Many people complain of pain that occurs in the knee.This may indicate the start of the development of various diseases.The most common pathology that affects the knee joints is osteoarthritis, which is popularly called salts.
Absolute osteoarthritis leads to the complete destruction of the cartilage and the exposure of the bone, as well as to the formation of osteophytes and to the complete deformation of the joint.This disease can transform a person into a disabled person.We will try to understand what is the disease, what are its symptoms and methods of treatment.
What is osteoarthritis of the knee joint
Large berets and femoral bone in a person's knee joint are covered with joint cartilage.There is also a second type of cartilage, which forms menis, acting like shock absorbers or diapers.
The joint fluid offers fluid movement and additional protection.The development of osteoarthritis occurs when it starts Tissue transport is damaged, protecting the bones, following which their surface is exposed, and the production of joint lubrication gradually decreases.At the same time, partial cartridges and complete loss can occur.
The manifestation of distorting osteoarthritis of the knee joint is accompanied by the destruction of its cartilage shells, and after a certain time, the bones and the ligaments located nearby can be trained in the process.Due to the loss of cartilage occurs Plungeand the joint is distorted.
Sometimes, from the outside, you can even feel the bone spurs, which are a pathological growth of the bones.In this case Deformation of the surface of the bones, and they can no longer close, as expected, then a person has a limitation of movements.
This condition is accompanied by pain.It manifests itself especially in the morning, when a person after prolonged immobility begins to move.In the end, this considerably reduces the quality of life.
Causes of the disease
What does this disease happen?Doctors identify several reasons:
- aging and wear and tear of cartilage;
- injury;
- overweight;
- age -related changes;
- Autoimmune diseases.
In the latter case, immunity begins to attack its own joint tissue, which leads to its inflammation and its destruction.An example is an disease such as rheumatoid arthritis, in which simultaneous damage to the two joints occur and disability develops.
In addition, the reason for the deformation of the cartilage can be called Insufficient blood supply The heads of the femur.In this case, we are talking about aseptic necrosis.The degeneration of the knee joint and the displacement of the mechanical axis can occur due to the poor formation of the knee joint in early childhood.
Symptoms of the disease
The osteoarthritis of the knee joint is characterized by three stages of development.The first step is manifested by low pain, unpleasant sensations in a painful place and a periodically emerging swelling.
In the second step, the symptoms begin to intensify, a crunch appears and the movements are limited.Third -degree knee articulation is accompanied Constant painful sensations, while the cartilage fabric is practically destroyed.
Symptoms of osteoarthritis of the knee joint are generally manifested by pain.This can suddenly happen, but fundamentally, its development occurs slowly.A person begins to notice it in the morning, immediately after waking up.Knee pains occur when you get on the stairs, and often Walking.When changing time in people sensitive to Meteo, pain in the knee joint is also observed.
Another symptom of osteoarthritis The swelling is, which occurs following inflammation, the accumulation of excess liquid in the knee or can be associated with the formation of bone spurs.The skin at the affected place becomes red and warm to the touch.In the event of chronic inflammation of the joints, pain and edema are eliminated using anti-inflammatory drugs.
In addition, the symptom of osteoarthritis is Loss of stability, when a person is simply not able to fold the leg to the knee or to straighten it completely.The crunch that occurs is explained by the fact that the amount of synovial lubrication decreases.Such a creaky sound, which appears later, causes bone spurs which, by driving, rub against each other.
When climbing the stairs or when exercising physical exercises, there is Limited movements.This means that many use a cane or walkers.
The deformation of the knee joint is a very terrible symptom of osteoarthritis, because it indicates that irreversible changes in the joint occurred, making a person with a disabled person.The knees can be revealed or turned to others.
The principles of treatment
Having treated the common symptoms of the disease, it is necessary to understand how it is treated.First of all, it should aim to eliminate pain.
You should know that taking pain relievers only Only weakens symptomsBut in no case affects the evolution of the disease and these drugs are unable to restore damaged cartilage.
The treatment of osteoarthritis of the knee joint with drugs is carried out as follows:
- The use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, with which pain relieves and reduces inflammation.
- The use of drugs that help restore cartilage.
- The use of ointments and creams from distorting osteoarthritis.
In some cases, surgery is carried out and also prescribed Physiotherapeutic procedures and physiotherapy exercises.Gymnastics with such a disease considerably helps treatment, and the attending physician must select the exercises.
Currently, most drugs have Many side effects And with prolonged use, the operation of organs and systems occurs.
Use of non -steroidal drugs
The treatment of osteoarthritis of the knee joint is carried out by non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.
They help relieve pain and reduce inflammation, but the long -term use of these drugs is prohibited, because the resulting side effects negatively affect the mucosa and the intestinal stomach, as well as the liver, kidneys and cardiovascular system.
Despite the fact that taking these drugs is necessary for the treatment of osteoarthritis of the knee joint, they are able to reduce the production of proteoglycans and therefore dehydrate the tissue of the cartilage.This is why such funds should be takenStrictly according to a prescription from a doctor And only under its control.
For prolonged use, experts advise to choose Anti-inflammatory selective drugs, which have fewer side effects and have no negative effect on metabolism in cartilage.
Carbon recovery preparations
For nutrition and restoration of cartilage, a constant contribution to its tissues is necessaryChondroprotector.These substances are very important for people with osteoarthritis of the knee joint.
The positive effect of their reception only appears after use for quite a long time (at least six months).Chondroprotectors improve the quantity and quality of the synovial fluid, as well as contribute to catering cartilage plate.
But, despite such beneficial properties of these compounds, they should not be considered as fixed assets for the treatment of osteoarthritis of the knee joint.To this end, the drugs must be taken for at least a year and a half, while they are unable to completely restore the destroyed cartilage.
Using creams, ointments and compresses
The treatment of osteoarthritis of the knee joint provides for the use of various ointments and creams.But these drugs should only be considered as an addition to the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and chondroprotectors.Ointments and creams help reduce discomfort, swelling, pain, Improve joint mobility.
This effect is explained by the fact that these products penetrate through the skin into the blood, thus improving blood circulation in the joint, accelerating metabolism in cartilage and restaurant.
Compression treatment.A much more important effect, compared to ointments, brings therapeutic compresses.For these purposes, a tool is often prescribed, which penetrates the fabric well and has an analgesic and anti-inflammatory effect.
The use of injections
The synovial liquid of the knee joint is very viscous, so that the tissues do not rub against each other.An important component of such lubrication is hyaluronic acid, connecting proteoglycans to normalize the structure of the cartilage fabric.
The level of this compound in the synovial fluid in patients with osteoarthritis is quite sharply reduced, due to which this lubricant becomes less viscous and the friction is improved.
Medication injections Based on hyaluronic acid, carried out in the knee, slows down the progression of the disease, but only half of the patients with an osteoarthritis diagnosis are reduced to a decrease in the manifestation of symptoms.The price of injections is generally carried out for three weeks and an injection is carried out every seven days.Six months later, this procedure was carried out again.
Surgical treatment of osteoarthritis of the knee joint
If therapeutic treatment has not resulted in the right effect, surgery is carried out.
It is also made if irreversible changes have already occurred in the knee joint.
Surgical treatment is of two types:
- Arthrodesis.
- Prostheses.
With arthrodesis, the joint is immobilized, due to which the pain is eliminated.Prostheses are a more modern method, which consists in the fact that with the help of special prostheses, a complete or partial Replacement of the damaged joint.
Thus, osteoarthritis of the knee joint is an insidious disease of its consequences, because a person can become a disabled person.It can be avoided if you eat well, Lead a healthy lifestyle And control your weight.Thanks to such simple rules, you can never know the existence of osteoarthritis of the knee joint.