Osteoarthritis of the knee joints

Osteoarthritis of the knee joint (deforming osteoarthritis of the knee joint, DOA, gonarthrosis) is called degenerative-dystrophic changes of the joint structures, in which the cartilaginous layer between the bone elements first thins and then collapses. In the early stages, the patient experiences discomfort and slight movement restrictions, then the joint deforms and completely loses its functions due to the destruction of the cartilage. Acute arthrosis is very painful and involves a significant reduction 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 information:According to statistics, every fifth adult in the world suffers from knee osteoarthritis. 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. When 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. It bears most of the load during walking and other movements. It's no surprise that as you age, your batteries wear out and lose their function. First, the layer of cartilage in the articular joint loses its flexibility and elasticity, then it dries out and cracks. The shock-absorbing properties of the cartilages decrease, and this is what causes discomfort and pain during movement: nothing softens the blows and collisions of the joint structures, the bones gradually become free and rub against each other. .

Deforming arthrosis of the knee joint in the elderly is an optional phenomenon, not everyone is diagnosed. There are many provoking factors, the combination of which causes pathological changes in the joint.

The most common causes of pathology are:

• excess weight - the joint must withstand additional load;
• Osteoporosis is a pathology in which bone tissue is demineralized;
• chronic diseases associated with metabolic disorders of the body;
• traumatic sports - gonarthrosis is often called a disease of football players due to frequent trauma to the knee joint;
• certain types of professional activities related to heavy physical activity - osteoarthritis and osteoarthritis - can be found in loaders;
• spinal injuries, in which the distribution of load on the joints of the lower limbs is disrupted;
• hereditary tendency.

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, nevertheless, dystrophic changes are identified, the patient has time to start treatment and prevent irreversible changes. To do this, you must first determine what the main signs of osteoarthritis of the knee joints are.

How to recognize the disease

The symptoms of arthrosis of the knee joint appear at the stage when the cartilage has already thinned and started to deteriorate. Grade 1 gonarthrosis cannot be felt for years. Later, however, attentive patients recall that they continued to feel atypical symptoms, they simply did not attach much importance to them, since they were not constant and did not cause much discomfort.

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

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

But still, the main symptom of the destruction of the knee joint is still pain. They can vary in intensity and subside from time to time. But as the pathologies progress, they appear more often, become more intense, and disturb the patient even at rest and 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:the pain is not yet a cause for concern, the patient may notice rapid fatigue during sports or physical activity, a slight limitation of the mobility of the joints after a longer rest. The X-ray shows a slight narrowing of the space between the bones of the joint, an uneven surface of the cartilage, and a slight compaction.
• In case of 2 degree gonarthrosisthe symptoms appear brighter and more often. The patient usually already understands that something is wrong with the knee. The joints hurt and "twist" when the weather changes, after physical exertion. Even the gentlest movements cause pain in the knee. If someone rests the leg, the pain goes away. But it resumes under load. Even at this stage of the pathology, a characteristic crackle can occur in thein the knee when bending and extending the leg, difficulty and pain may occur when the leg is bent at the knee more than 90 degrees X-ray shows 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 is loaded or at rest. The painful joint is especially painful at night and when the weather conditions change. The patient can no longer bend his leg at the knee, which reduces his physical activity and performance. The X-ray clearly shows the degenerative changes of the joint tissues. The deformation can also be noticed 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 fact that he cannot move independently without support, and even more so, he cannot perform the 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 minor changes are visible on X-rays. Pathological changes in the joint can only be detected with a thorough examination.

Diagnostic methods

The diagnosis begins with a visual examination and questioning of the patient. What indicates the possible development of gonarthrosis:

• enlargement and deformation of the knee joint;
• a distinct crack when the patella dislocates;
• pain when palpating the joint;
• limitation of joint mobility.

In the early stages, degenerative changes in the cartilage tissue may not be visible, so CT and MRI are also recommended. With the help of modern diagnostic techniques, the doctor can determine exactly how seriously the joint is affected, whether there is inflammation and fluid accumulation in the joint cavity, and can distinguish arthrosis of the knee joint from other pathologies.

Classification

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

• primary gonarthrosis;
• secondary gonarthrosis.

The primary form of the disease develops on its own as a result of age-related changes or metabolic disorders. Secondary is the result of another disease, injury or failed surgical procedure. Post-traumatic arthrosis 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. The acute form of the disease is easier to cure.

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, doctors first try to stop the progression of the pathology with the help of drugs. Physiotherapy, massage and manual therapy are used as complementary methods.

The main goals of complex therapy:

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

Physiotherapy and adherence to a special diet are important aspects. There are exercises and products that repair damaged joint tissue and help restore mobility, at least partially. If you see a doctor in time, these measures are enough to restore the knee joint to full function.

But if the disease has reached the third stage, the joint is seriously damaged, even the most expensive drugs will not help to restore it. Surgery will be required to preserve at least partial function of the limb. This consists of removing the remains of the affected joint structures and implanting an implant, the procedure is called endoprosthesis.

Drug treatment of gonarthrosis

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

• Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs- joint treatment begins with them, they quickly relieve pain, swelling, and fever, and partially stop the inflammatory process. But they cannot be taken for a long time, as the active components in the preparation have an extremely negative effect on the composition of the digestive system and blood. In general, the duration of NSAID treatment does not exceed 5-7 days. Medicines can be tablets for internal use or ointments and gels for external use.
• Chondroprotectors– these are drugs that improve the nutrition of cartilage tissue and restore its firmness and flexibility. Chondroprotectors partially relieve pain and swelling. But such drugs do not work immediately. The first effect will be noticeable a few weeks after the start of therapy. It is recommended to take chondroprotectors for at least six months.
• Hormonal drugs.They are also called corticosteroids. Hormonal drugs are used when the pain is very severe and the inflammation progresses, even after an NSAID treatment. It is given as an injection intramuscularly or directly into the joint cavity. Such drugs immediately relieve pain, reduce swelling and inflammation. But they have many contraindications and even more side effects than non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, so they are prescribed in extreme cases. In pharmacies, hormonal drugs can only be purchased with a doctor's prescription. Corticosteroids should be stopped immediately after the patient's condition improves.

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

Comment:Among the drugs listed above, only chondroprotectors affect the cause of the disease. They stimulate the regeneration of dead cartilage tissue and prevent damage to surviving cartilage cells. But these drugs are expensive, and in order to achieve a noticeable and lasting effect, you have to take them regularly, for several months and sometimes even years. The cost of comprehensive treatment for many patients, especially pensioners, is often prohibitive.

Non-traditional treatment methods

Patients who have experienced first-hand what the knee joint is and what unpleasant symptoms it presents with, always have several remedies in stock in case the pharmacy and medicines are not available. People suffering from gonarthrosis and knee pain prepare tinctures, rubs and ointments based on herbs in advance - almost all recipes require time and fresh ingredients, they are only available in the spring and summer season.

Treatment with dandelion

With the help of this herb, we can strengthen the joint in several ways, restore its mobility and get rid of excruciating pain. The easiest way is to eat five dandelions a day during the flowering period. This should be done on an empty stomach, after the flowers have been rinsed with boiled water. Dandelion is also used to make a tincture for rubbing joints.

The cooking recipe is as follows:

1. Collect exactly 50 open dandelion heads.
2. Place in a dark glass bottle with a tightly closed stopper.
3. Pour 300 ml of good vodka or triple cologne.
4. Protected from sunlight, infuse for a month, occasionally shaking the container.
5. Transfer it to your first aid kit without saying a word, use it to rub a sore knee before bed, then wrap the joint warmly and lie down under a blanket.

There is another interesting recipe against joint arthrosis using dandelion. First, you need to collect the leaves of the plant and dry them. Then pour boiling water and let it simmer for half an hour. The resulting mixture must be chewed slowly and thoroughly until exactly 3 thousand steps are required.

Recipes on burdock

The simplest recipe:

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

Keep this "compress" overnight, take it out in the morning and discard the leaves. Repeat the process daily for three weeks.

To enhance the effect, traditional healers advise you to anoint your knees with cinquefoil oil before applying burdock. It is very easy to make. Add two tablespoons of chopped cinquefoil to 250 ml of unscented vegetable oil. The oil should be well preheated, but not boiling. Leave the mixture for two weeks and then you can use the oil to treat joints.

Turpentine, eggs and other joint remedies

With the yolk of a chicken egg, you can make an effective rub for sore joints. This is how it is made:

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

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

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

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