Treatment of arthrosis of the knee joint (gonarthrosis)

With age, the majority of people face the acute question of how to treat arthrosis of the knee joint, with common symptoms,which exist in this disease at different stages.These include the appearance of swelling in the knee area, redness around this swelling, squeaking and sweating, clearly audible when the knee moves, especially during squats, and different pain syndromes of varying degrees of intensity.Pain can appear immediately after normal physical activity, every day or after physical exercise that is inappropriate for the age in duration and intensity.When it comes to the cause of this pain, we must remember that its appearance can also be the result of:

• Inflammatory process in the knee joint.That is, due to arthritis.It occurs as an independent pathology or as a complication of other diseases.
• Arthrosis is a degenerative process in which joint tissue is destroyed, it loses mobility, and if the course of arthrosis has been prolonged, it also causes joint deformation.
• Injury.Most often it occurs from a fall, a blow to the knee, or a blow to the knee on a hard surface.Joints can be deformed.
• Ligament damage.Ligaments hold the joint in the correct position, preventing it from moving.But when they are damaged (stretched, displaced, broken), the joints also suffer - with severe pain and the appearance of tumors.In order not to aggravate the injury, in such cases, immediate medical attention and rest for the injured leg is required.
• Damage to the meniscus of the knee.This prominent, round, movable cartilage in the knee can be injured even when squatting or turning sharply.It is not always detected visually because of the swelling of the knee joint that often occurs in such cases.Accurate diagnosis is made using ultrasound, x-ray, and palpation by an experienced specialist.
• Popliteal Cyst (Becker's Cyst).As a result of inflammation, fluid forms in the joints, which accumulates in the inner part of the popliteal fossa, in the tendon area.
• Inflammation of ligaments and tendons (tendinitis).They cause unpleasant and painful sensations localized along the ligaments and are accompanied by swelling.The pain increases when the knee is used (flexion and extension), radiates to the area along the muscles along the ligaments and nerves, above the knee, into the femoral ligaments and muscles, and below - to the lower leg.
• Ischemic pain, from impaired blood circulation in the knee joint.They can appear from a sudden change in weather, severe hypothermia for a long time.An example is a sailor who works for a long time in high latitudes (Arctic).In most cases, the localization of pain is symmetrical, equally strong, and in the first stage does not affect joint movement.

The most serious mistake in such cases is to ignore the pain and hope that if you just rest, "everything will go away by itself."Only a specialist can give recommendations for treatment and make a correct diagnosis, therefore the treatment of arthrosis of the knee joint cannot be accepted at home only based on the advice of "knowledgeable people", and also solely using traditional medicine.Effective treatment is only possible with a combination of drugs in the form of tablets, rubbing, ointments, and the use of physiotherapy.Sometimes, in severe or advanced cases, surgery is unavoidable.

Make a diagnosis

An orthopedic surgeon can diagnose knee arthrosis after a range of motion test and medical history.The following procedures are usually prescribed in addition to diagnostics:

• Related to laboratory tests, such as biochemical blood tests and bacterial microflora, smears, puncture of joint fluid and/or bone marrow, serological analysis, that is, studies for the presence of antibodies and antigens contained in blood serum.
• Instrumental studies, which may include ultrasound, magnetic resonance imaging, densitometry and others.
• Examination of the internal joint capsule using an arthroscope - a device for a minimally invasive procedure to penetrate the cavity through an incision.Most often, this method is used after damage to the meniscus or with severe cracks and wear of cartilage tissue, as well as to restore the anterior cruciate ligament.Although recently the antroscope is rarely used as a diagnostic tool, it has been successfully replaced by non-invasive diagnostic methods using MRI.
• Only "by ear" - with an articular lesion of the 3rd degree, external sounds in the form of cracks, rusts, and clear clicks can be heard in the joints.

The information obtained is brought together into a general history, and only based on its full and effective treatment begins.

How to treat gonarthrosis?

Restoring joint mobility is not a month.This treatment is complex, it is expensive due to the high cost of drugs, and the result depends only on the patient's desire to cooperate with the doctor and strict adherence to all medical recommendations and prescriptions.

But first.What needs to be done is to immediately reduce the load on the affected joint.If work involves such stress, consult with management (if necessary, with a doctor's note in hand) about changing your type of activity.For a while or forever - life will tell.Even at first, bed rest may be necessary for early recovery of joint function.Remember: joints are not muscles, you can't "work" them with intense exercise, it will only make them worse.Activation of life with vigorous movement may be necessary later, after the most acute inflammation has subsided.But despite increasing the load, you need to use means of support in the form of elastic bandages, crutches, crutches, etc.Sometimes you can't do without special orthopedic insoles or specially made orthopedic shoes.

Treatment of arthrosis of the knee joint is also possible at home, using outpatient drugs prescribed by the doctor - chodroprotectors, painkillers and anti-inflammatory drugs.Depending on the level of damage to the joints and the type of inflammation, the doctor may prescribe nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs).But for all their effectiveness in relieving symptoms, they do not eliminate the causes of the disease.

Do not heat the painful joints with arthrosis!Instead, apply an ice pack to the inflamed area - it will help relieve swelling, redness and inflammation.

The use of chondroprotectors, on the other hand, does not relieve pain.But the recovery of cartilage tissue will continue slowly but surely.The only question is the effectiveness of the drug, but you should try to use proven and approved drugs for treatment.Preferably internationally recognized.

For some types and degrees of joint damage, applying and permanently (or temporarily) wearing a tightening bandage that fixes the joint can help.But this measure can only be used if the method is approved by the attending physician, because in some types of arthrosis, wearing such a bandage can worsen the disease.

You should not cripple yourself if you have knee pain.Also, with some types of inflammation, moderate physical activity only benefits the joints.The orthopedic doctor will tell you when and how much to exercise.In addition, complete passivity in terms of physical activity will cause weight gain, and this will worsen the situation, loading the joints.

Drug treatment is usually combined with a course of physiotherapy, which is best for the treatment of arthrosis: magnet and laser therapy (coherent laser radiation is used at a safe frequency), mechanical vibration and ultraphonotherapy, microwave installation with a deep effect on the tissue - when this is an authorized therapeutic.

In diagnosis, three degrees of arthrosis of the knee joint are distinguished.

Arthrosis I degree

The mildest stage of the disease.It is characterized by the fact that treatment does not require a large drug influence, the list of drugs is small, and measures involving physiotherapy, massage, and exercise therapy help well.One of the most effective methods is considered to be laser therapy, which significantly reduces pain, stimulates the regeneration of the irradiated area, and reduces inflammation.In addition, the use of coherent radiation with a clear wavelength eliminates the need to use glucocorticosteroids in treatment, which cause many side effects.

Degree of Arthrosis II

It is characterized by a more intense and acute inflammatory process and degeneration of cartilage tissue.During severe periods, special medications are prescribed, special diets are recommended, and physical therapy designed for those cases is recommended.Physiotherapy and massage are excluded during this period.

Recommendations: Reduce the load on the affected joint, limit walking, avoid any movement related to squatting.Special orthoses may be prescribed for knee joint devices that fix the joint and limit its mobility.

In the medical arsenal for the treatment of second-degree arthrosis, along with chondroprotectors with glucosamine and chondroitin, steroid drugs, as well as anti-inflammatory steroids, may be present.It is possible to inject hyaluronic acid and other drugs into the joint capsule to facilitate the sliding of the cartilage surfaces relative to each other.

A special diet with excess collagen is prescribed: jellied meat, jelly, aspic, and from confectionery products - gelatin soufflé.Including fish oil in your diet is beneficial.

Degree of Arthrosis III

When the knee joint is affected by third-degree arthrosis, the treatment is not much different from the previous situation - except that the frequency of medication use increases with a slight shift towards glucocorticosteroid hormones.If there is no result, there is a need for surgery followed by joint replacement.

Gonarthrosis of the knee joint

All of the above applies mainly to people who work in old age, when organic damage to the knee joint is caused by extreme conditions and is not at all related to the aging of the body.

A completely different picture appears when a person passes the age of 50 - when the flexibility of the ligaments is lost, the process of tissue dehydration begins, and the metabolism slows down.

Under these conditions, the development of gonarthrosis begins - a different form of arthrosis.In the classification accepted in the field of medicine, gonarthrosis of the knee joint is divided into degrees I, II and III.

The disease, when it begins, develops rapidly.Refers to age-related pathology of the musculoskeletal system.To one degree or another, it is present in all patients after 50 - another thing is that by leading a healthy lifestyle and avoiding extreme physical activity, the integrity of the cartilage layer in the joints can be preserved after 70 and after 80 years.

Possible onset of disease

Located between the tibia and femur, the knee joint in the human body is probably one of the heaviest loads.An example would be regular walking on a hard surface (most often asphalt): each step in such walking causes a shock load on the knee joint.

This joint also includes the largest sesamoid mobile bone - the patella, which is located at the crown of the tendon of the quadriceps femoris muscle.The articular surface is covered with a thick, up to 2.5 mm, cartilaginous membrane consisting of chondrocytes.Medicines under the general name Chondroprotectors help to restore the cells of this cartilage tissue, which is mainly affected by gonarthrosis.

There are primary and secondary arthrosis of the knee joint.The etymology of the first is not fully understood and may have different reasons.When - from an inactive lifestyle, and when, on the contrary, from too much physical activity.Poor ecology, overweight, and smoking or alcohol addiction can also have an impact.Doctors consider identifying the first stage of arthrosis a great success, because the cause of the pathology is difficult to analyze.

Normal hypothermia of the legs can also trigger the onset of this disease.Therefore, it is better for people with a tendency to such diseases not to choose professions related to the cold (refrigerators, sailors working in northern latitudes), etc.

In women over the age of 45, the development of gonarthrosis is often associated with long-term contraceptive use due to a decrease in the natural synthesis of estrogen.It also often occurs during menopause or under the influence of gynecological diseases such as fibroids, fibroadenomas, endometriosis, endometrial hyperplasia.Often in women, gonarthrosis is also provoked by a strict diet for weight loss, where many useful minerals and vitamins are removed from the diet.

It is easier to determine how to affect secondary arthrosis, which can be the result of:

• Defects in the development and formation of tissues;
• The influence of the neurodystrophic process in the cervical and lumbar spine;
• Arthritis of the knee joint;
• Injuries and their microtraumas;
• Meniscectomy, which is the surgical removal of the meniscus;
• Hormonal imbalance and chronic endocrine diseases;
• Strenuous and sustained physical activity, including sports.To avoid joint injuries after 40 years, it is better to significantly limit and then abandon all exercises related to extreme loads on the knee joint (in the form of walking on hard surfaces or squats with weights);
• Abnormal joint mobility.This condition occurs when the ligaments that hold the joint in the correct position are underdeveloped or naturally weak;
• Constant stress and nervous tension.

Signs and symptoms of disease onset (stage, or degree)

• Stiffness of knee joints in the morning;
• The appearance of pain in the knees if you walk a distance of one and a half kilometers;
• Pain in the joints after prolonged standing (even without movement);
• Pain in the knee even after resting, up to 2 hours, in a sitting position;
• Pain before going to bed or in the first half of the night while sleeping.

These signs should be paid the most serious attention, because if you do not consult a doctor during this period, the disease begins to develop rapidly, which leads to the second stage of the disease.

Goranthrosis II Degree

The usual:

• Pain at night, as well as pain in the first minute of the morning when getting out of bed.
• Pain when moving up stairs.
• Possibility of using public transport with restrictions.
• A little lame.
• Occurrence of pain when moving at a distance of up to 800-1000 meters.
• Limited capacity for self-care.

Often, measures to increase the production of synovial fluid by the joint become an effective way to cure even the second degree of gonarthrosis.

Goranthrosis Grade III

Characterized by:

• pain that begins immediately after resting or occurs after 500 meters of quiet movement;
• severe lameness, when the help of improvised means (sticks, crutches) is needed;
• stiffness after waking up to half an hour or more;
• inability to climb stairs or enter high-level vehicles independently or without assistance;
• Night pain even without moving the joint.

The affected joint develops ankylosis, a condition in which the articular ends of opposing bones fuse together.The leg completely lost its mobility, and the only way to restore it was to replace the joint with an artificial one.

The choice of medication and treatment method depends not only on the degree of damage to the cartilage tissue, but also on the age of the patient, his ability to tolerate certain medications and the method of physiotherapy influence.

When diagnosing, a distinction is often made between unilateral and bilateral arthrosis, and between unilateral, right and left arthrosis.The latter is often diagnosed in left-handed people.

Nutrition for gonarthrosis

First of all, doctors advise not to include red meat and outside such as liver from the diet.Preference should be given to fruits and vegetables, grains with high gluten and fiber content, without salt and sugar.As well as fermented milk products, fish and nuts.

The last time you eat food should be no later than 19:00.The frequency of food intake can remain normal, as it has developed over the years.But it is better to eat in fractions-in small portions 5-6 times a day in the morning.

Breakfast should be the most - it sets the body in the mood for work and maintains strength until lunch.

If, especially at first, the feeling of hunger becomes unbearable, deceive your stomach - eat an apple or chew a carrot.Just don't eat high-calorie bananas and grapes!

Do not release the jellied meat.Brings collagen to the body and joints - raw material for the construction of cartilage tissue.

Drink at least 2 liters of fluids per day: water and/or natural juices.

Eliminate from your diet:

• Red meat;
• Lard, smoked meat of any kind;
• Everything is spicy;
• Semi-finished products of unknown origin;
• Carbonated drinks with sugar;
• Vegetables: White cabbage, tomatoes, red pepper.
• Potatoes because they are high in calories (carbohydrates!) and help you gain excess weight.Therefore, the Dukan diet will be relevant.

Treatment of Gonarthrosis in Sanatorium

This institution uses a variety of physiotherapy, mud therapy, acupuncture, and all types of massage as treatment methods for knee joint arthrosis.

One of the advanced treatment methods is the intra-articular injection of hyaluronic acid.They compensate for the lack of production of their own hyaluronic acid, which serves as a lubricating element for the joint surface and protects it from abrasion.The effect of this procedure is felt on the first day.The effect of one injection lasts on average for a month.Patients in the advanced stages of arthrosis feel a significant reduction in the pain that has tormented them for years in the first days, and people with moderate disease of this disease, grade 1-2, after a course of 5 injections in most cases forget the pain completely for about six months.