The arthrosis of the knee joint is a slowly progressive inflammatory joint disease. Very often, this disorder is observed in medium and elderly people and is the most common cause of skeletal-muscular pain in the area of the knee and disability joint. From this publication you will learn how to treat the arthrosis of the knee joint.
General description
In the knee joint, the femur and tibia are covered with joint cartilage. There is also a second type of cartilage fabric, which forms the menisca so called, which acts with layers or shock absorbers. The joint fluid adds further protection and fluidity. Osteoarthritis begins to develop if the cartilage that protects the bones is disturbed and damaged, due to which the surface of the bones is exposed and the joint lubricant ceases to be produced in the required quantity. In this case, it is possible to observe both the complete and partial loss of the cartilage. This process is often isolated from a certain area in the articulation, in such cases it can be caused by lesions and chronic articulation wear.
The deforming arthrosis of the knee joint is characterized by the process of destroying its cartilage shells. In the future, the closest fabrics, such as ligaments and bones, can also include in the process. Gonartrosis or arthrosis of the knee joint, due to the loss of cartilage, is accompanied by an increase in rigidity and joint deformation. Bone spurs (osteophytes), which are a pathological growth of the bones, can sometimes even be heard from the outside. The surfaces of the bones are deformed and no longer close and do not adapt, as in the healthy joints. Consequently, the restriction of the movements increases.
At the same time, pain occurs, which is particularly strong when it moves after prolonged immobility, for example, in the morning, as well as at night, which in the end leads to a decrease in the quality of life. Stress can also cause pain in the articulation concerned. An indirect sign of pathological change of cartilage is the visible narrowing of the joint cavity between the femoral and the tibia in the framework of X -ray.
Reasons
There are several reasons for arthrosis: this is the process of aging and wear of cartilage, overweight, lesions, autoimmune diseases in which immunity attacks its joint tissue, causing inflammation and its subsequent destruction. An example is rheumatoid arthritis, in which both joints are interested at the same time and disability develops. Some experts combine concepts such as arthritis and arthrosis of the knee joint, the symptoms of these disorders are similar and are often caused by the same reason.
A decrease in the blood flow to the head of the femoral can also cause deformation of the deformation, in this case they speak of aseptic necrosis. An inadequate formation of the knee joint in early childhood can lead to the movement of the mechanical axis and the degeneration of the knee joint. The arthrosis post -traumatic is secondary and develops due to damage to the Meniscis, front or rear crocrat ligaments.
Symptoms
There are three degrees of arthrosis of the knee joint, each of which has its own signs. In the first phase, there is a slight pain, discomfort in a painful pain and emerging swelling periodically. The second degree is accompanied by an increase in symptoms, by the appearance of the creaking and a limitation of mobility. When the painful sensations practically do not leave a person and the cartilage is completely destroyed, the disease goes into the arthrosis of the knee of the 3rd degree.
The pain for arthrosis can appear suddenly, but very often it develops slowly. A person can see the pain in the morning, after lifting from the bed. The knees can hurt when the stairs gets up or when you have to knee and often it only occurs during a walk. For people sensitive to time, weather changes can also cause joint pain.
Swelling is a consequence of inflammation, which periodically increases with arthrosis. Edema can also be associated with the formation of bone spurs or the accumulation of excess fluid in the knee. They can be more pronounced after a long period of inaction, for example, in the morning or after a long stay on the desktop. The skin can become reddish and warm when it touches. If the chronic inflammation of the joint occurs, the removal of pain and edema is generally obtained by taking anti -inflammatory drugs.
The loss of stability develops over time due to the fulfillment of the muscles and the instability of the entire system. From time to time, situations are presented in which a person is not simply able to fold or completely straighten the leg in the knee. This symptom is generally accompanied by arthrosis of the 2nd degree knee joint. There is a creak when it moves because the cartilage has lost its original fluidity and the required quantity of synovial lubrication. In the following stages, a creaking sound can be caused by the fact that bone spurs rub each other when they move.
The limited range of movements can be seen when climbing the stairs or during exercise. Many are forced to resort to the help of walkers or rods to move. The deformation of the knee joint is perhaps the most terrible symptom of arthrosis, since it indicates irreversible changes in the joint, transforming a person into a disabled person. The knees can be turned to each other inside, as well as outwards. The deformation of the knee is just evident at significant.
Diagnostics
The definition of osteoarthritis of the knee joint begins with the physical examination of the doctor, the study of medical history and conversation with the patient. Make sure to pay attention to the doctor who often causes pain and tell us about the cases of illness in the family, if present.
Additional diagnosis is carried out using:
- X -ray, which can show the presence of bone spurs and changes in the cartilage;
- Magnetic resonance imaging;
- Blood exams allow to identify autoimmune disorders.
How to treat the arthrosis of the knee joint, what drugs are necessary for this? Further seek the answers to these questions.
The principles of treatment
The standard treatment of such a disorder such as the arthrosis of the knee joint is mainly aimed at eliminating pain and removal of functional restrictions. It is worth knowing that painkillers only weaken the symptoms, but they are not able to influence the course of the disease and restore damaged cartilage. For treatment, narcotic analgesics, anti -ninth -inflammatory drugs, non -pounds, golden preparations that act slowly, corticosteroids, Methotrexate, etc. They are used.
In addition, surgery may be needed, as well as physiotherapy and physiotherapy procedures. Gymnastics with arthrosis of the knee joint helps significantly in the treatment, the exercises are selected by the attending physician. Despite the fact that in modern pharmacology the active research and development of the most effective and at the same time safe drugs for the treatment of osteoarthritis are underway, most drugs still have their side effects and with prolonged use it interrupts the normal functioning of systems and organs.
Treatment with drugs
The drug therapy of arthrosis of the knee joint provides for three main directions:
- the use of non -pounded anti -inflammatory drugs necessary to relieve pain and reduce the intensity of the inflammatory process in the tissues;
- Take drugs for the restoration of cartilage, including chondroprotectors: glucosamine and chondroitin;
- The use of creams and ointments in the complex illegal deforming therapy.
In combination with physiotherapy and manual therapy, the intake of drugs allows you to slow down the process of destruction of the joint cartilage, accelerate the regeneration of the cartilage tissue and restore the normal functioning of the limb.
The main objective of pharmacological treatment is the elimination of pain, the improvement of cartilage nutrition, the activation of recovery processes, the increase in joint mobility and the normalization of blood circulation in the knee.
Drughi Nonireeroids
The most common for the treatment of osteoarthritis are anti -inflammatory drugs non -pounds such as Diclofenac, Indometacin, Piroxykam, Ketoprofen and others. They are used to relieve pain and reduce inflammation, but long -term treatment with these drugs is not recommended, since the drugs of this group have unwanted side effects, including the negative effect on the gastric mucosa and the intestine, the effect of kidneys, liver and cardiovascular system. However, each drug has its own characteristics. And recently, funds with a minimum risk for patient health have started to be developed.
In addition, despite the need for the use of these tools, some studies have discovered that fans are able to lead to a decrease in the production of proteoglycans, thus dehydrating the cartilage tissue, therefore these drugs must be taken strictly based on the prescription of the doctor and under his control. The frequency of the side effects of the NSAIDs increases with their prolonged use, which acts from needs for many patients with arthrosis. Experts recommend choosing selective anti -inflammatory drugs for long -term use, with less side effects and do not have a negative effect on the metabolism in the cartilage.
Most non -pound anti -inflammatory drugs are produced in different forms: in the form of capsules or tablets, in the form of a solution for injections and ointments or gel for local external use.
Restoration of cartilage
For the nutrition and regeneration of cartilage to its tissues, constant intake of compounds such as chondroprotectors - glucosamine and chondroitin is required. These are useful substances for people who suffer from knee osteoarthritis. Their reception should be carried out for a long time, for six months or more, only in this case can you count on a positive therapeutic effect. Condroprotectors improve the quality and quantity of synovial fluid, unlike fans, increase the synthesis of proteoglycans and contribute to the regeneration of the cartilage plate. However, due to these useful properties of these compounds, they should not be considered the main treatment of arthrosis. The deformation of arthrosis of the knee joint requires the use of chondroitin and glucosamine preparations for at least 1, 5 years. It is also taken into account that they are not able to restore completely destroyed cartilage.
Ointments and creams
The treatment of a disease such as the arthrosis of the knee joint should include local use of gel and ointments. These forms of dosage should not rely as the only option for therapy, their use should be considered as the additional addition to the reception of fans and chondroprotectors. These drugs significantly reduce discomfort, pain, swelling, improve joint mobility.
This effect is explained by the fact that penetrating the blood through the skin, ointments and creams improve blood circulation in the joint, accelerates the metabolism in the cartilage and, consequently, its regeneration.
Compress
Articles applications have a greater effect than the application of ointments. For therapeutic compressions, the Dimexide tool is often prescribed, which has a good anti -inflammatory and analgesic effect, it penetrates well in the tissue. Vescofita is also effective, accelerating metabolic processes in the cartilage.
Injections
Within the knee joint, the synovial fluid is very viscous, this guarantees the absence of tissue friction. An important part of this lubricant is hyaluronic acid, which binds the proteoglycans to stabilize the structure of the cartilage tissue. In arthrosis patients, the level of this compound in the synovial fluid is significantly reduced, following which the latter becomes less viscous, the friction increases.
Injections in the knee of drugs based on hyaluronic acid can slow down the progression of osteoarthritis, but only half of people with this diagnosis receives symptomatic relief. The course of injections is usually three weeks, while an injection is performed every seven days. After six months, it is recommended to repeat the procedures.
Popular remedies
The arthrosis of the knee joint provides for an integrated approach to treatment and the recipes for traditional medicine act as additional therapy. Vehicles as a decoction of onion peel, an infusion of lion tooth leaves, a mixture of aloe, vodka and honey in equal volumes, night compositions from salt with honey and many others deserve attention. We also recommend eating more jelly and jelly.
Replacement of the joint
If all the above treatment methods have not brought the result, the operation is shown to replace the articulation with an endoprotesis. The main objective of the operation is to restore the natural mechanical axis of the leg and the complete release from pain and discomfort. In this case, part of the joint or the entire joint can be replaced. The constant improvement of surgical equipment and the quality of the plants has made this procedure quite effective and widespread.