In modern life, pathological changes affecting the skeletal and muscular system occur more and more often.Osteoarthritis of the knee joint is one of the most common diseases.The symptoms and treatment of such a disease should therefore be known to everyone.This is a serious pathology which causes significant deformation of the cartilage as it progresses.
According to statistics, the pathology usually affects people whose joints are constantly under excessive stress.Osteoarthritis and arthritis of the knee joint is primarily a disease that affects older people, but cartilage deformity can also occur at younger ages.In such cases, people turn to a wide variety of therapeutic methods.For example, some people buy knee pads for osteoarthritis of the knee joint, but they are not always able to have an effect on the body.
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Women, as well as people over 40, are most susceptible to knee osteoarthritis.
Causes of disease
Osteoarthritis of the knee joint according to ICD10 is labeled as gonarthrosis, which is assigned the international classification code M17.The development of the disease is influenced by human physiology itself.The knee is the largest joint in the body.The femur, fibula and tibia are connected here.The resulting structure acts as a hinge, allowing the lower leg to perform flexion, extension, circular and rotational movements.
Since the knee is under very significant stress, pathological processes invariably begin to occur in the tissues with age.This is usually due to an inevitable deficiency of collagen, against the background of which the cartilage tissue loses its elasticity.Additionally, over time, the body decreases the synthesis of synovial fluid, which normally lubricates the joints, preventing them from rubbing against each other.
Even simple walking over time, under the influence of the above factors, leads to deformation of the cartilage and the development of an inflammatory process.A number of reasons can provoke pathology at a younger age.Among them:
- Meniscus injuries, ligament sprains and any other injuries;
- Strong demand on the legs following sports training or prolonged standing;
- Surgical intervention at the knee, in particular to remove the meniscus;
- Excess weight, especially if it causes varicose veins;
- Local inflammatory processes, such as arthritis of the knee joint;
- Metabolism problems;
- Connective tissue dysplasia.
Some people are predisposed from birth to pathologies of the musculoskeletal system due to heredity.It is also believed that the disease can be triggered by fatigue and chronic stress.When deciding how to treat osteoarthritis of the knee joint, the doctor pays attention to the causes of the disease.For positive dynamics, it is necessary not only to use special medications and a set of exercises, but also to influence the factor causing the disease.
The development of the disease depends on a combination of negative factors, which worsen with age and can ultimately lead to the destruction of the knee cartilage.
Stages of pathology
It is customary to distinguish 3 degrees of the knee joint because it is affected by osteoarthritis.Initially, problems can only really be detected if an x-ray is taken.Osteoarthritis of the knee joint of the 1st degree does not have any signs that a person can detect on their own.Sometimes patients complain of pain when walking and a feeling of fatigue, but these symptoms are very mild and disappear after a little rest.
Since few people decide to diagnose and treat the disease at an early stage, grade 2 osteoarthritis of the knee joint quickly develops.Despite the real presence of the inflammatory process, it is sterile in nature and then evolves very slowly.First degree osteoarthritis can reach second degree in several months or years.When this happens, the situation will be characterized by the following manifestations:
- When you bend your leg, you hear a dull crack, accompanied by pain.The bran is associated with a serious deficiency of hyaluronic acid.
- If you walk for a long time, severe pain occurs in the joints.Even simple movements cause heavy, burning sensations inside the knees.
- The mobility of members is limited;they can no longer work with the same amplitude.Some patients with grade 2 knee osteoarthritis can only walk on bent legs, while others are forced to use a cane.
- Changes in cartilaginous tissue are manifested externally.The bones and cartilage swell and enlarge, and the skin covering them thickens and turns red.As a result, the temperature rises locally and muscle atrophy begins around the diseased area.
If you do not start treatment even when such symptoms appear, grade 3 osteoarthritis of the knee joint will begin.At this stage, the cartilage tissue is destroyed.This leaves areas of bone exposed.Third degree osteoarthritis is associated with constant acute pain caused by any movement.In this case, patients are often no longer able to walk.At the third stage, treatment of knee osteoarthritis with folk remedies is impossible.Only one operation can lead to at least one result.Third degree deforming osteoarthritis of the knee joints can lead to disability.
The first degree of osteoarthritis is characterized by slight pain when the leg remains in the same position for a long time, which disappears after rest.
Diagnosis and basics of exposure
Before you start treating osteoarthritis of the knee at home, you must be diagnosed by a doctor.It is usually worth consulting an orthopedist.The specialist will carry out an examination, collect the history and refer the patient for an x-ray examination.Some changes can be noticed from the first stage of the disease, and the second picture will show:
- Partial bone exposure
- Thinning and destruction of cartilage,
- Reduction of joint space,
- Accumulation of osteophytes.
In rare cases, a CT scan, MRI and blood test are necessary for diagnosis.If differentiation is necessary, the patient is referred to a rheumatologist, surgeon or endocrinologist.After making a diagnosis, specialists will select a complex for osteoarthritis of the knee joints.It is impossible to completely improve the condition if the disease is already in the second stage.Treatment aims to prevent progression of the pathology and relieve symptoms.
Deforming osteoarthritis of the knee joint requires limited mobility during periods of exacerbation.The attending physician may recommend that the patient wear various devices, such as orthotics.Knee pads for osteoarthritis of the knee joint are designed to help cope with pain.Closed types are recommended if the diagnosis is not clearly established.In this case, the joint rests on a larger surface area.The open ones are used for occasional pain, while the articulated ones are suitable for the treatment of post-traumatic conditions.
Be careful!Many people want to know how to choose knee braces for osteoarthritis of the knee joint.However, only a doctor can choose the right option, and with such a diagnosis you need to be constantly monitored.
Non-drug treatment of pathology includes a variety of procedures and stress.For knee osteoarthritis, folk recipes can only accompany complex effects.For example, some compresses are applied after physical therapy and magnetic laser therapy.Alternative treatment for osteoarthritis of the knee joint should also be monitored by a doctor.
Treatment of the disease includes a set of orthopedic procedures and drug therapy.It is also possible to use traditional medicine in the early stages of osteoarthritis.
Physical activity
Deforming osteoarthritis of the knee joint is often treated with special exercises.It is usually included in a complex of physiotherapy, electrophoresis and other procedures.Complex treatment is common in different clinics.However, these resorts are inaccessible to most people.Free hospitals only offer physiotherapy.Exercise therapy for osteoarthritis of the knee joint helps:
- Reduce pain,
- Establish blood flow
- Strengthen neighboring muscles
- Expand the common space
- Improve the functioning of the respiratory system
- Correct the condition of the spine.
The main criterion for effectiveness is the systematic implementation of a set of exercises.You can't practice using a video just once and expect it to produce results.Reviews of these courses only note their benefits if sufficient time is devoted to the courses.It should also be understood that at the third stage, no physical therapy will help.
Exercises for osteoarthritis of the knee joint should be based on a system of alternating intense load and rest.Typically ten minute periods of tension are used with breaks.In total, the duration of the training is half an hour.It is allowed to gradually increase the duration and amplitude of the load.Therapeutic exercises for osteoarthritis of the knee joint usually require three sessions per day, with up to six repetitions of each exercise.
The doctor decides whether it is possible to play sports with this diagnosis.However, in most cases, Pilates, yoga and exercise bikes are not contraindicated.There are specialized therapeutic exercise courses.
Physiotherapy for osteoarthritis will help strengthen muscles, reduce tension in diseased joints and activate blood circulation in them.
Injections
This disease is very difficult to treat and therefore pills are usually ineffective.In most cases, people try to choose injections for knee osteoarthritis.Injections can be placed into muscle tissue.In this case, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are used, as well as pain relievers, antispasmodics and vitamin complexes.
Osteoarthritis of the knee joint cannot be treated at home with injections.Many patients cannot inject themselves and are also at risk of using medicines that are not suitable for them.Fortunately, you can buy nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs for internal administration only with a doctor's prescription.
Be careful!With the exception of the injectable form, other types of medications are distributed free of charge in pharmacies.
Some NSAIDs are injected directly into joint tissues.It is believed that in this way it is possible to better stop the inflammation process and achieve an effect from the first minutes of treatment.Preparations for injections into the knee joint for osteoarthritis are presented:
- Glucocorticoids,
- Hyaluronic acid,
- Chondroprotectors,
- Plasmolifting,
- Pain blockers.
The former fight inflammation most effectively.It is better to take the purchased product to a specialist, because it is even more difficult to inject into a joint than into muscle tissue.
To eliminate pain and relieve inflammation, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are used, which are most effective in the form of injections into the joint tissues.
External means
Ointments for osteoarthritis of the knee joint are not effective and have practically no effect on their own.Traditional remedies are presented:
- Application from red, blue or white clay;
- Compresses made from bran, oatmeal, horseradish or potatoes;
- Baths with sea salt or pine needles.
It is possible to treat knee osteoarthritis at home only in the early stages of the disease.In case of severe symptoms, only surgery is effective.At the third stage of osteoarthritis of the knee joint, surgical intervention is necessary.