Many people sooner or later come to a point in life when knee pain begins to bother them.It becomes difficult to walk, there is a desire to limp on the leg, which is bothering you, sparing it.Over time, the pain intensifies and begins to accompany the unfortunate wherever he goes.Finally, it becomes so intrusive that the person goes to the doctor, or seeks information about his problems himself.
Often in this case, the doctor, based on the symptoms, makes a diagnosis of "deforming arthrosis of the knee joint".Let's take a closer look at what it is, how it manifests, where it comes from and where it leads.And, most importantly, how to get rid of it?
What is it?
This is a process during which cartilage tissue is destroyed.In this case, accompanying inflammation, called synovitis, often occurs.Then, the knee deforms and movements become painful or impossible.
Who can get sick?
This disease is diagnosed based on a number of symptoms.In general, they are quite specific and characteristic of all types of diseases.
Before we find out what causes the knee pain that bothers you periodically or constantly, let's see which categories of people are susceptible to this disease:
- people who are overweight.It is logical that overweight and excess weight while walking contribute to increased pressure on the feet.As a result, the cartilage, unable to withstand the load, is destroyed;
- the athletes.The appearance of the disease is associated with excessive stress experienced by athletes during training;
- varicose veins.In this case, the cause is a violation of the blood supply, a reduction in the supply of nutrients;
- people with leg injuries.
Belonging to one of these categories significantly increases the risk of developing knee arthrosis.Now let's look directly at its symptoms.
How to recognize the disease?
The development of the disease can take a very long time - for several years a person does not feel anything, does not suspect that he has begun to develop a disease.Over time, the manifestations intensify and visible discomfort appears.
There are several stages of its development:
- Osteoarthritis of the knee joint, first degree.For a long time it can be completely asymptomatic, or appear as periodic mild pain and mild discomfort.The sensations intensify when a person gets out of bed in the morning and starts walking.Discomfort is felt even more clearly when a person goes down or up the stairs.This degree can take several months or even years.If you consult a doctor at this stage, it will be much easier to recover than if you wait until the next stage.
- Arthrosis of the knee joint 2 degrees.The patient begins to notice a characteristic cracking noise when walking, which is sometimes accompanied by severe pain.Movements become limited, limited, as if with difficulty.During an examination at this stage, the doctor can detect the beginning of small deformations and fluid accumulation.This phase includes drug therapy and regular therapeutic exercises.
- Arthrosis of the knee joint of the third degree.During this period, severe deformation is evident and movements become very difficult.The patient has problems with bending and straightening the leg.The pain is constant and intensifies during changing weather conditions.A characteristic gait appears in half-bent legs, jumping, while the legs have an X- or O-curved shape.
Treatment methods depend on the degree of manifestation of symptoms, on the stage of its development and become more complex as it progresses.
Why does he appear?
There are many reasons why knee injury develops, and they directly depend on the form of the disease - primary or secondary.
The primary form appears for congenital reasons;begins to appear at a young age.Due to pathologies in the development of the ligamentous apparatus, there is a lot of stress on it during walking.This leads to the development of the disease.Thanks to timely medical intervention and adherence to a certain diet, the primary form of knee damage will be eliminated.
The secondary form is a consequence of injuries and diseases.
Let's consider all the causes of the disease:
- Rheumatic diseases (rheumatism, arthritis) can be the main cause.With prolonged arthritis, fluid accumulates, causing inflammatory processes and, as a consequence, the development of the disease;
- the presence of excess weight also contributes to problems due to the increased load on the cartilage layer and, as a result, its premature damage;
- metabolic disorders that lead to the deposition of salts in the joint cavity, difficulties in blood circulation;
- prolonged muscle or blood vessel spasms in the legs;
- surgical intervention;
- excessive stress on the legs during sports activities;
- injuries: dislocations, fractures, bruises, which were accompanied by damage to the cartilage layer and ligaments.
In the treatment of deforming arthrosis of the knee joints, one of the main roles is assigned to the elimination of the causes that led to the development of the disease.And only after getting rid of the causes, we can talk about the possibility of curing the disease itself, using various tools, techniques, as well as the right diet.
How do we handle it?
The way to treat gonarthrosis can only be determined by a specialist, focusing on the stage of development of the disease, the severity of cartilage damage and determining the exact cause that led to the disease.Methods, types, methods of therapy are different and often effective only in combination.Therefore, you should approach this issue responsibly and carefully follow all the doctor's recommendations.
It should be borne in mind that this is a chronic disease that can rarely be completely cured, therefore any treatment method aims, first of all, at achieving remission and disappearance of symptoms.However, in the first stage of development, when problems have just begun, it is possible to achieve complete relief from knee joint damage by eliminating its causes (for example, excess weight or excessive stress) and performing simple physical therapy.
Therapy in most cases boils down to relieving a person's pain, restoring damaged cartilage, and returning full range of motion.
Therapy combines the following methods:
- medications and medications, the use of medicinal ointments;
- providing therapeutic massage and manual therapy;
- physiotherapeutic methods: therapeutic exercises, exercise therapy;
- surgical intervention if necessary;
- Folk and non-traditional methods of treatment.
How and which medications are used?
The first goal that drug therapy should pursue is pain relief.For effective pain relief, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are used.
These medications do not cure the disease or prevent its development - they are only intended to relieve pain.Their use should be combined with the use of drugs to restore the function of cartilage damaged by arthrosis of the knee joint (slow-acting symptomatic drugs) and ointments.They have a number of side effects - mainly a negative effect on the mucous membrane.Only a doctor should prescribe the dosages and frequency of taking the drugs.Do not try to treat yourself - this will inevitably lead to negative processes.
There are also observations that in large doses, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs have a destructive effect on cartilage.
Only if non-steroidal drugs no longer have an effect, the doctor can prescribe strong analgesics with a central effect.
Along with sedatives, gymnastics and massage, the following group of drugs is used - corticosteroids, the purpose of which is to relieve inflammatory processes.It is about hormonal drugs, the effects of which are very strong, for this reason it is not recommended to take them orally.In addition, their use causes many side effects.More recently, some corticosteroids are given to the affected area by injection.
The other group of drugs - delayed symptomatic action - stimulates the synthesis of healthy cartilage cells (chondrocytes), which replace the destroyed ones.The active substances that make up these drugs are in many ways similar to those that make up cartilage tissue, and when they get inside, they stop the destruction and stimulate the reproduction of cells.
Before taking such drugs, be sure to consult a specialist: the fact is that these drugs are effective only for the first and second degree of the disease.In the third degree, the cartilage is already completely destroyed and there is nothing to restore there.
What non-drug methods are used?
In the treatment of arthrosis of the knee joints, a combination of exercise therapy and physiotherapy sessions is the most effective.Physical therapy exercises should be performed exclusively under the supervision of a specialist.Physical activity should be moderate, dosed and regular.
While performing exercises, it is useful to undergo physiotherapeutic procedures, such as ultrasound, high-frequency magnetic therapy, radon baths, hydrogen sulfide, and laser treatment.All these procedures not only relieve knee injuries, but also generally strengthen the body.
It should be remembered that exercise therapy classes are possible only during the first stage of the disease or during its remission - that is, only when visible manifestations (inflammation, pain) are absent or almost absent.If your condition does not allow it, it is better to refuse training.
Before starting therapeutic exercises, get a consultation from a physical therapy instructor, who after an examination will create an individual exercise program for you and show you the entire complex that is performed until recovery.
Exercises must be performed strictly according to the schedule and exactly with the load that the instructor will determine for you.Lack of hours will make the procedures ineffective, so follow all instructions regularly and responsibly.Only then can we hope for a truly positive result.
Exercises should be combined and supplemented with manual therapy - massage, which is done by a specialist, or by yourself, after you have learned how to do it.The massage allows you to relax the muscles and improve the blood supply to the cartilage layer.
What auxiliary methods are there?
Many doctors recommend the use of special knee braces.They increase the effectiveness of therapy and relieve pain.An elastic bandage is used for the same purpose.
Knee supports adjust the ligaments and partially resist the deformation process.This makes it easier for the patient to move in the second stage of the disease, because walking is already a problem for such people.
Knee pads can be used for prevention by those experiencing physical stress, overweight people to reduce the traumatic impact of walking and by athletes during training.
When choosing knee pads, it is best to consult a doctor.Knee pads differ in the degree of fixation: tight, medium and light.In the most advanced stage of the disease, narrow ones are used, in the first stage - light ones.When using them, it is necessary to ensure that the leg is not numb: numbness means blood stagnation occurs, which can lead to disastrous results.
The heating effect of the knee brace relieves pain, which allows you to reduce the dose of painkillers.There are knee pads made of camel and dog hair.The wool itself has a beneficial effect, thanks to which you can, if not cure the disease, then at least alleviate the condition and speed up the treatment process.
Is it worth using folk remedies?
Folk remedies for the treatment of arthrosis of the knee joints can be used only after consultation with a doctor and only as an auxiliary method.By itself, the use of only traditional methods without the use of traditional medicine is ineffective and dangerous and can lead to negative consequences.
Among the folk remedies used in the treatment of knee arthrosis, various rubs, compresses, ointments from natural ingredients, rubs, herbal preparations and infusions are used to relieve pain and ease the inflammatory process.There are many different recipes for the preparation of healing tools that our ancestors used.Their healing properties have been proven over centuries of use and are beyond doubt.Burdock compresses, cranberry juice rubs, midwifery and beeswax are just a few of the many folk remedies.
Recently, treatment with leeches (hirudotherapy) has become increasingly popular.Hirudotherapy sessions relieve inflammation and act as a powerful pain reliever.
As you know, leeches increase blood circulation in the treated area.Increased blood supply to the injured area significantly accelerates the regeneration of cartilage tissue and the cleaning of affected cells, and supplies more nutrients to the injured area.
Thus, the use of folk remedies and hirudotherapy together with medications, manuals and physiotherapy and therapeutic exercises promotes complete recovery.