From this article, you will learn everything about the osteoarthritis of the knee joint: what, for what reasons it arises, what are the manifestations at different stages.How to treat it, how to prevent a disease.
Osteoarthritis of the knee joint (gonartrose) is a degenerative pathology of the joint, in which the destruction of cartilage occurs, damage to muscles and ligaments and bone deformation.
The disease occurs mainly after 40 years (12 to 16% of people of this age are sick).Women fall sick twice more often than men.Diseases are subject to athletes and people engaged in heavy physical work.
Gonartrose is developing gradually and is accompanied by the appearance of pain in the joint:
- Joint mobility decreases;
- The bones and cartilage develop, which interfere with the normal functioning of the joint.
Over time, this leads to the complete immobility of the joint.Without treatment, the disease leads to a handicap.
Conservative therapy of osteoarthritis of the knee joint is only possible at the initial stages of processes' development (1 and 2), it allows you to slow down, to suspend the development of pathology.
With the progression of the disease, treatment is only surgical.Completely (100%) to get rid of pathology can only with endoprosthetics - replacing the knee joint.
The traumatologist-orthopedist and other doctors are engaged in the diagnosis and treatment of osteoarthritis in the knee joint.According to the testimony, a rheumatologist consultation is assigned.Symptoms of the disease can also be detected by a sports doctor.
Causes of the disease and types
According to the factor causing the disease, 2 varieties of knee osteoarthritis are distinguished:
Primary (idiopath)
This type of osteoarthritis affects people of average age and the elderly.The initial steps are diagnosed after 40 years and, at the age of over 70 years, gonarthrosis is detected in 60% of people.Often 2 joints are simultaneously affected.
Primary osteoarthritis occurs due to changes occurring in the body with age, the deterioration of blood circulation and the slowdown in metabolism.The risk of development increases with obesity and sedentary lifestyle.
Secondary form
Secondary - may appear in a person of all ages and strike the two 2 joints at the same time and 1.
The reasons are:
- Strong loads on the legs.
- Ligament injuries, knee meniscus, intra-articular fractures.
- Diseases in which metabolic processes (disorders of the parathyroid glands, diabetes, hemochromatosis, vileson, drop, mucopolysaccharidose and other diseases) are disturbed.
- Connective tissue diseases.
- Inflammatory pathologies (synovitis and infectious and non -infectious arthritis), hemophilia (a rare hereditary disease associated with alteration of blood coagulation).
Then, we will analyze in more detail what it is - osteoarthritis of the knee joint, its degree, what changes start in the tissues during the pathology.
Symptoms and three stages of the disease
With the development of the disease, cartilage begins to become thinner due to high loads or the lack of nutrients.This causes bone friction to the knee joint.
Erosion on bone tissue is formed as a protective reaction of the body - the formation of growth on this subject begins.All these factors lead to the deformation of the knee joint and its limited mobility.
Symptoms of osteoarthritis of the 3 -step knee joint:
| Scene | Clinical signs | Process occurring in the joint |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
It can flow asymptomatic Poyality in the knees in the morning, during squats, when you go up the stairs, after long loads and hypothermia, is possible The stiffness appears in the morning in the knees The synovitis can develop - an accumulation in the joint of a liquid, which must be removed using a puncture (a puncture of the cavity with a liquid and its fence) |
The surface of the cartilage becomes rough and dry Cracks and ulcers form on it |
| 2 |
The pain even appears following a slight load and to become more pronounced with an active walk The leg does not fold completely, the joint hangs periodically The knee is visually developing The risk of synovitis increases even more |
In response to increased loads on the joint, it seems to become flat Osteophytes' formation begins - bone growth Synovial fluid becomes thicker and less nutritious Destructive processes in cartilage are accelerated |
| 3 |
The pain takes on a chronic nature and continued the patient even at rest Complete flexion and complete extension of the knee are impossible The volume of the joint increases Walking is difficult, many people are starting to use crutches or cane The deformation valgus of the legs (adjustment of the legs in the shape of x) or the varior deformation (adjustment in the shape of the legs) may appear |
There is almost no cartilage fabric The bones are distorted and "pressed" in each other, which leads to limiting mobility in the joint |
Acute shape
Acute osteoarthritis of the knee joint is the moment when the disease progresses faster and manifests clinically.
They can lead to exacerbations:
- too strong load on the joint;
- hypothermia;
- non-compliance with the prescribed regime;
- injury.
Sometimes gonarthrosis begins acutely, as if it went around the first step.This is possible due to a knee injury.
Diagnosis
If you notice a constraint in the joint in the morning or after a long session, as well as a pain when you go down the stairs or crouch - this can be a sign of 1 stage of gonarthrosis.
To make an accurate diagnosis, go to an appointment with a therapist who will head to an orthopedist or another doctor.
Before treating osteoarthritis or gonartrose, the doctor will carry out an initial examination and a feeling of the joint, and also directs:
- X -ray - will help assess the statement of the joint;
- Ultrasound - will allow us to determine whether the concomitant inflammatory process is present.
Treatment methods
With osteoarthritis of the knee joint, its symptoms and treatment are interconnected, as many therapeutic measures aim precisely to eliminate disturbing characteristics and improve the quality of human life.
Reception of drugs, diets and physiotherapy exercises:
- Slow down other destructive processes in cartilage;
- Prevent the transition from the disease to a more neglected stage.
It is impossible to completely cure the disease, but you can suspend, slow down the development of pathology.
Diet
The purpose of observing the diet is to slow the additional progression of the disease.
What you need to add to the menu and what to exclude:
| Useful products | Prohibited products |
|---|---|
| Rabbit, turkey, chicken, dairy products, eggs (no more than 3 rooms per day and preferably without yolks) - serve as protein sources |
Grasse meat, sausages, sausages - lead to an increase in body weight, which creates an additional load on the joint, and also prevents normal formation of synovial fluid |
| Fish, in particular red varieties, are rich in omega-3 |
Flour, sweet, mayonnaise, fast food - products that contribute to an excessive weight |
| The jelly, welded to broth on bones, gelatin - contain chondroitin and collagen, which contribute to the formation of new cartilage tissues |
White cabbage, tomatoes, bulgarian pepper, eggplant, according to certain versions, contain substances that destroy collagen and chondroitine - "construction bricks" for the fabric of cartilage However, some studies refute their damage to osteoarthritis |
| Rice, millet, buckwheat have complex carbohydrates that contribute to the formation of synovial fluid |
Egg yolks, cod liver - Increase the risk of gout development |
| Cottage cheese, cheese - Calcium sources |
Coffee - body lenses useful for calcium bones and joints |
| Apples, broccoli, beans, pumpkin, zucchini, parsley, dill, cucumbers, carrots, celery, spinach, cereals, redcurrants, grapefruit, pomegranate, papaya, almonds - the most useful products of vegetable origin Saturated with substances that benefit the joints |
Alcohol - violates normal nutritional and metabolic processes in joints |
| Water (1.5 to 2 liters per day) - helps normalize metabolism in the body and in particular joints Juice (these fruits and vegetables listed above) |
SEL - can cause exacerbation |
Physical training
If you have developed knee osteoarthritis, medical exercises should become daily.Special exercises help stimulate blood circulation in the joint, which will prevent other destructive processes in cartilage.Physical physical education will also increase the mobility of the affected knee and prevent pain.However, any gymnastics is contraindicated in the acute course of the disease.
Therapeutic gymnastics for the knee joints of Dr Evdokimenko
The purpose of this therapeutic gymnastics complex is to force the muscles surrounding the articulation without loading it.Gymnastics according to Evdokimenko's method shows very good results with osteoarthritis of the knee joint.
Exercises:
- Lie on the stomach, straighten your legs, your arms on the seams.Lift the right leg over the floor up to a height of 15 cm, tighten the buttocks and muscles of the thigh.Hold this foot position for 30 to 40 seconds.Low it.Repeat the movement each foot 1 time.
- Lift your right leg over the floor of 15 cm, hold it for 1 to 3 seconds.Return to its original position (IP).Make 10-12 rehearsals for each leg.
- Fold your knee at 90 degrees.Lift the leaning leg at a height of 10 cm from the ground and hold it so for 30 to 40 seconds.Make this movement each foot 1 time.Then repeat the same exercise, but with a delay in each leg of 1 to 3 seconds.Perform 10 to 12 repetitions of each legs.
- Lift two straight legs above the floor of 10-15 cm.Dilute on the sides and resume them.Without lowering the legs to the ground, performing 8 times.In this case, the thigh muscles should work as much as possible.
- Lie on the side.Fold the lower leg into the knee.Leave the top right, lift 45 degrees above the ground.Hold it this way for 30 to 40 seconds.Perform an exercise to each leg.
- Sit on a chair.Lift the maximum set in your knee.Keep it for 30 seconds.Lift each leg 2 to 4 times.
- Get up.Press yourself to the back of the chair.Hold on socks.Lie for 30 to 60 seconds.Back to IP.
- Get on the socks, hold out in this position for 1 to 3 seconds.Back to IP.Repeat the movement 10 to 12 times.
- Put the right foot on the ground.Hold on the left leg sock.Gently climb the sock with your right foot and lower the left heel to the ground.Roll like that 10-12 times.
The physical education of this author is more intensity than the previous one.It is only possible to the first signs of gonarthrosis.Before you start doing it yourself, be sure to consult your doctor.
If you feel intense pain when you make movements, stop them immediately.
Surgical methods
Since it is impossible to cure osteoarthritis of the knee joint with completely conservative methods, in serious cases, doctors use operating methods.
One of the most effective-the endoprothetics of the knee joint, that is to say to replace the friction surfaces of the artificial joint.
The recovery period after the endoprothetics is 3 to 6 months.
Such surgical interventions are also carried out:
- Artroplasty - Plastic surgery to restore the normal structure of the joint;
- Corrective osteotomy - Correcting the deformations of valgus or varus of the legs, which could occur with advanced osteoarthritis forms.
Folk remedies
Home manufacturing products can be used as wonderful adding to traditional therapy.
However, before treating osteoarthritis of the knee joint with the use of folk remedies, consult your doctor, because some natural ingredients may have contraindications or not be combined with the drugs you have prescribed.
Here are some effective recipes, tested over time:
- Beef hooves and knee - contribute to the restoration of cartilage.Boil for several hours.Drink 100 ml of broth before each meal.
- Honey, apple cider vinegar - relieve swelling and pain.Mix the components in proportion to 3 to 1. In the evening, make compresses, apply 30 minutes.
- Jerusalem Artichoke - Helps relieve a pain attack.Pour 350 g of crushed leaves and 2 l topnamic stems of boiling water.Fresh at room temperature.Humidize a gauze bandage in the infusion and put an endolori joint.
Prevention
Preventive measures are very simple:
- Commit in physical education, but do not overload your knees.Never works on asphalt.Special paths or primer are suitable for the race.
- Avoid knee injuries or treat them over time.For bruises and sprains, contact the traumatologist immediately and follow all of his recommendations.
- Eat properly.
- Refuse bad habits.
Forecast
Osteoarthritis is a disease that cannot be completely healed by conservative methods.
However, do not despair.Supplied to comply with all of the doctor's recommendations, you can avoid complications, relieve pain and improve the amplitude of movements in the joint.
Do not report the visit to the specialist, because in subsequent stages, the disease can cause leg deformations and a handicap.Modern medicine treats them quickly.