The knee joint is formed by a mobile “tandem” of the tibia and femur.Its lateral displacement is prevented by the patella, and easy, gliding movement is ensured by an elastic layer of durable cartilaginous tissue.
The thickness of the “healthy” cartilage lining the articular surfaces of the bones of the knee joint is 5 to 6 mm.
This is enough to soften the mechanical friction of the bones and absorb the “shock” load.A disease that leads to the destruction of natural shock-absorbing tissue and deformation of the joint - gonarthrosis, or arthrosis of the knee joint, has unpleasant symptoms, and its treatment is often complicated by the launch of a compensatory mechanism of bone structures.
What triggers the disease?
There is an opinion that knee gonarthrosis is a consequence of “salt deposition”.However, calcification, or deposition of calcium salts in the ligamentous apparatus of the knee, has no independent significance and is more a consequence than a cause.
What is gonarthrosis and how to treat it?
In reality, the “starting point” should be considered a violation of the blood supply to small bone vessels and its consequence – difficulty in the trophism of cartilaginous tissue and its depletion.This is followed by deformation of the hyaline cartilage.The latter exfoliates, becoming covered with multidirectional cracks.The synovial fluid becomes more viscous and loses its natural “moisturizing” properties of the cartilaginous tissue.
The complete disappearance of the drying “buffer” could be called the end of the pathological process.
However, the underlying bones that have lost their cartilaginous “cover” compensate for the loss by growing along the periphery and becoming covered with “spikes” – bony growths.In this case, the knee joint becomes deformed and the legs take on the shape of an X or O, which is why this pathology is also called deforming osteoarthritis of the knee joint (hereinafter referred to as DOA).
What are the causes of osteoarthritis of the knee joint?
- Aging of the body and the “wear and tear” of the joints that accompanies it;
- Excess body weight;
- Extreme loads on the knee joint (in athletes);
- Knee injury, fracture of one of the bones;
- Meniscus removal;
- Untreated arthritis, rheumatism;
- Abnormal location of the bony components of the joint;
- “Failure” in the endocrine system and hormonal disharmony, metabolic imbalance.
Osteoarthritis is often confused with various arthritis.
However, the difference between arthritis and osteoarthritis of the knee joint is that the former is often the result of the invasion of the body by various pathogenic agents, which “results” in inflammatory diseases throughout the body.
Sometimes the signs of arthritis – joint inflammation and swelling, swelling, pain that worsens at night – are the result of the immune system “deploying” an active defense against the body's own cells.
Arthrosis, being an exclusively local disease, often becomes a logical continuation of arthritis or a consequence of the gradual “wear and tear” of the joint.
Primary and secondary gonarthrosis
In orthopedics and traumatology, the types of arthrosis of the knee joint are usually differentiated depending on the reasons that gave rise to the degenerative changes in the articular cartilage.
- Age-related or primary gonarthrosisThe knee joint often interrupts the course of relatively painless old age due to the physical “wear and tear” of the cartilaginous tissue.A little more often, compared to men, women who have crossed the 40-year mark face this form of the disease.The early development of primary gonarthrosis threatens athletes and those with extra pounds;
- Secondary gonarthrosis– a logical continuation of a previous injury or a consequence of late treatment of inflammatory diseases, develops at any age.
Where is the disease hiding?
Developing gradually, gonarthrosis is located on the inside of the knee joint.However, the disease can “lurk” between the patella and the surface of the femur.
- Left-sided gonarthrosis often affects athletes and overweight people;
- People whose professional or sporting activities involve excessive dynamic or static loads on the right leg are more susceptible to degenerative changes in the cartilaginous layer of the right knee joint;
- Bilateral gonarthrosis is often age-related.Regardless of the reasons, uncontrolled destruction of both knee joints in most cases leads to disability.
Oh, that hurts!
Signs of gonarthrosis of the knee joint are quite vague at the beginning of the disease, and few people rush to visit a rheumatologist or arthrologist if they experience knee pain after a long walk.
After all, a brief rest and relaxation relieves unpleasant symptoms in a slightly “crunchy” knee, giving a dubious feeling of physical well-being.
In fact, the “vague” symptoms of the first stages of degenerative diseases of the musculoskeletal system make their timely detection and treatment extremely difficult.Deforming gonarthrosis is no exception.
- Stage 1 gonarthrosis, manifested only by mild discomfort caused by limb fatigue, is extremely difficult to recognize on your own.A timely impulse to visit a doctor is usually given by a dull pain in the knee and the “crushing” of rough cartilages stuck together;
- 2nd degree gonarthrosis sets the stage for deformation of the knee joint and makes it difficult to move in the morning, causing the need to “diverge”.Severe, prolonged pain occurs after standing or sitting for a long time.Moderately limited mobility of the knee is accompanied by a crunching sound;
- The maximum signs of arthrosis of the knee joint appear in the third stage of the disease.A swollen knee, whose local temperature is high, often hurts at rest.
The movement of the joint is blocked by sharp pain caused by “joint rat” - fragments of broken bone growths.
A deformed joint loses stability and is difficult to move.An advanced disease at this stage requires prosthetics.
Can knee osteoarthritis be cured?
The well-known statement “Rest is not an end in itself, but a means to an end” is directly related to those who are faced with the initial manifestations of the disease.Rest ensures maximum unloading of the knee joint during an exacerbation.For the same purpose, it is recommended to use individual orthopedic insoles.
The use of individual orthopedic insoles will ensure maximum relief of the knee joint.
A kind of insurance against the disease, or rather against its exacerbation, will be special orthoses that support the stability of the “loose” knee joint in athletes.
A cane will help seniors “unload” their joints while walking.But the listed measures are more likely to prevent arthrosis of the knee joints.If such a “vaccination” did not help, and the worsening of gonarthrosis manifests itself with inflammation and pain, you should hurry to consult an orthopedist or arthrologist.
How to treat gonarthrosis?
- Step 1.Reduce inflammation and the pain that accompanies it.Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs used orally, intramuscularly or intravenously are those that best deal with the “acute” problem.NSAIDs “sealed” in rectal suppositories will have a prolonged effect.
The use of corticosteroids is also justified - they are “delivered” directly to the diseased joint.
The local use of ointments or gels with an active anti-inflammatory component will help enhance the anti-inflammatory effect of NSAIDs used internally.The latter help to quickly relieve swelling.
Medications that reduce vascular muscle tone are often prescribed along with NSAIDs.This improves periarticular blood flow.
What to do with arthrosis of the knee joint, for example, in patients suffering from gastrointestinal diseases, for whom it is dangerous to take NSAIDs and painkillers?
Oxygen therapy would be a good alternative.
- Step 2.“Nourish” dry cartilage with substances that stimulate collagen synthesis.Chondroprotectors intended for this purpose act slowly, but their long-term use promotes the synthesis of the natural components of the cartilage matrix.The greatest effect is achieved by intra-articular administration of medications.
- Step 3.We soften the “roughness” of the cartilage and reduce cartilage friction with the introduction of hyaluronic acid.
- Step 4.We improve blood supply and joint trophism through physical therapy.To this end, it is recommended to combine usefulness with pleasure and undergo sanatorium-resort treatment.
- Step 5.We resort to non-traditional treatment methods: acupuncture and hirudotherapy, apitherapy.An innovation in the treatment of AOD of the knee joint is the intra-articular administration of Orthokine, a serum obtained from proteins in the patient's blood.
What are the right exercises to do?
Physiotherapy will help slow the progressive destruction of articular elements.Its main objectives:
- improve blood supply to the joint and activate the trophism of all its components;
- greater knee mobility;
- increasing the tone of all muscles in the human body.
It is recommended that physical therapy sessions, at least at first, be carried out under the supervision of a physical therapy instructor.An experienced trainer will select exercises that correspond to the level of joint mobility, excluding exercises with a large amplitude and exercises with excessive axial load - everything that can damage the soft tissues of the joint and worsen the patient's condition.
Recipes from the green pharmacy: there are options!
Provides gonarthrosis and treatment with traditional methods:
- Option 1.Grind 120 g of garlic, 250 g of celery root and 3 lemons in a meat grinder.Place the mixture in a 3 liter jug and fill to the top with boiling water.After keeping the composition overnight in a warm place, wrapping the bottle well, start taking it in the morning, consuming 70 grams of the medicine every morning.Gradually increase your intake to 3 times;
- Option 2.Treat the painful joint with a mixture of 1 tbsp.I.honey and 3 tbsp.I.apple cider vinegar.Place a fresh cabbage leaf on top (shred lightly with a knife) or burdock (light side facing the joint).Wrap the leg in cellophane wrap and a soft scarf.Do at night, up to 30 procedures.
Inevitable decision
Often, severe pain and joint dysfunction threaten disability.
So, middle-aged patients, as well as young people diagnosed with arthrosis of the knee joint, require surgery.
The most common procedure is endoprosthesis.The duration of such an operation is no more than one hour and its effect is the painless functioning of the “restored” limb for at least 20 years.Over time, the “loose” prosthesis must be replaced.