Many people sooner or later come to a point in life when knee pain starts bothering them.It becomes difficult to walk, there is a desire to limp on the leg, which bothers you, save it.Over time, the pain increased and began to accompany the poor person wherever he went.Eventually, it becomes so bothersome that the person goes to the doctor, or seeks information about his own problem.
Often in this case, the doctor, based on the symptoms, makes a diagnosis of "deformed arthrosis of the knee joint."Let's take a closer look at what it is, how it manifests itself, where it comes from and where it leads.And, most importantly, how to get rid of it?
What is that?
This is a process in which cartilage tissue is destroyed.In this case, concomitant inflammation often occurs, called synovitis.After that, the knee becomes deformed, and movement becomes painful or impossible at all.
Who can get sick?
The disease is diagnosed based on several symptoms.In general, they are quite specific and characteristic of all types of diseases.
Before finding out what causes knee pain that bothers you periodically or constantly, let's look at the categories of people who are prone to this disease:
- overweight people.It is logical that obesity and excess body weight during walking contribute to increased pressure on the feet.As a result, the cartilage, unable to support the load, is destroyed;
- athlete.The occurrence of this 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 getting knee arthrosis.Now let's see the symptoms directly.
How to recognize this disease?
The development of this disease can last a long time - for several years a person does not feel anything, not suspecting that he has begun to develop a disease.Over time, the manifestations increase, and obvious discomfort appears.
There are several stages of development:
- Arthrosis of the knee joint degree 1.For a long time, it may be asymptomatic at all, or manifest as periodic mild pain and mild discomfort.The sensation gets stronger when one gets out of bed in the morning and starts walking.The discomfort is felt more clearly when a person goes down or up the stairs.This degree can last several months or even years.If you consult a doctor at this stage, it will be easier to recover than if you wait until the next stage.
- Arthrosis of the knee joint 2 degrees.Patients begin to notice a characteristic crackling sound when walking, which is sometimes accompanied by severe pain.Movement becomes limited, constrained, as if with difficulty.During the examination at this stage, the doctor may detect the beginning of small deformations and accumulation of fluid.This stage involves drug therapy and regular therapeutic exercises.
- Knee joint arthrosis grade 3.During this period, severe deformation is visible, and movement becomes very difficult.The patient has trouble bending and straightening his legs.The pain persists and worsens during changing weather conditions.A characteristic gait appears in half-bent, swaying legs, while the legs have a curved X- or O-shape.
Treatment methods depend on the level of symptom manifestation, on the stage of its development and become more complex as it develops.
Why did he show up?
There are many reasons why knee damage develops, and they directly depend on the form of the disease - primary or secondary.
The main form occurs due to congenital reasons;begin to appear at an early age.Due to the pathology in the development of the ligament apparatus, when walking there is too much pressure on it.This leads to the development of the disease.Thanks to timely medical intervention and adherence to a certain diet, the main form of knee damage will be eliminated.
Secondary forms are the result of injury and disease.
Let's consider all the causes of the disease:
- rheumatic diseases (rheumatism, arthritis) may be the cause.With prolonged arthritis, fluid accumulates, causing the inflammatory process and, as a result, the development of the disease;
- the presence of excess body weight also contributes to problems due to increased load on the cartilage layer and, as a result, its premature damage;
- metabolic disorders that lead to the deposition of salt in the joint cavity, difficulty in blood circulation;
- prolonged muscle or blood vessel spasms in the legs;
- surgical intervention;
- too much pressure on the feet during sports activities;
- injuries: dislocations, fractures, bruises, which are accompanied by damage to cartilage and ligaments.
In the treatment of deforming arthrosis of the knee joint, one of the main roles is given to the elimination of the causes that lead to the development of the disease.And only after getting rid of the cause, we can talk about the possibility of curing the disease itself, using different means, techniques, as well as the right diet.
How to treat it?
How 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 real cause that leads to the disease.Methods, types, methods of therapy are diverse and often effective only in combination.Therefore, you need to approach this issue responsibly and carefully follow all the doctor's recommendations.
It should be remembered that this is a chronic disease that can rarely be completely cured, therefore any treatment method is aimed, first of all, at achieving remission and disappearance of symptoms.However, at the first stage of development, when the problem just begins, it is possible to achieve complete relief from damage to the knee joint by eliminating the cause (for example, excess weight or excessive stress) and carrying out simple physical therapy.
Therapy in most cases is to relieve a person's pain, restore damaged cartilage, and restore the possibility of full movement.
Therapy combines the following methods:
- drugs and medicines, the use of medicinal ointments;
- provide therapeutic massage and manual therapy;
- physiotherapeutic methods: therapeutic exercises, exercise therapy;
- surgical intervention if necessary;
- folk and non-traditional treatment methods.
How and what medicine is used?
The first goal of drug therapy is pain relief.For effective pain relief, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are used.
These drugs do not cure the disease or prevent its progression - they only aim to relieve pain.Its use should be combined with the use of drugs to restore cartilage function damaged by arthrosis of the knee joint (symptomatic slow-acting drugs) and ointments.They have some side effects - mainly negative effects on mucous membranes.Only a doctor should prescribe the dosage and frequency of taking the medicine.Do not try to treat yourself - this will definitely lead to a negative process.
There are also observations that in large doses, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs have a damaging effect on cartilage.
Only if non-steroidal drugs no longer have an effect, the doctor can prescribe a strong analgesic with a central effect.
Along with painkillers, gymnastics and massage, the following group of drugs is used - corticosteroids, the purpose of which is to relieve the inflammatory process.These are hormonal drugs, the effect is very strong, which is why they are not recommended to be taken orally.In addition, its use causes many side effects.More recently, some corticosteroids are given to the affected area by injection.
The next group of drugs - symptomatic delayed action - stimulates the synthesis of healthy cartilage cells (chondrocytes), which replace the destroyed ones.The active ingredients that make up this drug are in many ways similar to those that make up cartilage tissue, and when it gets inside, it stops destruction and stimulates cell reproduction.
Before taking such drugs, be sure to consult a specialist: the fact is that these drugs are effective only for the first and second stages of the disease.In the third stage, the cartilage has been completely destroyed, and there is nothing to restore there.
What non-drug methods are used?
In the treatment of arthrosis of the knee joint, a combination of exercise therapy and physiotherapy sessions is most effective.Physical therapy exercises should be carried out exclusively under the supervision of a specialist.Physical activity should be moderate, dosed and regular.
During exercise, it is useful to undergo physiotherapeutic procedures, such as ultrasound, high-frequency magnetic therapy, radon, hydrogen sulfide baths and laser treatments.All these procedures not only relieve knee damage, but also generally strengthen the body.
It should be noted that exercise therapy classes are only possible 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 exercise.
Before starting therapeutic exercises, get a consultation from a physical therapy instructor who, after the examination, will create an individual exercise program for you and show you the entire complex performed until recovery.
Training must be done strictly according to the schedule and exactly with the load that the instructor will determine for you.The absence of class will make the procedure ineffective, so follow all instructions regularly and responsibly.Only then can we expect truly positive results.
Training should be combined and completed with manual therapy - massage, which is done by a specialist, or by yourself, after learning how to do it.Massage allows you to relax the muscles and improve the blood supply to the cartilage layer.
What helper methods are there?
Many doctors recommend the use of special knee braces.They increase the effectiveness of therapy and relieve pain.Elastic bandages are used for the same purpose.
Knee pads repair the ligaments and partially resist the deformation process.This makes it easier for patients in the second stage of the disease to move, because walking is already a problem for such people.
Knee pads can be used for prevention by those who experience physical stress, people who are overweight to reduce the traumatic effect of walking, and by athletes during training.
When choosing knee pads, it is better to consult a doctor.Knee pads differ in their level of fixation: tight, medium and light.In the most advanced stage of the disease, the strict one is used, during the first stage - the light one.When using it, it is necessary to ensure that the legs are not numb: numbness means blood stagnation occurs, which can lead to bad 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 fur itself has a good effect, thanks to which you can, if not cure the disease, then at least reduce the condition and speed up the treatment process.
Is it worth using folk remedies?
Folk remedies for the treatment of arthrosis of the knee joint can be used only after consultation with a doctor and only as an additional method.By itself, the use of traditional methods alone without using 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 relieve the inflammatory process.There are many different recipes to prepare the healing medicine used by our ancestors.Their healing properties have been proven over centuries of use and are beyond doubt.Burdock compresses, cranberry juice rubs, mummies and beeswax are just some of the many folk remedies.
Recently, treatment with leeches (hirudotherapy) has become increasingly popular.A hirudotherapy session relieves inflammation and acts as a powerful pain reliever.
As you know, leeches improve blood circulation in the treated area.Increasing the blood supply to the diseased area significantly accelerates the regeneration of cartilage tissue and the cleansing of affected cells, and supplies more nutrients to the diseased area.
Therefore, the use of folk remedies and hirudotherapy together with drugs, manuals and physiotherapy and therapeutic exercises promote complete recovery.