With aging in the body, a number of degenerative transformations pass.One of the most frequent phenomena is considered arthrosis of the knee joint, the symptoms and treatment of this disease are familiar to many people of advanced age.
Arthrosis is a condition in which the cartilage tissue of the joint is destroyed, which leads to a significant limitation of its functionality and the motor activity of a person as a whole.Medicine offers other names of this disease: gonarthrosis of the knee, osteoarthrosis, deforming arthrosis.
What is gonarthrosis?As you know, any changes in the body begin with the interaction of molecules.Violation of the integrity of the cartilaginous coating changes the physico-chemical properties of the tissue.Symptoms can be clearly examined in the x -ray of the affected joint in the X -ray: in the focus of the disease, the area is visible, which has become muddy, indicating the stratification and thinning of the hyalin cartilage on the articular surfaces.
Cases of the development of the disease in young people are known.As a rule, these are professional athletes who accidentally injured during training or competitions, which entailed deformation of cartilage tissue of the joint.In this case, post -traumatic arthrosis of the knee joint occurs.
As a result of advanced knee arthrosis, the cartilage tissue can completely disappear, which will lead to the exposure of the bone surface and the subsequent deformation of the bones that are included in the structure of the knee joints.
Consider which doctor treats arthrosis of the joints, and what are the basic principles of therapy for this pathology.
How to understand that your gonarthrosis is developing?
The first sign of arthrosis of the knee or joint is the appearance of painful sensations of weak intensity in the knee.At the beginning of the disease, they bother a person only in the process of walking, completely disappearing at rest.It becomes difficult for the patient with arthrosis of the knee joint and go down the stairs.Signs of arthrosis of the knee joint manifest themselves when a person gets up from the chair: after extending the knees, he hardly gives him the first few steps.Knee arthrosis symptoms in the first stages of pathology occurs only with the movements of the knee joint;When a person rests, he becomes much easier.
An experienced doctor will say that gonartrosis of the knee joint does not occur “out of nowhere”.Strong pain that accompanies the degeneration of hyalin cartilage occurs exclusively after painful intensity syndrome, which bothered a person for more than one year.If the patient developed pain suddenly, sharply, then this is a manifestation of another pathology.For example, sudden acute pain in the knee is characteristic of pinching the meniscus, injuries of the synovial layer of the joint or a cartilaginous fragment in the space between the bone surfaces of the knees.
Symptoms of arthrosis depending on the stage of the disease
Before treating arthrosis of the knee joint, the attending specialist should diagnose the stage of the disease in a particular patient.It will depend on this than and how it will be possible to help the patient.
Medicine emits 3 degrees of deforming arthrosis.The initial stage, or osteoarthritis of the knee joint of the 1st degree, as mentioned above, is characterized by periodic pain in the average intensity in the knee cup.After these symptoms, a person should find out which doctor treats arthrosis and contact him as soon as possible.
At the very beginning, the disease leads to a slight deformation of bone surfaces, and the joint itself increases slightly in size.The latter can be explained by a synovitis - the accumulation of a joint bag of pathological fluid in the lumen.Excessive accumulation of fluid can lead to its transition to the back of the knee, into the zone of the popliteal fossa.At the same time, the disease receives a new sign - the so -called Baker's cyst.
Sometimes, with arthrosis of the knee joint, a breakthrough of the baker’s cyst is possible, which will lead to the spread of fluid from it into the back of the calf muscle.Treatment of gonarthrosis in the case of a baker’s cyst should include an anti -inflammatory drug and hormone therapy.This type of cyst is not operated on, because its treatment should take place using conservative methods.
To develop gonarthrosis of the 2nd degree, from the beginning of the pathological process, several months should take place.At the same time, a person feels an increase in pain in the knee: for their appearance, a fairly small motor activity.Pain occurs both during movement and after it.Particularly bright gonarthrosis of the 2nd degree is manifested after long walks or lifting and transferring weights.The patient notes that after a long rest, the pain syndrome subsides, but one careless knee rotation can re -provoke a symptom.
At this stage of the pathological process, its new sign appears - a distinct crunch in the knee joint that occurs during its movement.It can not be confused with quiet clicks, which periodically occur with active movements in healthy people.The crunch in the knee with arthrosis is characterized by relative volume.If at this stage a person does not turn to a specialist and does not begin to treat gonarthrosis, the crunch in the affected knee intensifies, causing severe pain.
Also, at the second stage of progression of pathology, the patient has problems with flexion and the reverse process of the leg in the knee.When trying to completely bend the lower limb, a person can feel a sharp pain in the knee area.It often happens that in a patient with osteoarthrosis of the human tribe is absent to bend the leg.Partial flexion of the limb up to 90 degrees is possible, while further movement provokes the patient's discomfort or even pain.
Before treating gonarthrosis at this stage, the doctor must see the sick knee joint on the radiograph.In the picture, you can well consider the destruction of bone tissue, even a change in the shape of bone surfaces.The progression of synovitis is noted in comparison with the initial stage of the disease.
The pathological process of the 3rd degree of the knee pain is enhanced.Now it can occur in a person even during the rest.It is difficult for a person to choose the position of the body and legs in particular, in which unpleasant sensations were absent or weakly expressed.Due to painful pain, insomnia may develop.Exacerbation of the pain syndrome of the hip joint is observed against the background of a change in weather conditions.This happens if the deformation of the tank nourishing vessels of the knee or hip joint.
If at the second stage of the disease the patient managed to bend the leg with an effort to bend the knee, then at the last stage of the destruction process, this becomes almost impossible.In a crowd of people, you can approximately recognize a person with arthrosis of the knees or hip joint: his legs are always slightly bent during gait.There are frequent cases when the third stage of the pathology takes place with the development of deformation of the lower extremities, as a result of which they visually form an oval (varus deformation) or a cross (valgus deformation).Without timely treatment of arthrosis of the knee, the patient acquires an unstable shaky gait.
Various types of gonartrosis
Only in the case of the correct diagnosis of stage and the type of pathology, effective treatment of arthrosis of the knee joint is possible.There are several options for the disease.
By etiology, 2 types of arthrosis can be distinguished: paramount and secondary.Private osteoarthrosis develops as an independent disease in humans.The secondary type of disease is called this because it gets its development against the background of mechanical trauma of the knee or infection.Minor arthrosis can occur if the primary disease is treated incorrectly or not treated at all.In this case, the patient should prevent complications in accordance with the doctor's recommendations.
In addition to the etiology of the process, knee arthrosis can be classified at the place of occurrence:
- The right -way type of disease when deformation occurs in the right knee joint.Most often, right -way arthrosis of the knee or hip joint is observed in athletes and movers who, when lifting and transferring weights, focus on the right leg.
- The left -sided type, in which the lesion of the hyaline cartilage went to the left.It is common among people involved in professionally sports and injured the left knee (left -sided arthrosis) and fat patients.
- Double -sided type (Polish arthrosis), in which the disease covers both knee or hip joints at once.Such a variety of pathology is considered the most severe, since a person is deprived of the opportunity to transfer weight from a sore limb and brushes to a healthy one.Often bilateral gonarthrosis leads to the fact that people with disabled people in a stroller become disabled.
In various localization of arthrosis of the knee joint, symptoms, treatment and causes are the same.Bilateral gonarthrosis can clinically manifest itself brightly because the load is immediately subjected to 2 knee or hip joints.
How to treat arthrosis?
First of all, you need to know which doctor to seek help in the event of the development of the first signs of pathology.Treatment of gonarthrosis is not the simplest task even for an experienced doctor.In medicine, there are doctors of a narrow profile, specializing specifically in such diseases.Such a specialist is a surgical profile who provides assistance exclusively to patients with sore joints.
But not all medical institutions have a similar specialist.Then what other doctor treats gonarthrosis in addition to a narrow specialist?The patient should answer this question in those medical institutions where arthrosis of the knee joint is treated.In advanced cases, pathology can help the patient an orthopedist.If Poly Arthrosis is at the initial stage, you should contact a physiotherapist, massage therapist, Manual therapist, who also treats arthrosis of the knee joint.But the specialist must have clear qualifications and experience, beware of scammers who may not only help, but also harm the patient with arthrosis.
Many patients are wondering whether it is possible to cure knee arthrosis on their own, at home?Remember that in order to avoid the progression of the disease or the occurrence of complications with the first symptoms of pathology, you should consult a qualified doctor.Having conducted the necessary diagnosis, he will tell you how to cure arthrosis of the knee joint in a particular case.
It is very important to conduct differential diagnosis, that is, distinguish arthrosis from similar processes of deformation in cartilage.The treatment regimen of arthrosis includes a set of methods and effects on the problem.
Drug therapy
The drug treatment of arthrosis of the knee joint does not occupy the main place in the therapy of this pathology.This is due to the fact that the drug in the form of capsules or tablets is effective only at the early stage of the pathological process, when polyarthrosis is insignificant.The drugs necessary for the patient to cure gonarthrosis include means to improve the structure of hyalin cartilage - chondroprotectors.They contribute to the formation of collagen fibers and proteoglycans in the body, which make up most of the cartilage tissue.Therefore, the treatment of arthrosis of the knee joint has a positive effect with gelatin, since it acts as a natural chondroprotector.
Since one of the signs of the disease is acute pain in the knee, it is necessary to treat gonartrosis of the knee joint using painkillers.It is important to prescribe a reception of substances that normalize the process of blood and lymph microcirculation in the affected cartilage.This will provide the best nutrition and restoration of tissue, which is very important for hemartrosis of the knee joint, the treatment of which is associated with the nutrition of cartilage.A decrease in pain is also facilitated by anti -inflammatory drugs of non -steroid nature.
Extension of the lower extremities
Modern methods of treating arthrosis of the knee joint can complement a rather painful, but effective method of therapy for gonartrosis - hardware traction, or traction.It is used to increase the space between the cartilage surfaces.Such a procedure can be cured by polyarthrosis if you pass several sessions (usually a treatment course is required with a lasting of 5 to 7 procedures).Tractions help reduce the load on the sore knee joint and relieve unpleasant symptoms.
Laser therapy
Another effective therapeutic method is laser treatment.With its help, you can achieve anesthetic, decongestant, anti -inflammatory, healing effects on the focus of the disease.This method of treatment can be used both at the early stage and in the late stages of destructive processes.In addition, the use of the laser provides the microcirculation of biological fluids in hyalin cartilage, which accelerates the process of gonarthrosis of treatment.
Laser therapy in medicine has a number of contraindications that the doctor should take into account before treating arthrosis of the knee joint in a particular patient.Thus, the conduct of laser therapy for the purpose of arthrosis of the knee joint of treatment is not allowed for chronic and acute infections in an active form, in the presence of cancer, tuberculosis, some heart pathologies, cirrhosis, anemia and some other conditions.
Traditional medicine in the fight against the disease
The complex treatment of arthrosis of the knee joint allows the use of non -traditional medicine, but only on the recommendations of the attending physician.
With which plants do we treat arthrosis of the knee joint of the house?One of the often used is burdock.This plant has long established itself in the treatment of gonarthrosis.Burdock treatment is a safe and relatively effective method.
In the treatment of arthrosis, horseradish and burdock were not the last place.As a rule, with polyarthrosis, the green part of the plants can be used.The leaves of horseradish and burdock relieve pain from the affected knee or hip joint, reduce the inflammatory process, which cures polyarthrosis.
If there is osteoarthrosis of the knee joint, treatment at home can be carried out with honey.