Knee osteoarthritis, or osteoarthritis of the knee, is a chronic and gradually progressive disease that often leads to disability. Gonarthrosis currently occupies one of the leading positions in terms of the frequency of occurrence in all osteoarthritis. Most often this pathological process occurs in middle-aged and elderly people, mainly female representatives.
General information and classification
Osteoarthritis of the knee joint is a disease that is characterized by progressive degenerative-dystrophic damage to the cartilage tissue and then to other structures in the knee joint. As we said before, it is the cartilage that changes mainly in this disease. But then pathological changes spread to the synovial membrane, joint capsule, adjacent bones and ligaments.
As statistics show, about 13 percent of people over the age of 45 develop osteoarthritis of the knee. About 15 percent of people who have suffered a knee joint injury are subsequently confronted with this disease. More than 60 percent of patients state that quality of life decreases due to this pathology. The disability rate is between 10 and 21 percent.
In 2011, a team of scientists analyzed the treatment of 300 outpatients with knee osteoarthritis. At the same time it was found that among the people receiving medical care, women dominate 2 or 3 times. The mean age of the patients was 51 years. An accompanying pathology was found in 27. 3 percent of the patients. The men who applied first had a shorter duration of illness and less severe osteoarthritis than the female representatives.
As mentioned earlier, if left untreated, osteoarthritis of the knee joint very often leads to disability for a sick person. This is due to the fact that in the later stages of the disease the joint becomes deformed, which limits its motor activity. It becomes difficult for the patient to move, he is forced to use aids such as crutches.
Osteoarthritis of the knee joint is divided into two forms: primary and secondary. The primary form develops when changes in the cartilage tissue of the joint are not preceded by trauma. According to statistics, it makes up around 38 percent. The secondary form occurs when there has been a history of trauma, inflammatory pathologies, etc.
In addition, there are three degrees of severity of such a pathological process. In the first degree, clinical manifestations have a minimal degree of severity, there are no deformities. The second degree is characterized by increased symptoms, moderate restriction of movement in the joint. In the third degree, a noticeable deformation of the joint is noted.
Reasons for the development of osteoarthritis of the knee joint
The main cause of osteoarthritis of the knee joint is injury. Most often, the formation of pathological changes in the joint takes three to five years from the time of the injury, but sometimes earlier development of osteoarthritis is also observed. Another common cause is increased stress on the joint. At risk are people who overload the knee joint while exercising and are overweight.
The risk of developing osteoarthritis with previous arthritis, metabolic disorders and genetic predisposition increases significantly.
Symptoms of osteoarthritis of the knee joint
The symptoms of this disease gradually increase. First of all, a person pays attention to mild joint pain, which increases with physical exertion. A characteristic clinical sign is the onset of pain during the first movements after a long sitting position.
Sometimes a slight swelling is noted in the area of the joint, but most often there are no external signs of the disease.
Osteoarthritis of the knee joint, which is not treated, continues to progress. With the second degree, the pain becomes more intense, occurs even with little physical exertion. The pain syndrome disappears at rest, but when the movements start it comes back again. In the future, the range of motion in the joint is limited, sometimes a rough crunch is noted.
In the third degree, the pain becomes almost constant, sometimes it even occurs at night. A sick person cannot fully bend or straighten their leg, an external deformation of the joint is noted. The patient's gait becomes unstable, and in severe cases he can only move with support.
Principles for the diagnosis of osteoarthritis
Osteoarthritis of the knee joint usually does not cause diagnostic difficulties. The examination schedule includes an external examination and an X-ray examination. Radiography is currently the main diagnostic tool for this disease. However, it should be noted that at the initial stage there may not be any radiological signs, but this does not rule out the diagnosis. If a more detailed examination is required, computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging is used in addition to radiography.
Knee osteoarthritis: treatment and prevention
For degenerative-dystrophic joint damage, treatment can be both conservative and surgical. It is worth noting that the effectiveness of therapy directly depends on how timely it was started. Of the drugs, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and chondroprotectors are used. Sometimes it is necessary to perform intra-articular administration of glucocorticosteroids. The treatment plan is supplemented by physiotherapy and therapeutic exercises.
In the case of advanced osteoarthritis of the knee joint, however, treatment is carried out using surgical methods. Joint arthroplasty is most commonly used, followed by rehabilitation measures.
In 2013, scientists published an article providing data on examining the quality of life of patients undergoing knee arthroplasty compared to the quality of life of patients receiving conservative therapy for osteoarthritis of the knee. Surveys were carried out which found that three months after the endoprosthesis, people's quality of life was higher than with only conservative therapy.
The main method of prevention is to avoid injury and excessive physical exertion on the knee joint.