Osteoarthritis of the knee joint: first symptoms and treatment methods

The disease of arthrosis has many varieties.For example, disease of the hip joint is called coxarthrosis, while disease of the knee is called gonarthrosis.

The treatment method for all subtypes is usually the same.However, many people do not know the difference between osteoarthritis and gonarthrosis of the knee joint.

On this basis, many incorrect uses of these terms have appeared among patients with this problem.

Causes

Gonarthrosis is a disease of the knee joint with damage to the cartilaginous tissue.Many people mistakenly believe that the disease is typical only for older people, since it is degenerative.But, as practice shows, gonarthrosis appears more often in young people.

This is confirmed by the causes of the disease:

• knee injuries (fractures, dislocations, cracks);
• weight lifting, vigorous physical activity without adequate training;
• joint inflammation due to exposure to various factors, including hypothermia;
• excess weight, as it leads to a large load on the joints and their subsequent degeneration;
• genetic predisposition.

As you can see, all the factors that determine the appearance of gonarthrosis are more typical for young people, since they lead an active lifestyle.

Although, due to excess weight, the disease can also occur in pensioners.According to statistics, after 50 years, gonarthrosis occurs more often in women.This is due to the restructuring of the body, changes in metabolic processes.

Principles and types of treatment

Osteoarthritis in general is a chronic disease, so it takes a long time to cure it.Therapy can be surgical or conservative.

With both the first and second methods, doctors try to somehow influence the cause of the disease, as well as eliminate pathological symptoms.

It should be noted that surgical intervention is more typical for stages 3-4 of arthrosis.In the fourth it is inevitable, and in the third you can still try to overcome the disease with conservative methods.

In addition, it is recommended to use special sets of gymnastic exercises, for example, the Bubnovsky technique.

In addition to the destruction of cartilage due to gonarthrosis, muscle fibers and ligaments are also subject to destruction.The goal of the treatment is:

• pain relief;
• elimination of inflammation;
• removal of edema of the periarticular area;
• stop the destruction of cartilage, its complete or partial restoration;
• return to a full life and freedom of movement.

Even in cases where a person cannot completely cure arthrosis of the knee joint, he can partially return to a normal lifestyle thanks to therapy and prevention.The condition persists until the next relapse.

Conservative method

This method of therapy is used in most cases and is the main one.As a rule, patients are treated in this way in the initial and middle stages of gonarthrosis.All actions involve the use of drugs (tablets, capsules, injections) with chemically active substances.

For treatment can be prescribed:

• analgesic;
• chondroprotectors;
• non-steroidal drugs;
• synovial prostheses;
• glucocorticosteroids.

Other conservative methods include treatment with various ointments, muds, etc.

Recently, gymnastics and light physical exercise have become very popular to arrest the course of the disease or the patient's eventual recovery.

The body reacts heavily to non-steroidal drugs.However, they are widely used in the treatment of arthrosis due to their multifunctional action:

• elimination of swelling in the joint;
• pain relief;
• treatment of inflammatory processes.

Because of these properties, doctors are increasingly choosing these drugs over traditional analgesics.

Glucocorticosteroids are synthetic drugs that can replace the natural hormones produced by the adrenal glands.If we compare them with non-steroidal drugs, glucocorticosteroids are much more powerful.In addition, they have an anti-allergic effect.

Chondroprotectors act directly on the cartilage and are completely safe treatments for knee osteoarthritis (gonarthrosis).They are obtained from the bone structure of animals, from the cartilage of fish and from the shells of crustaceans.Drugs are a building material for cartilage, they improve metabolic processes and proper nutrition of the joint.

In addition to the use of medications, during treatment, recovery and prevention are prescribed:

• physical therapy;
• physiotherapy;
• various massages;
• visit sanatoriums and resorts.

All this allows the patient to return to normal life and correct the result obtained with conservative treatment.

Plus, the lessons are easy.A very useful exercise for the knee joint with gonarthrosis is to roll a ball placed on the floor or another cylindrical object, for example a rolling pin, with your foot.

Surgery

If it is not possible to cure the disease with the help of drugs or therapeutic exercises, it is necessary to undergo surgery.It can be performed on both open and closed joints.At the same time, surgical methods are improved every day, and new methods are added to the previous ones, performed with modern equipment.

New methods of conducting operations include:

• microsurgical intervention to restore damaged cartilaginous tissue;
• treatment with a laser beam with the necessary characteristics: thickness, power, etc.;
• creation of a 1 mm thick electrolytic plasma field;
• arthroscopy;
• endoprosthesis - replacement of parts of a joint with artificial prostheses.

Modern surgical methods are minimally traumatic and allow a large number of different manipulations of the joint.

Traditional medicine recipes

Conservative treatment methods can not always give the maximum result in the treatment of gonarthrosis.Recipes of traditional medicine can be used as additional remedies.

To eliminate knee pain and crunches, you can use the following recipe:

• 150 g of garlic;
• 4 lemons with peel;
• 250 g of celery roots.

Grind all components in a meat grinder, mix and pour boiling water.Then put it in a saucepan, cover tightly with a lid and let cool.Take 60-70 g 3 times a day for a month.If pain appears, you can repeat the course or carry it out every six months for prevention.

You can also use this recipe:

• beat two eggs and mix them with 4 tablespoons of salt;
• Apply the mixture to a bandage and apply to the sore spot.

The procedure must be repeated twice in a row.Do not remove the bandage until the mixture dries.

To prepare a medicinal ointment you will need the following ingredients:

• 200 g of alcohol;
• 4 egg whites;
• 50 g of camphor;
• 50 g of mustard powder.

Add mustard and camphor alternately to the alcohol.Beat the egg whites in another container and then mix them together.The ointment is applied to the sore spot.

Of course, intense physical activity in athletes is a common cause of gonarthrosis as is the aging of the joints over time.

But recently, cases in which the disease occurs without such underlying causes have become more frequent.People, on the contrary, lead a sedentary lifestyle, which is why they gain extra pounds.

The load on the joints increases and prevents them from remaining healthy for a long time.

The difference between arthrosis and gonarthrosis

Not everyone understands the difference between gonarthrosis and arthrosis of the knee joint.Gonarthrosis is characterized only by damage to the knee, while osteoarthritis itself is the name of a group of joint diseases that can affect any joint.

In the theory of medicine there are many diseases whose names contain the part "arthrosis": osteoarthrosis, polyarthrosis, coxarthrosis, gonarthrosis.In this regard, ignorant people do not always correctly understand the meaning of each of them, thinking that they are all synonymous.

Gonarthrosis can be easily confused with the following diseases:

• arthritis;
• vascular pain in the knees;
• periarthritis - inflammation of the knee tendons;
• meniscal damage.

But it is still possible to distinguish gonarthrosis from these diseases.For example, damage to the meniscus (meniscopathy) is a disease that begins with sharp, unexpected pain in the knees after unsuccessful movement, and gonarthrosis develops and progresses over the years.If meniscopathy is not treated, pain will appear from time to time, but no bone deformation will occur.

In coxarthrosis (disease of the hip joint) reflex pain is often felt in the knees, but the two diseases can be distinguished from each other in the following ways:

• with gonarthrosis, a person can calmly move his legs in the hip joint, spreading them apart;
• in coxarthrosis, however, the patient can freely bend and straighten the knee;
• if pain is felt in both joints, then we can assume that it is polyarthrosis.

Arthritis is characterized by inflammation of the joints and sudden onset, but the pain does not affect joint mobility (as in periarthritis) and is eliminated thanks to warming ointments.With this disease, swelling, high fever and increased pain appear at night.

Vascular pain occurs due to circulatory disorders: it often affects young people under 20 years of age.This is due to the rapid growth of the entire organism.

Therefore, arthrosis is the general name of the disease and gonarthrosis is a name indicating the location (knee).This is why it is correct to say “arthrosis of the knee joint” or “gonarthrosis”, but not “gonarthrosis of the knee joint”.And it is quite possible to determine an accurate diagnosis through careful research and personal observations.

Osteoarthritis of the knee joint (gonarthrosis): diagnosis and treatment

The knee joint is a wonderful flexion-extension mechanism that nature has provided us.At rest, it occurs only in disabled people and excessively obese people who have lost the ability to move.

Count how many times a day it makes movements and you will come to the conclusion that the knee is the most mobile part of the joint.It's no wonder that diseases often target it.

One of them is gonarthrosis or arthrosis of the knee joint.

Causes of arthrosis of the knee joint

It's hard to say what causes early cartilage deficiency in some people.It is generally believed that a metabolic disorder, in which the metabolism of amino acids and important trace elements occurs slowly or incorrectly, is to blame.

Here, in turn, the following reasons are to blame:

1. Some immune-related diseases (for example, rheumatoid arthritis)
2. Self-loathing: sports and exercise, a nutritious diet containing a full range of vitamins, amino acids and minerals are often put aside by distant people for "later" ("I'll start on Monday, of course")
3. Already from birth the natural balance is disturbed: so-called hereditary causes.It's quite simple to check your genetic predisposition: look at what your grandparents got sick from and ask them what their ancestors got sick from
4. Disturbed hormonal balance: Such disorders especially affect the female body during a period of deficiency of estrogen, an important hormone necessary for osteosynthesis.It is not for nothing that most victims of arthrosis are women of a wonderful mature age, when they are not yet old age, but already wisdom, that is, the threshold of “over 50”.
5. Vascular diseases: Osteoarthritis is often associated with venous insufficiency, venous thrombosis and other diseases
6. Mood: If you think stress only ruins your mood, you're wrong: Stress can slow your metabolism to a state of suspended animation
7. A risk factor for osteoarthritis is excessive weight

What symptoms make you suspect this nasty pathology?

Symptoms of gonarthrosis by stage

Each stage has its distinctive characteristics, but they are united by the gradual development of the disease:

You cannot suddenly stop walking due to pain: a sudden, sharp painful symptom in the knee most likely indicates an injury.

First phase.In the first phase the following symptoms occur:

• Mild pain after a long walk, climbing stairs, etc.
• Stiffness after rest
• The knee has no deformity, but it may be a little swollen due to the accumulation of fluids: this phenomenon is called synovitis.Fluid can also accumulate in the back, in the popliteal fossa, forming a cyst, which is often mistaken by frightened patients for a cancerous tumor.The cyst usually resolves easily after treatment with injections of NSAIDs (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) or glucocorticosteroids

Second phase

In the second phase the following signs are noted:

• Increased pain after exercise and movement and the appearance of a characteristic rough crunch
• Increased morning stiffness
• Full or even 90 degree movement is accompanied by a painful symptom, sometimes so strong that it becomes impossible to complete it
• Due to the onset of deformation, the bones thicken and become rough: this can be determined by palpation
• Synovitis may get worse

Third phase

In the third stage, which is already defined as late deforming arthrosis of the knee joint, the symptoms appear:

• Constant pain that does not go away even at night: the knee hurts and twists, especially in cold, damp weather
• A sharp reduction in range of motion: no more than 90 degrees, or even less
• Changes in gait: the patient begins to limp, walks slowly on semi-bent legs, sways, climbing steps is particularly difficult
• Visible severe deformation with mixing of the axes of the joints - for this reason, the legs take the shape of the letter "X" or "O" (such signs are called hallux valgus).
• At this stage, the cartilage, as a rule, is already completely destroyed, and ossification (ossification) occurs in the ligaments.
• Subsequently, the surface of the joint becomes covered with calcium deposits, which is why the knee takes on a lumpy and uneven appearance.
• Due to severe deformation and lack of synovial fluid, knee movements become extremely painful
• Gradually, almost complete immobility of the knee occurs: late deforming arthrosis of the knee joint

Treatment of gonarthrosis

The treatment of this disease is complex and long, effective only in the early stages.In the latter case, conservative treatment only plays a role in alleviating the patient's situation.

Diagnostics.An important preliminary stage is the diagnosis.

• The best way to diagnose and determine whether the pain is caused by an injury or osteoarthritis is to use an x-ray or MRI of the knee joint.
• Osteoarthritis is diagnosed if you notice: degeneration or absence of cartilaginous tissue and a small space between the joint and the capsule

Conservative treatment

During exacerbations, the most important condition for treatment is:

• Maintain rest and light exercise
• Taking painkillers (for severe pain - in the form of intra-articular injections)
• In the third and fourth stages of arthrosis, injections of liquid are also prescribed to lubricate the joints

The following types of physiotherapy are effective for gonarthrosis:

• SWT (shock wave therapy)
• electromyostimulation
• acupuncture
• magnetotherapy
• radiofrequency therapy, etc.

Rehabilitation treatment

To avoid contractures and even greater immobility, knee exercises should be started immediately after the acute pain disappears: for this, physical therapy is prescribed under the supervision of a rehabilitation specialist.Long-term cyclic administration of substitutes of natural components of cartilage - chondroprotective drugs - is also carried out.

Attention: In the third degree, arthrosis of the knee joint cannot be cured with the help of chondroprotectors.

Surgical treatment

Effective treatment of late arthrosis is only surgical: replacement of a joint that has lost its function with an endoprosthesis.

However, we must remember:

• in advanced age the healing of the prosthesis is slower
• After surgery you may experience pain for a year
• Long-term rehabilitation with mechanotherapy and comprehensive physical therapy is required

If the patient refuses surgical intervention, a supportive conservative treatment is prescribed, the aim of which is to combat pain and preserve the motor function of the knee

What is arthrosis of the knee joint often confused with: gonarthrosis?

• When diagnosing gonarthrosiserrors occur just as often, if not more often, than in the diagnosis of hip diseases.
• Below is a list of diseases that are very often confused with arthrosis of the knee joint (gonarthrosis).
• From the practice of Dr. Evdokimenko,Most often, arthrosis of the knee joint is confused with the following diseases:

Damage to the menisci (meniscopathy) and blockage of the knee joint

Meniscal tears and knee locks occur in people of all ages, young and old.Men and women get sick equally often.Usually a knee joint is damaged.

Unlike gonarthrosis, the disease develops rapidly.As a rule, after an unsuccessful movement when walking, running or jumping, a person hears a crunch in the knee and feels a sharp pain in the joint.After 10-15 minutes the acute pain decreases slightly and the person can move.But the next day or the day after the knee swells and the pain intensifies again.

Without adequate treatment, the disease continues for years: the pain decreases or reappears.But compared to gonarthrosis, meniscopathy rarely causes deformation of the bones of the knee joint, unless damage to the meniscus triggers the development of knee osteoarthritis.And this, it should be noted, also happens quite often.

Osteoarthritis of the hip joint (coxarthrosis)

The diagnosis of “gonarthrosis” is often mistakenly made with “referred” pain, which often occurs with arthrosis of the hip joint and extends from the hip joint to the knee.

But these conditions are very easy to differentiate: with arthrosis of the hip joint, the mobility of the knee does not decrease at all, the knee bends and straightens easily and painlessly.

But the ability of a person suffering from arthrosis of the hip joint to rotate the leg “from the hip” and spread the legs to the sides decreases sharply.

A person suffering from gonarthrosis, on the contrary, easily rotates his leg from the hip and easily spreads his legs to the sides.But he bends his knee with difficulty and crouches down in pain.

Arthritis

The knee joints are the most vulnerable joints in the human body.In addition to arthrosis and meniscopathy, knee joints can be affected by any arthritis described in the second part of the book: reactive, rheumatoid, psoriatic, gout, ankylosing spondylitis and joint rheumatism.

Arthritis affects people of any age, but most often the onset of the disease occurs in young people.

With arthritis, one or both knees may become inflamed.

A characteristic feature of arthritic inflammation of the knee joint is a rapid onset (within 1-3 days), with noticeable swelling and swelling of the knee, as well as increased pain in the affected joint at night (around 3-4 am).That is, pain at night, at rest, can be stronger than when walking.With arthrosis, as you remember, the pain decreases at night.

In addition, almost all arthritis leads to inflammation of not one, but several joints at once: in addition to the knees, the joints of the fingers and toes, elbow joints, ankle joints and heel tendons become inflamed and swollen in any combination.

Vascular pain in the knees

These pains, caused by poor blood circulation in the knee joints, are familiar to many people.They usually begin during adolescence, a period of active growth, as vascular development in rapidly growing adolescents often does not keep pace with accelerated bone growth.

Once it occurs, vascular knee pain can accompany a person for almost their entire life.But their intensity usually decreases after 18-20 years (and does not increase with age, as happens with arthrosis).And unlike osteoarthritis pain, vascular knee pain is not accompanied by a decrease in mobility of the knee joints.

Pain sensations are usually symmetrical, that is, they are equally pronounced in the right and left knees;they occur when the weather changes, in cold weather, during colds and after physical activity.At these times, sufferers complain that their knees “twist.”

In most cases, vascular pain in the knees is easily eliminated by rubbing warm ointments, massage and self-massage (vigorous rubbing of the knees) or by taking vasodilator drugs.No special therapy is needed for this condition.

Inflammation of the hamstrings (periarthritis of the bursa anserina)

Women are mostly affected, most often over the age of 40.The pain usually occurs when going down stairs or when carrying heavy objects or heavy bags.When walking calmly on a flat surface, pain is extremely rare.

The pain caused by periarthritis does not extend to the entire knee.It focuses exclusively on the inside of your knees, about 3- below where your knees would touch when you bring your legs together.And unlike osteoarthritis, in periarthritis there is no limitation of knee mobility;the leg bends and extends at the knee as expected, completely.