Osteoarthritis of the knee joints

Osteoarthritis of the knee joint (deforming osteoarthritis of the knee joint, AOD, gonarthrosis) is called degenerative-dystrophic changes in joint structures, in which the cartilaginous layer between the bone elements first thins and then scollapses. In the early stages, the patient experiences discomfort and slight limitation of mobility, then the joint becomes deformed and, as the cartilage is destroyed, it completely loses its functions. Acute osteoarthritis is very painful and is accompanied by a significant reduction in the patient's physical activity. If treatment of gonarthrosis of the knee joint is not started on time, the patient may remain disabled.

For reference:According to statistics, one in five adults worldwide 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. If this diagnosis is made in young people, the cause is generally trauma.

Why does pathology develop?

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

Deforming osteoarthritis of the knee joint in the elderly is an optional phenomenon, it is not diagnosed in everyone. There are a number of 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 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;
• certain types of professional activities associated with intense physical activity - osteoarthritis and osteoarthritis - are found among shippers;
• spinal injuries in which the distribution of loads on the joints of the lower extremities is disrupted;
• hereditary predisposition.

Articular cartilage does not wear away 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 avoid irreversible changes. To do this, you must first establish what are the main signs of osteoarthritis of the knee joints.

How to recognize the disease

Symptoms of osteoarthritis of the knee joint become pronounced at the stage when the cartilage has already become thinner and has begun to deteriorate. Grade 1 knee osteoarthritis may not be felt for years. However, later attentive patients recall that they still felt atypical symptoms, they simply did not attach much importance to them, since they were not constant and did not cause much discomfort.

You may suspect destruction 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;
• knee discomfort when climbing stairs - burning sensation, hypersensitivity;
• nighttime knee pain;
• pain after physical work or sports;
• sudden and periodic weakening of the lower limbs. If right-sided knee osteoarthritis or left-sided knee osteoarthritis develops, only one affected leg gives way.

But the main symptom of the destruction of the knee joint remains pain. They can vary in intensity and sometimes fade. But as the pathologies progress, they appear more often, become more intense and bother the patient even at rest, in the absence of physical activity. Depending on the severity of the symptoms, the doctor can diagnose at what stage the disease is.

• Manifestations of stage 1 pathology:the pain is not yet a concern, the patient may notice rapid fatigue when practicing a sport 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 surface of the cartilage with slight compactions.
• For gonarthrosis of 2 degreessymptoms appear more clearly and more often. The patient usually already understands that something is wrong with his knees. Joints hurt and "twist" when the weather changes, after physical exertion. Even the gentlest movements cause knee pain. If a person rests his legs, the pain will disappear. But under load they will resume. Also at this stage of pathology, there may be a characteristic cracking of the knee when bending and extending the leg, difficulty and pain when trying to bend the leg at the knee to moreof 90 degrees. An x-ray will show a change in the shape of the joint cup and the presence of fluid in the joint socket.
• Gonarthrosis 3 degreescharacterized by severe pain that occurs regardless of whether the limb is under load or at rest. The sore joint is especially painful at night and when weather conditions change. The patient is no longer able to bend the leg at the knee, which is why his physical activity and performance decrease. The x-ray clearly shows degenerative changes in the joint tissues. The deformation is also visually visible to 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 professional and household tasksusual. The person becomes disabled.

As a rule, patients consult a doctor in the second stage of the disease, mainly in order to find an effective medication for knee pain. At the first stage, it is quite difficult to identify gonarthrosis, since the symptoms are mild and only minor changes are visible on x-rays. It is possible to detect pathological changes in the joint only with a thorough examination.

Diagnostic methods

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

• hypertrophy and change in shape of the knee joint;
• a distinct cracking sound when the kneecap is moved;
• pain on palpation of the joint;
• limitation of joint mobility.

In the early stages, degenerative changes in cartilage tissue may not be visible; therefore, CT and MRI are also recommended. Using modern diagnostic techniques, the doctor is able to accurately determine the severity of damage to the joint, whether there is inflammation and accumulation of fluid in the joint cavity, as well as to differentiateosteoarthritis of the knee and 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 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 bruise, subluxation or fracture. Depending on the nature of the course, osteoarthritis is classified as acute or chronic. It is easier to cure the acute form of the disease.

Official medicine for gonarthrosis

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

The main goals of complex therapy:

• relieve pain and discomfort;
• restore joint mobility;
• stop the destruction of the cartilaginous layer and, if possible, restore it.

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

But if the disease has reached the third stage, the joint is seriously damaged and even the most expensive drugs will not help restore it. Surgical intervention will be necessary to at least partially preserve the function of the limb. It consists of removing the remains of the affected joint structures and placing an implant, this procedure is called endoprosthesis.

Drug treatment of knee osteoarthritis

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

• Non-steroidal anti-inflammatories– 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 components in the composition have an extremely negative effect on the functions of the digestive tract and blood composition. Typically, 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 medications that improve the nutrition of cartilaginous tissues and restore firmness and elasticity. Chondroprotectors also partially relieve pain and swelling. But these medications do not work immediately. The first effect will be noticeable a few weeks after the start of treatment. It is recommended to take chondroprotectors for at least six months.
• Hormonal medications.They are also called corticosteroids. Medications containing hormones are used if the pain is very severe and the inflammation progresses even after taking NSAIDs. They are administered as injections intramuscularly or directly into the joint cavity. These medications instantly relieve pain, reduce swelling and inflammation. But they have a number of contraindications and even more side effects than nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, which is why they are prescribed in extreme cases. Hormonal medications can only be purchased in pharmacies with a doctor's prescription. Immediately after the patient's condition improves, corticosteroids are stopped.

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

On a note:Among 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, while to achieve a noticeable and lasting effect, they must be taken regularly for several months in a row, and sometimes even years. The cost of full treatment for many patients, particularly retirees, is often prohibitive.

Unconventional treatment methods

Patients who have directly experienced what knee osteoarthritis is and what unpleasant symptoms it manifests always have several remedies available in stock in case the pharmacy and medicines are not available. People suffering from gonarthrosis and knee pain prepare tinctures, rubs and ointments from medicinal plants in advance - almost all recipes require time and fresh raw materials, available only in spring-summer.

Dandelion treatment

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

The cooking recipe is as follows:

1. Collect exactly 50 open dandelion heads.
2. Place in a dark glass bottle with a tight-fitting cap.
3. Pour 300 ml of good vodka or triple eau de Cologne.
4. Infuse away from the sun for a month, shaking the container from time to time.
5. Without expressing, transfer to the first aid kit, use before bed to rub the sore knee, then wrap the joint warmly and lie down under a blanket.

There is another interesting recipe against osteoarthritis of the joints based on 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 carefully for as long as it takes to take exactly 3, 000 steps.

Burdock Recipes

The simplest recipe:

1. pluck two or three young leaves from the plant and rinse in cold water;
2. Lightly crush the leaves to release the juice;
3. Apply to the affected joint and secure with a bandage.

Keep this "compress" overnight, remove it in the morning and throw away the leaves. Repeat the procedure daily for three weeks.

To enhance the effect, traditional healers advise lubricating the knee with cinquefoil oil before applying burdock. It's very simple to prepare. Two tablespoons of chopped cinquefoil are poured into 250 ml of purified vegetable oil without fragrance. The oil should be well preheated, but not boiled. Leave the mixture to work for two weeks, then the oil can be used to treat joints.

Turpentine, eggs and other joint remedies

Using the yolk of a chicken egg, you can prepare an effective rub for painful joints. It is prepared as follows:

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

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

Remember that all homemade preparations are effective only immediately after preparation, they are not stored for a long time (with the exception of alcohol-based tinctures, they can be stored in a dark, cool placeup to six months). Don't expect instant results. Folk remedies act according to a cumulative system: lasting relief will be achieved only after three to four weeks of regular use of home remedies for osteoarthritis of the knee. In 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 injuries of the musculoskeletal system in older people. In young people, it occurs after an injury or during excessive physical exertion. The disease can be completely cured only at stages 1 and 2 with a competent and comprehensive approach. At the third stage, it is most often necessary to use endoprostheses in order to at least partially restore the functions of the limb and prevent complications.