the joint and stimulation of the processes of restoration of bone and cartilage.
• Myostimulation implies the effect of the muscles surrounding the joint with impulses of the weak current, due to which mobility in the sore leg increases, pain subsides, and endurance increases to physical activity.
• Phonophoresis - a combination of ultrasonic therapy and the effects of drugs, which is very effective for gonarthrosis.It is known that normally, 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 medicine, which makes it possible to save on expensive medicines, while getting a good result.
• Ozonotherapy.The effect of active oxygen on the tissue has an anti -inflammatory and analgesic effect, through which with 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 hardworking patient with arthrosis to “escape” from the operation.Daily workouts according to a special technique smoothly strengthen the muscles of the legs, which in some cases turns back the pathological process, returning the patient to the previous mobility.The key success factor is a competent sequence of exercises that an experienced exercise therapy instructor tells.
• Massage (including lymphatic drainage) and manual therapy - methods of passive effect on the muscles, joints and ligaments of the patient.They are suitable for sedentary patients and are perfectly combined with exercise therapy, physiotherapy and drug treatment for deforming osteoarthrosis.
• Mechanotherapy involves the use of special devices that enhance the effect of exercise therapy and massage - vibrational simulators, weighting and mechanical massagers.
• Joint traffic is a mechanical increase in the space of their cavity, due to which pain leaves and the destruction of the joint slows down.The course application of this technique allows for several years to delay the progression of arthrosis of the knee joint.

Diet therapy

Consultation with a nutritionist and subsequent treatment of overweight and obesity is an effective addition to the main methods of combating arthrosis of any localization.Losing weight relieves the load on the joints and facilitates exercise therapy in fat people.Often, 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 the health of the knees even before you first feel pain in this area.The recommendations are simple: to monitor the weight, carefully choose suitable shoes, rationally approach physical training, engage in swimming (it removes the load from all joints at the same time), avoid hypothermia of the legs and abandon smoking.