Osteoarthritis of the knee joints

Osteoarthritis of the knee joint (deformative osteoarthritis of the knee joint, DOA, gonarthrosis) is called degenerative-dystrophic changes in the articular structures, in which the cartilage layer between the bone elements first becomes thinner and then collapses. In the early stages, the patient experiences discomfort and slight limitation of mobility, then the joint is deformed and with the destruction of the cartilage, it completely loses its functions. Acute arthrosis is very painful and is accompanied by a significant decrease in the patient's physical activity. If the treatment of gonarthrosis of the knee joint is not started in time, the patient may remain disabled.

For reference:According to statistics, every fifth adult in the world suffers from osteoarthritis of the knee joint. Knee osteoarthritis can be unilateral or bilateral; in women, the pathology is diagnosed twice as often as in men. People over 45 often face the problem of joint deformation due to age-related changes in the body. If this diagnosis is made in young people, the cause is usually trauma.

Why does pathology develop?

The knee joint is one of the most complex in the human body. Bears most of the load during walking and other movements. It is not surprising that with age its elements begin to wear out and lose their functions. First, the layer of cartilage in the articular joint loses its elasticity and elasticity, then dries and cracks. The absorbing properties of the cartilage are reduced and this is exactly what causes discomfort and pain during movement: the blows and impacts of the articular structures against each other are no longer softened by anything, the bones are gradually exposed and rub against each other. .

Deformation of arthrosis of the knee joint in old age is an optional phenomenon; it is not diagnosed in everyone. There are a number of provocative factors, the combination of which causes pathological changes in the joints.

The most common causes of pathology are as follows:

• excess weight - the joint must withstand additional loads;
• Osteoporosis is a pathology in which demineralization of bone tissue occurs;
• chronic diseases associated with metabolic disorders in the body;
• traumatic sports - gonarthrosis is often called the disease of football players due to frequent trauma to the knee joint;
• some types of professional activities related to heavy physical activity - osteoarthritis and osteoarthritis - are found in loaders;
• injuries of the spine in which the distribution of loads in the joints of the lower extremities is interrupted;
• hereditary predisposition.

Articular cartilage does not wear out immediately. In the early stages, the manifestations of the disease are absent or insignificant, the patient does not consult a doctor and does not take any measures to stop the pathological process. But, if dystrophic changes are nevertheless identified, the patient has time to start treatment and prevent irreversible changes. To do this, you must first determine what are the main signs of osteoarthritis of the knee joints.

How to recognize the disease

The symptoms of arthrosis of the knee joint become pronounced at the stage when the cartilage has already become thinner and has begun to deteriorate. Grade 1 gonarthrosis may not be felt for years. However, later, attentive patients remember that they still felt atypical symptoms, they just did not pay much attention to them, since they were not constant and did not cause much concern.

You may suspect destruction and inflammation of the right or left knee joint based on the following specific signs:

• morning stiffness in joints;
• limitation of mobility after a long stay in one position;
• discomfort in the knee when climbing stairs - burning sensation, hypersensitivity;
• pain at night in the knees;
• pain after physical work or sports;
• periodic sudden weakness of the lower extremities. If right-sided gonarthrosis or left-sided gonarthrosis develops, then only one affected leg gives way.

But still, the main symptom of the destruction of the knee joint remains pain. They can be of different intensity and decrease from time to time. But as the pathologies progress, they appear more often, become more intense and disturb the patient even at rest, in the absence of physical activity. Based on the severity of the symptoms, the doctor can diagnose the stage of the disease.

• Manifestations of stage 1 pathology:Pain is not yet a concern, the patient may notice rapid fatigue when playing sports or physical activity, a slight limitation of joint mobility after prolonged rest. An x-ray will show a slight narrowing of the space between the bones of the joint, an uneven cartilage surface with slight compression.
• For 2 degree gonarthrosissymptoms appear brighter and more often. The patient usually already knows that something is wrong with his knees. The joints hurt and "twist" when the weather changes, after physical exertion. Even the gentlest movements result in knee pain. If a person rests the leg, the pain will go away. But under load they will restart again. Also at this stage of the pathology, there may be a characteristic creaking in the knee when bending and extending the leg, difficulty and pain when trying to bend the leg at the knee more than 90 degrees. An X-ray will show a change in the shape of the joint cup and the presence of fluid in the joint cavity.
• Gonarthrosis 3 degreescharacterized by severe pain that occurs regardless of whether the limb receives a load or is at rest. The painful joint is especially painful at night and when the weather conditions change. The patient is no longer able to bend the leg at the knee, therefore his physical activity and performance decrease. Radiography clearly shows degenerative changes in the articular tissues. Deformation can also be seen visually with the naked eye. The patient's legs are bent at the knees like the letter "o" or "x", which ultimately leads to the inability to move independently, without support, and even more so to perform usual professional and household tasks. The person becomes disabled.

Typically, patients consult a doctor in the second stage of the disease, mainly to find an effective medicine for knee pain. In the first stage, it is quite difficult to identify gonarthrosis, since the symptoms are mild and only small changes are visible on X-rays. It is possible to detect pathological changes in the joints only with a complete examination.

Diagnostic methods

Diagnosis begins with a visual examination and questioning of the patient. What will indicate the possible development of gonarthrosis:

• enlargement and change of shape of the knee joint;
• a distinct creak when the knee cap is displaced;
• pain when palpating the joint;
• limitation of joint mobility.

In the early stages, degenerative changes in cartilage tissue may not be visible; for this reason, CT and MRI are also recommended. With the help of modern diagnostic techniques, the doctor is able to accurately determine how severely the joint is affected, if there is inflammation and fluid accumulation in the joint cavity, as well as to differentiate osteoarthritis of the knee joint from other pathologies.

Distribution

In modern orthopedics, there are two main types of osteoarthritis of the knee joints:

• primary gonarthrosis;
• secondary gonarthrosis.

The main form of the disease develops on its own due to age-related changes or metabolic disorders. Secondary is a consequence of another disease, injury or unsuccessful surgical intervention. Post-traumatic osteoarthritis of the knee joint can develop several months after a contusion, subluxation or fracture. According to the nature of the course, arthrosis is classified as acute or chronic. It is easier to cure the acute form of the disease.

Official medicine for gonarthrosis

The complex treatment of osteoarthritis of the knee joint begins only after the final confirmation of the diagnosis. If the patient's condition is not critical, then doctors will first try to stop the progression of the pathology with the help of medications. Physiotherapy, massage and manual therapy are used as additional methods.

The main goals of complex therapy:

• relief of pain and discomfort;
• restoration of joint mobility;
• stop the destruction of the cartilage layer and, if possible, restore it.

Important points are physical therapy and following a special diet. There are exercises and products that work to restore damaged joint tissue and help restore mobility at least partially. If you consult the doctor at the right time, these measures are enough for the knee joint to start functioning fully.

But if the disease has reached the third stage, the joint is severely damaged, and even the most expensive drugs will not help to restore it. Surgery will be required to preserve at least partial limb function. It consists in removing the remnants of the affected articular structures and placing an implant, the procedure is called endoprosthetics.

Drug treatment of gonarthrosis

To eliminate the unpleasant symptoms of the disease, to restore and strengthen the joint, a complex of drugs of different groups and actions is used.

• Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs- The treatment of joints begins with them, they quickly relieve pain, swelling, fever and partially stop the inflammatory process. But they cannot be taken for a long time, since the active ingredients in the composition have an extremely negative effect on the functions of the digestive tract and blood composition. Typically, the course of treatment with NSAIDs lasts no more than 5-7 days. Medicines can be in the form of tablets for internal use or in the form of ointments and gels for external use.
• Chondroprotectors– these are drugs that improve the nutrition of cartilage tissue and restore their firmness and elasticity. Chondroprotectors also partially relieve pain and swelling. But such drugs do not work immediately. The first effect will be visible a few weeks after the start of the course of therapy. It is recommended to take chondroprotectors for at least six months.
• Hormonal drugs.They are also called corticosteroids. Medicines containing hormones are used if the pain is very strong and the inflammation progresses even after a course of taking NSAIDs. They are administered as injections intramuscularly or directly into the joint cavity. Such medications immediately relieve pain, reduce swelling and inflammation. But they have a number of contraindications and even more side effects than non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, so they are prescribed in extreme cases. Hormonal drugs can be bought in pharmacies only with a doctor's prescription. Immediately after the patient's condition improves, corticosteroids are discontinued.

The treatment is completed with intra-articular injections of hyaluronic acid. This substance stimulates the production of synovial fluid, saturates the cells with moisture, restores their elasticity, firmness and prevents erosion. The cost of the procedure is quite high, but the effectiveness is worth the cost.

On a note:Of all the drugs listed above, only chondroprotectors affect the cause of the disease. They stimulate the regeneration of destroyed cartilage tissue and prevent damage to surviving cartilage cells. But these drugs are expensive, and to get a visible and lasting effect, they must be taken regularly for several consecutive months, and sometimes even years. The cost of full treatment for many patients, especially retirees, is often prohibitive.

Unconventional methods of treatment

Patients who have experienced for themselves what arthrosis of the knee is and what unpleasant symptoms it manifests, always have some medicines available in the warehouse in case the pharmacy and medications are not available. People suffering from gonarthrosis and knee pain prepare tinctures, rubs and ointments based on medicinal plants in advance - almost all recipes require time and fresh raw materials, available only in the spring-summer season.

Dandelion treatment

There are several ways to strengthen the joint and restore its mobility and get rid of excruciating pain with the help of this medicinal plant. The simplest is to eat five dandelion heads every day during the flowering period. This should be done on an empty stomach, after you have rinsed the flowers with boiled water. A solution for rubbing joints is also prepared from dandelion.

The cooking recipe is as follows:

1. Collect exactly 50 open dandelion heads.
2. Place in a dark glass bottle with a tight stopper.
3. Pour in 300 ml of good vodka or triple cologne.
4. Inject away from sunlight for a month, shaking the container occasionally.
5. Without expression, transfer it to the first aid kit, use it before bed to rub the sore knee, then wrap the joint warmly and go to bed under a blanket.

There is another interesting recipe against osteoarthritis of the joints using dandelion. First you need to collect the leaves of the plant and dry them. Then pour boiling water and let it steam for half an hour. The resulting mixture should be chewed slowly and thoroughly for as long as it takes to do exactly 3, 000 steps.

Burdock recipe

The simplest recipe:

1. pick two or three young leaves of the plant and rinse with cold water;
2. Crush the leaves lightly to release the juice;
3. Apply it to the affected joint and secure it with a bandage.

Keep this "compress" overnight, remove it in the morning and discard the leaves. Repeat the procedure every day for three weeks.

To increase the effect, traditional healers advise lubricating the knee with wool wool oil before applying burdock root. It is very easy to prepare. Two tablespoons of minced noodles are poured into 250 ml of any unflavored purified vegetable oil. The oil should be well heated, but not boiling. Leave the mixture for two weeks, then the oil can be used to treat the joints.

Turpentine, eggs and other common means

Using chicken egg yolk, you can prepare an effective rub for sore joints. It is prepared like this:

1. Lightly beat an egg yolk in a bowl.
2. Add a small spoonful of turpentine and mix.
3. Then pour a large spoonful of vinegar and beat again.

The mixture is stored in the refrigerator and used before going to bed. After rubbing, the knee is wrapped with a warm cloth all night. In the morning, you should remove the bandage and rinse the remaining product with warm water, and then apply any anti-arthrosis ointment.

Remember that all home preparations are effective only immediately after preparation; they are not stored for a long time (with the exception of tinctures with alcohol, they can be stored in a dark and cool place for up to six months). Don't expect instant results. Folk remedies operate in a cumulative system; lasting relief will come only after three to four weeks of regular use of home remedies for knee osteoarthritis. In the later stages, they will not be effective and will only help to temporarily reduce pain and swelling.

Summary:Osteoarthritis of the knee joint, or gonarthrosis, is one of the most common lesions of the musculoskeletal system in elderly people. In young people, it appears after injury or during excessive physical exertion. The disease can be completely cured only in stages 1-2 with a competent and comprehensive approach. In the third stage, it is most often necessary to resort to endoprosthetics in order to at least partially restore limb functions and prevent complications.