The joints of the human body stand for daily stress, so that they become susceptible to different types of destructive factors. Osteoarthritis is often found among the diseases of the joints and has an effect in both large and small joints. The osteoarthritis of the knee joint is a degenerative-dystrophic damage to the knee joint, in which its motor activity is disturbed. In the absence of proper treatment, the disease can lead to disability.
Since the disease provokes characteristic deformations in joints, it is referred to as deforming arthrosis of the knee joint, which rightly describes the typical characteristic of the pathology. The disease is chronic and is diagnosed more often in women, with excess weight and venous pathologies of the lower extremities, but there can be other causes. Due to older changes, people also arise in older people.
Young osteoarthritis can be provoked by injuries. As a result of degenerative-dystrophic changes, the cartilage soft, delayed and is covered with cracks of different depths. Then he stops fulfilling his function.
Reasons
Different causes lead to the occurrence of deforming osteoarthritis of the knee joint. A traumatic factor is a common cause of the occurrence. After receiving transfers or fractures in the specified zone and the meniscus injuries, after tumatic osteoarthritis, after tauntary osteoarthritis, tumor arthrosis can develop. As a rule, the gonarthrosis of the knee gene occurs in young people who are actively involved in sport, or in humans whose work is associated with increased mobility, elevation and weight transmission.
Few people know that such damage can be a result of the treatment if the injury itself has already healed, but there were circulatory disorders in this area during the long -term immobilization of the limbs. For this reason, gonarthrosis appeared.
An increased physical exertion on the knee is one of the main factors for the appearance of the disease. Most of the time it affects athletes with constant active loads on the knee. Arthrosis may not appear at a young age, usually quick changes begin after the end of physical activity.
There is also the risk of a disease among people who do not reduce the load of the joints even in adulthood. With such athletes, the risk of fractures and transfers, microtraumas occur. Therefore, after forty years, doctors recommend that athletes reduce loads and switch to coaching work. Running and squats are best excluded, since this type of activity primarily contains the knee sticks. Most of the time, a limb is affected and gonarthrosis occurs from the left, or right gonarthrosis occurs.
The removal of meniscus becomes a significant factor for the development of osteoarthritis of the knee joint. If the menisci have been removed for any reason, this leads to the occurrence of arthrosis-das so-called baking knees in 90 percent of the cases, in which joint joints have more friction than usual.
This is the case in the arthroscopy of the meniscus - a tear - which can become a trigger for the arthrosis of the knee joint
The problem of overweight is also relevant for people with osteoarthritis. Excess body weight creates unnecessary pressure on the joints. As a result, the cartilage itself is damaged, but the meniscus. And with a combination of overweight, acute osteoarthritis threatens the varicose veins of the lower extremities.
The weak band apparatus in some patients is a innate feature, and sometimes the ligaments are influenced by other diseases. In one way or another, weak ligaments in the joint produce increased mobility, which is why the joint surfaces are significantly abrasion. The consequences of weak ligaments can not be felt long until patients occur the symptoms of real osteoarthritis.
Joint pathologies also lead to the development of the disease. The most common is arthrosis to the guilty of the occurrence of osteoarthritis - inflammation of the joint joints. In arthritis, typical signs are observed - a deterioration in the composition of the synovial fluid, the pathological changes in the cartilage, swelling, reddening of soft tissues. Even after arthrosis, chronic processes lead to the occurrence of osteoarthritis.
Violations of metabolic processes often lead to pathologies of the musculoskeletal system. Bones and joints do not receive nutrients and minerals that are required for tissue strength. Destructive processes are subject to the lack of bone and cartilage surfaces, so primary osteoarthritis occurs even when the load is slight.
Symptoms
The arthrosis of the knee joint manifests itself in a complex of properties that are difficult to notice. There are no signs only to the first degree of the development of the pathology, but the second and third degree provides clear symptoms of the osteoarthritis of the knee joint:
- Pain is one of the most important signs that are not manifested by a strasson. It is interesting that when developing osteoarthritis, the pain cannot even feel for several months or years until the disease is worse. Usually the first pain marks are uncomfortable in physical exertion, walking or running, but also manifests itself when a meniscus is trapped. In the second degree of osteoarthritis, the pain in the joint is more felt, and with the third degree of development, painful sensations even occur in peace. Even after short walks, the attacks are worsened without severe strain on the joint so that the patients try to spare their knees.
- Deformations - Manifestations are increasingly pronounced in the third development of arthrosis. The knee is maintained its usual shape, but looks slightly swollen, swollen. When arthritis is connected, the knee becomes red, becomes hot and painful to touch.
- Crystal with osteoarthritis occurs in the second and third degree of development of the disease. Crispy noises differ from healthy clicks, which can sometimes be heard when the knee expanded and bending. In arthrosis, the symptoms are characterized by a dry, rude sound, which occurs sharply and is accompanied by pain;
- Synovitis is the accumulation of a certain amount of liquid in the joint cavity. It is also included there. However, the accumulation of an excess amount leads to the development of a cyst - the bakery cyst, which can be determined in the exposed position of the leg.
- Limited mobility in the knee is a typical sign of pathology because patients try to consciously protect themselves from pain for the first time, and in a late stage of osteoarthritis they cannot bend the limb at all. In the third degree of development, the deforming osteoarthrosis of the knee joint (DOA) even leads to the loss of movements. The patients adapt to curved legs by using the support products.
The degree of development
The arthrosis of the knee joint takes place in the development of three degrees.
With osteoarthritis of the 1st degree, painful pain and only occur with active physical exertion on the knee joint. Already to the first extent, liquid can accumulate in the cavity, which is already a cyst in the second and third. With the progress, the pain occurs in the movement process, but fits quickly. The deformation of the knee joint is invisible on the outside, so that the diagnosis of osteoarthritis of the knee joint can be difficult.
Arthrosis pain occurs even if the external signs of the disease are not noticeable
In the case of a second degree disease, the damage to the cartilage tissue is more significant. If you take an X-Ray, the stage of bone growth is already striking. With every movement, acute sudden pain occurs in the knee, but the knee no longer hurt. In the second stage of Doa you can hear a crunch typical of arthrosis. Problems with the expansion and flexion of the knee are worsened during progress. The deformation is noticeable in the appearance.
Osteoarthrosis of the third degree knee joint is characterized by a significant thinning of the cartilage. The cartilage is gradually soaked so much that the bone is exposed to some areas. The X -Ray picture shows a considerable amount of osteophytes -bone growth, salts that occurred in the joint cavity. The changes are clearly visible on the outside, and the patient deals with constant pain. It is easy to make a diagnosis-there is enough visual examinations and a retired check is carried out.
With the progress of this degree, arthrosis can lead to a complete loss of function. In every degree of pathology, osteoarthritis of the knee joint can join.
Treatment
Conservative
A group of most active medicines for arthrosis is not steroidal anti -inflammatory medication. These are primarily cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitors, they can alleviate inflammation and swelling perfectly and contribute to quick recovery. These drugs have significant restrictions, so they cannot be used without the doctor's recommendation. For example, you can worsen stomach ulcers, heart disease and urinary organs pathologies. Non -steroid anti -inflammatory drugs are prohibited during pregnancy.
The second group of funds are chondroprotectors that improve the characteristics of the cartilage. They are used for arthrosis to restore the correct structure of the cartilage, since it loses very important components in the process of resolution - chondroitin and glucosamine. Therefore, almost all chondroprotectors have both substances, but some medication are a component. With the help of these medication, you can help the patient in the first and second stage of the development of the disease, but not in third parties when irreversible changes occurred.
In the course of conservative therapy, the doctor will give recommendations for nutrition. If a patient is overweight, a diet must adhere to to normalize the weight. How to strengthen the stable weight - the doctor will also say it. It is also not recommended to eat a lot of salt, but it is better to fill the nutrition with calcium, vitamins and minerals. Jelly, jelly, will be useful.
Surgical
The most common type of surgical intervention on arthrosis is arthroscopy, but other interventions are carried out. The osteoarthritis of the knee joint usually takes place in the second and third degrees if conservative therapy no longer helps.
If necessary, minimal invasive intervention, for example, is possible to do a liquid in the knee joint. A puncture is produced in the cavity of the knee joint and excess liquids are pumped out. With this method, the disease can be diagnosed so that it is used for treatment at the same time. The liquid is taken in a minimum amount in the initial phase, but this already significantly improves the borehole of patients. After the examination of biomaterial, another part is removed and corticosteroids are inserted into the joint cavity.
Endoprosthetics is sometimes the only way out for patients with osteoarthritis of the third degree
Arthroscopy is most common. A small cut in the skin inserts several tools with which you can carry out a joint examination and the necessary manipulations. With the help of arthroscopy, you can remove particles of fabrics that are separated from the cartilage, but there is always a risk that secondary gonarthrosis occurs.
In the event of serious damage, there is a need to carry out periosemant osteotomy. This is a larger effect on the joint, which is why it is easily fed and installed at the right angle. After the operation, rehabilitation is longer, but the effect takes longer.
A significant destruction of the articular elements leads to a complete immobilization of the limb. The connection does not fulfill its function, which means that it has to be replaced and that you have to do the company. The endoprosthetics of the knee joint is an expensive operation, but it enables the movement to be returned to the patient in the member. Different knee prostheses are installed - plastic, ceramic or metal. These are durable constructions that can be used to forget the problem for several decades.
Physiotherapy
Physiotherapy methods can only be used if the acute period has passed and the patient recovers.
Using the techniques are actively used:
- Ozonotherapy is the effect on the affected joint of the ozone, and the substance can be introduced in the injection or used as external treatment. This type of support in patients is very effective and is often used in the treatment of various pathologies, including arthrosis. The treatment enables the blood circulation to be activated in the problem area in order to achieve an anti -inflammatory and analgesic effect. At the same time, treatment with glucocorticoids is carried out;
- Kinesiotherapy - Treatment is carried out using a special set of exercises. The load is formed, taking individual data into account, and special simulators are used when performing exercises that strengthen the joints. The difference between kinesiotherapy and physiotherapy exercises for active effects not only to the arthrosis of the knee, but also to the entire organism as a whole.
They use not only ozone therapy and kinesiotherapy, but also physiotherapy exercises. Good results are eliminated by copyright methods for the elimination of the knee arthrosis - exercises in Bubnovsky, Evdokimenko, Dikul. In the course of the exercises and after them, we have to wear a special knee switch - orthosis to strengthen the right or left knee joint.