Arthritis of the knee joint, or gonarthrosis, is a disease associated with dystrophic changes in hyaline cartilage. Among all osteoarthritis, this pathology ranks second in frequency of occurrence after arthritis of the hip joint.
Gonarthrosis can occur in two forms: acute or chronic, and chronicity of the process is quite common.
Before treating knee arthritis, it is necessary to determine what caused it. Drug therapy for this disease is carried out in two directions:
To reduce pain, NSAIDs (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs), such as nimesulide, butadione, diclofenac, piroxicam, and ibuprofen, are used. These drugs block the enzyme cyclooxygenase. Normally, it stimulates the release of prostaglandins, which are “regulators” of the inflammatory response.
For emergency pain relief, hormonal drugs (corticosteroids) are used: diprospan, celeston, hydrocortisone.
They can effectively relieve pain and inflammation. These drugs are preferred when gonarthrosis is accompanied by swelling and accumulation of fluid in the joint capsule (synovitis). To quickly achieve results, they are injected directly into the cavity of the joint capsule, so the effect of use occurs instantly.
Two groups of anti-inflammatory drugs are used to relieve inflammation and pain, but symptomatic therapy does not eliminate the cause of the disease. In addition, NSAIDs, with long-term use, inhibit the production of proteoglycans, without which the flow of water into the hyaline cartilage tissue slows down.
As a result, its destruction may accelerate. In addition, these drugs have a number of side effects, such as damage to the gastric mucosa and gastrointestinal tract. Hormonal drugs, when used for a long time, also have a number of side effects: they suppress the immune system and the function of the adrenal cortex.
The etiotropic treatment of arthritis of the knee joint consists of restoring the substance of the cartilage tissue. For this purpose, chondroprotectors are used, such as structum, arthra, teraflex, chondrolone and others. The main active ingredients in these drugs are chondroitin sulfate and glucosamine.
These substances improve the trophism of cartilage tissue, normalize metabolic processes and promote the restoration of articular cartilage. It is advisable to use drugs in this group to treat the disease in the early stages, when complete destruction of the cartilage has not occurred. Due to the slow regeneration of cartilage tissue, treatment with chondroprotectors should be carried out in courses of six months for 2-3 years.
For arthritis of the knee joint, injections of hyaluronic acid are effective. In their action they resemble intra-articular (synovial) fluid. By forming a protective film on the surface of damaged cartilage, they protect against further destruction and restore its shock-absorbing function. By penetrating the cartilage tissue, these drugs increase its elasticity, improving the biomechanics of the damaged joint.
For arthritis in the early stages, therapeutic exercises and manual therapy provide good results. Noticeable improvements occur with the use of certain physical procedures:
There are several methods of surgical treatment of this disease. In the early stages, it is advisable to perform arthroscopy, which involves removing damaged cartilage tissue and parts of the meniscus. This procedure is performed using endoscopic access. However, this method is aimed only at temporarily improving the quality of life, since it does not restore the articular surfaces. In order to restore the biomechanics of the joint, arthroscopy is complemented by osteotomy or osteosynthesis.
In the later stages of the disease, endoprosthetics of damaged areas of the articular surfaces, or the entire knee joint, is performed.
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The choice of direction of therapy also depends on the characteristics of the body, so treatment tactics are always selected individually by the attending physician. The treatment usually takes a long time and requires constant monitoring with x-ray monitoring of changes.
Throughout treatment, it is important to remember the restrictions that this diagnosis imposes on your lifestyle: you should limit physical activity as much as possible and, if necessary, lose excess weight in order to reduce the load on your joints.
The knee joints are perhaps the largest bone joints in our body. They bear the greatest part of the load when running, walking, carrying heavy objects and maintaining the body in an upright position. Therefore, it is not surprising that joint tissues wear out very quickly and are subject to a number of pathologies, including arthritis.
Arthritis of the knee joint is an inflammatory disease that affects the knee joint, its synovial membrane, cartilage, capsules and other elements. This pathology is one of the most pressing medical and social problems, since its protracted course in most cases leads to disability and loss of working capacity of the sick person.
Arthritis of the knee joint can be of traumatic, infectious-allergic, metabolic, reactive, dystrophic or other origin. In particular, depending on the cause of occurrence, arthritis is divided into 5 main types:
In addition, it is customary to distinguish between primary and secondary forms of arthritis of the knee joint. Primary arthritis occurs as a result of infection of joint tissues as a result of wounds and injuries, and secondary arthritis occurs as a result of the entry of an infectious agent into the joint from other organs and tissues of the body along with blood or lymph.
Factors that can increase the risk of developing knee arthritis include:
The most important signs indicating the development of acute arthritis of the knee joint are:
In cases where the disease is accompanied by the formation of pus, the patient’s temperature rises and the condition worsens. With chronic inflammation of the joint, the pain is periodic, attacks gradually become more frequent and become more pronounced.
The treatment program for knee arthritis includes both specific measures designed to eliminate the immediate causes of the development of the inflammatory process, as well as general measures aimed at blocking inflammation, restoring the basic functions of articular tissues, and preventing relapses and complications of the disease.
In particular, standard treatment tactics for knee arthritis involve the use of the following techniques:
Now a few words about how to treat arthritis of the knee joint with medications. As a rule, the therapeutic program includes prescribing the following groups of drugs to the patient:
After determining the nature of the inflammation, the patient may be additionally prescribed specific antituberculosis, antitumor or antibacterial agents.
Physiotherapy methods (UHF, magnetic therapy, paraffin and phonophoresis with hydrocortisone), massage and therapeutic exercises are used only during the period of remission of arthritis of the knee joint. In turn, folk remedies can only be used as a supplement to the main treatment, and under no circumstances should they replace drug therapy.
In the absence of positive results of conservative treatment, surgical intervention is performed. In particular, the surgeon can perform cartilage tissue transplantation, endoprosthetics, or use various arthroplasty methods.
It is important to understand that the choice of the most optimal and safe methods of treating knee arthritis is in the exclusive competence of the doctor. Only an experienced rheumatologist can determine the cause of the disease as accurately as possible, select the most effective medications, exercises and physical procedures that will allow you to get rid of all its manifestations in the shortest possible time.
Arthritis of the knee joint
The knee joint performs very important functions and is indispensable for humans every day. It is responsible for free and unhindered movement, so it is subjected to heavy loads. That is why, in the event of a malfunction of the knee joint, a person feels great discomfort and cannot move freely.
Knee arthritis is a serious and quite common disease that affects joint tissue. In this case, the patient feels pain in this area, which may be diffuse. Pain sensations are especially intensified at the moment of joint movement, that is, when a person performs any actions.
The peculiarity of this disease is that it appears a few days after the injury. That is, a person begins to feel pain only when the disease begins to progress. Given this, it is difficult for the patient to understand what exactly caused arthritis, since the disease may not make itself felt for two weeks.
What happens to a knee joint affected by arthritis?
Knee joint affected by arthritis
The knee joint consists of several synovial bursae, and with arthritis their tissues become inflamed. This may appear as a swelling that will protrude above the knee pad. In this case, pain in the knee area may occur if there is strong pressure.
Most often, the cause of this disease is overload of the knee joint, for example, prolonged kneeling. This type of arthritis is the simplest and most quickly curable, but there are types of the disease caused by more serious causes. The acute stage of arthritis may be accompanied by the following symptoms:
Type of sore knee
It is worth noting that the movement of the diseased knee is not limited, it is simply accompanied by pain, especially with full extension or flexion.
If a person has a question about how to treat arthritis of the knee joint, then the answer primarily depends on the degree of damage. The most complex cases of this disease require surgical intervention, but in parallel with this, the following procedures are performed:
Therapeutic massage for arthritis is very important and is the safest treatment method. For this disease, you need to perform a deep massage that affects the joint and its tissues.
Massage for arthritis
But it is worth remembering that in order for a massage to be effective and really help cope with the problem, it must be performed by a specialist who knows exactly the technique of performing such a massage. Professional massage is considered a very effective method of treating arthritis, which receives a lot of attention in modern medicine.
Arthroscopy is not only a method of treating arthritis, but also a way to diagnose it. This procedure may include:
Thanks to this, arthroscopy can achieve good results in the treatment of arthritis of the knee joint.
As already mentioned, arthritis of the knee joint is a very serious disease that can lead to very serious consequences if not treated in a timely manner. Very often, ignoring the problem leads to damage or even destruction of the knee joint; in such cases, it is simply necessary to replace it surgically.
This procedure involves restoring the knee joint using artificial tissue or completely replacing it with a prosthesis.
If arthritis occurs as a result of improper or uneven load, then bone reconstructive surgery will help get rid of it. This procedure is also very effective for this disease, since by restoring the bone, the disease can be completely eliminated or at least restored.
If arthritis is at an advanced stage, which is especially common in older people, then it is necessary to replant the joint.
This method of treatment is short-term, that is, after a certain period of time, the disease can recur due to loosening and abrasion of the joint, which is accompanied by inflammation. But after the procedure, the patient feels very well, the mobility of the knee is completely restored, there is no pain, and there are no external signs of the disease.
Healthy knee joint
A disease such as arthritis of the knee joint can have three stages of development:
At the first stage of this disease, no special changes are observed in the joint, since arthritis develops quite slowly. At the early stage of arthritis, inflammatory processes already begin to occur, and hardening of the cartilage tissue may be observed on the back of the kneecap.
In addition, hardenings can form on the meniscus. It is also worth noting that at an early stage of the disease, bone growth occurs, which is observed in the area of the affected area; it is this process that causes inflammation. This in turn leads to thickening of the joint capsule.
Naturally, all the changes in the joint that occur in the second stage are difficult to miss, since the appearance of the knee may change, swell and turn red. In addition, it is at the early stages of arthritis that stiffness in movements and impaired joint mobility may appear; sharp pain may occur when pressing hard on the knee.
In a calm and motionless state, the knee joint does not cause discomfort, but diffuse pain may be present.
As for the third stage of arthritis, it occurs in the absence or improper treatment. This can be very dangerous, since the cartilage tissue is destroyed and can only be restored surgically using bone plates.
At this stage, the symptoms of the disease worsen significantly, so the patient’s quality of life deteriorates.
Any existing disease requires timely treatment - this is the main condition for a complete and rapid recovery. The same can be said about arthritis; the sooner you pay attention to alarming symptoms and consult a specialist, the easier it will be to get rid of the disease.
You should not think that self-medication can bring the desired results, since, given the seriousness of this disease, the consequences may be irreparable.
In addition to the fact that arthritis of the knee joint needs to be treated in a timely manner, it is recommended to take preventive measures to help avoid its occurrence. These may include exercise, a healthy lifestyle, caution, massage, and so on. That is, if a person takes care of his health and correctly distributes the load, his joints will function normally, and he will save himself from the need to undergo a course of treatment.
Treatment of gonarthrosis takes a long time and requires patience from the patient. Fortunately, modern medicine has reached such a level that it is quickly possible not only to diagnose the disease, but also to stop its destructive consequences.
It should be emphasized that a successful outcome and positive prognosis will only occur if the attending physician is highly qualified and follows his recommendations.
Methods of getting rid of gonarthrosis of the knee joint have the following goals:
A prerequisite is an integrated approach that will achieve an improvement in the patient’s general condition in a short time. The disease requires complex treatment, which should begin when gonarthrosis has not yet started. This will prevent serious damage to the knee joint.
Today there are no medications that can eliminate joint pathology forever. However, it is quite possible to slow down tissue destruction and relieve pain.
For this purpose, painkillers, chondroprotectors (substances to improve the condition of cartilage tissue), anti-inflammatory drugs, physiotherapy, exercise therapy, manual therapy and traditional methods of treatment are often used.
In this case, regular health resort treatment plays an important role. If there are indications, the doctor recommends surgery.
Painkillers cannot cure the disease gonarthrosis, but they are quite capable of relieving its symptoms. Such medications play almost the main role in the treatment process, because it is pain that gives the patient the maximum discomfort.
Painkillers include non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). It can be:
When using these medications in the form of tablets and ointments, you should know that they are not designed for long-term use and are characterized by an impressive list of adverse reactions and contraindications. NSAIDs eliminate only the symptoms of the pathology, without in any way affecting its root cause.
In addition, they should be used carefully and strictly following the instructions of the attending physician. In the form of tablets, anti-inflammatory drugs have a detrimental effect on the stomach, causing exacerbations of gastritis and ulcers (if there is a history of them).
These include drugs that contain chondrocytes, hyaluronic acid and chondroitin sulfate. Chondroprotectors are aimed at restoring the structure of cartilage tissue and are a natural building material. Such drugs increase joint mobility and inhibit the further development of the disease.
Every patient should be aware that chondroprotectors do not provide quick results. Only after 3-5 months will the patient feel their beneficial effects on their body.
Moreover, such drugs are effective only in the treatment of grade 1 and 2 knee joint gonarthrosis, when the cartilage has not completely collapsed. Otherwise, restoration measures will be completely useless.
Chondroprotectors include products in which active substances are present in different proportions:
Many patients know how to treat gonarthrosis of the knee joint with anti-inflammatory drugs when destruction occurs in the cartilage. Inflammation and synovitis (accumulation of fluid in the joint) are connected to this pathological process.
Corticosteroids - strong hormonal drugs - come to the rescue in such a situation. Pharmacology usually produces them in the form of ointments and gels, but they can be used in injections and tablets.
This group includes the drugs Hydrocortisone and Kenalog (for intra-articular administration), Butadione, DIP-Relief, Bystrum-gel and Diclofenac (in the form of ointment).
Treatment of gonathrosis of the knee joint can be carried out using non-drug methods:
Treatment of gonarthrosis of the knee joint can be performed surgically. This can be arthroscopic debridement (using an arthroscope to remove the affected parts of the cartilage that cause pain) or endoprosthetics (the doctor will install a prosthesis made of plastic, ceramics or a special metal alloy).
The disease can be successfully stopped through the use of medicinal herbs and products based on them. Moreover, these should be used only in parallel treatment with classical medications, which almost always guarantees positive dynamics.
Thus, rubbing with camphor oil, compresses from burdock and cabbage leaves, and ointments made from a mixture of bee honey and apple cider vinegar have a good effect on health.
Treatment of chronic gonarthrosis involves strict adherence to the diet. It is necessary to limit yourself to sour fruits, alcohol, fresh tomatoes, meat and whole milk. It is very healthy to eat dishes prepared with bone broth and gelatin: jelly, jellied meat, aspic.
Important! To get rid of knee joint pathology, you should avoid overeating, carefully monitor your weight and reduce physical activity on the sore leg.
Traditional medicine recommends using dandelion for treatment. In the spring, you should collect 5 leaves of the plant every day, wash them thoroughly and chew them until a homogeneous paste forms (no need to swallow).
The yellow flowers of the plant will also come in handy. They need to be placed in a dark glass container and filled halfway with alcohol (you can use triple cologne). The resulting mixture is infused for 30 days in a cold place, and then used as an ointment. The affected knee is lubricated 2 times a day.
It will be useful to use Jerusalem artichoke for treatment. You need 750 g of raw materials (can be stems and leaves) pour 4 liters of boiling water. After the liquid has cooled completely, lower the sore knee into it and hold it for half an hour. This procedure is carried out for 10 days in a row.