Osteoarthritis of the knee joint (synonyms: arthrosis, osteoarthritis, gonarthrosis) is a group of severe, non-inflammatory disorders of the musculoskeletal system, developing mainly in old age. Often, the consequence of the disease is loss of functional ability of the joint and disability. Gonarthrosis - what is it, where does it come from, how does it manifest, what are the symptoms and treatment? All these questions can be answered in this article.
Deforming osteoarthritis of the knee joint develops as a result of impaired blood supply and nutrition of the cartilage lining the intra-articular surfaces of the femur and tibia. This leads to destruction, gradual thinning, disappearance of cartilage tissue and exposure of bone surfaces. The friction of bone on bone when walking is a source of severe pain. Later, bone deformation develops, ankylosis forms and other complications appear.
Gonarthrosis leads to abrasion of intra-articular cartilage and exposure of bones
Today, diseases of the knee joint are very common. Osteoarthritis occurs most often for the following reasons:
Many patients do not even know what gonarthrosis is and how it manifests itself.
Deforming arthrosis of the knee joint causes severe pain and difficulty walking. The disease often becomes a cause of disability.
As you know, gonarthrosis of the knee is a chronic, slowly progressive disease that goes through several successive stages of development. In the initial stages, the symptoms of the disease are subtle, which is why grade 1 gonarthrosis of the knee joint cannot always be diagnosed on time. Arthrosis of the 2nd degree is much easier to recognize, while for the 3rd degree the diagnosis is practically beyond doubt.
Arthrosis deformans causes severe pain and difficulty walking. The disease often becomes a cause of disability.
Deforming arthrosis of the knee joint causes severe pain and limits the ability to move. The disease often becomes a cause of disability.
Initially, the pathology does not disrupt a person’s usual way of life, but grade 2 arthrosis of the knee joint usually forces the patient to seek medical help. Without timely and adequate treatment, the articular surfaces are partially destroyed and fused, which leads to the formation of ankylosis. This, in turn, causes complete immobility of the joints.
Most often, patients with osteoarthritis develop bursitis, synovitis and hemarthrosis of the knee joint. In the first case, the intra-articular membrane becomes inflamed, and exudate accumulates in the articular cavity. A person experiences severe pain, swelling, and a noticeable increase in volume of the knee may occur; then they speak of a Baker’s cyst. This complication can occur at any stage of the disease.
Hemarthrosis of the knee joint is the accumulation of blood in the intra-articular cavity due to hemorrhage. It is most often caused by grade 2 or grade 3 gonarthrosis. It manifests itself as sharp severe pain, swelling, increased volume of the joint, and limited mobility in the affected leg. All symptoms are pronounced and cause a lot of discomfort to a person.
X-ray for gonarthrosis
Before treating knee arthrosis, it is necessary to confirm the diagnosis. This can be done by the attending physician (orthopedist-traumatologist) after an additional examination. The following research methods are used to diagnose osteoarthritis:
Symptomatic treatment of osteoarthritis of the knee joint consists of eliminating pain, inflammation and swelling. Drugs from the NSAID group (Nimesil, Movalis, Diclofenac, Voltaren, Celebrex, Rofica) are excellent for this. It is worth noting that grade 1 gonarthrosis of the knee joint is easier to treat than more advanced forms.
Gonarthrosis of the 2nd degree and more is best treated with steroid hormones, and they must be used in the form of ointments and creams, sometimes injections into the joint. Medicines in this group can only be used with the permission of a doctor, so before treating arthrosis with them, you must consult a specialist.
The use of chondroprotectors for arthrosis of the knee joint makes it possible to slow down the destruction of cartilage and somewhat stop the progression of the disease. To achieve the desired result, medications should be used over a long period of time (at least several months).
Anti-enzyme drugs (Gordox, Kontrikal, Ovomin) also help to stop degenerative processes. In case of severe inflammation, Kenalog, Hydrocortisone or another corticosteroid-based drug is injected into the joint cavity. Hyaluronic acid preparations (Sinokrom, Hyalurom, Ostenil) are also excellent for these purposes.
You can also relieve pain and inflammation using warm compresses. To prepare them, you can use Bishofite, Dimexide, medical bile and some other medications, which your doctor will help you choose. In the treatment of arthrosis of the knee joint, Piaskledin, a natural preparation containing extracts from soy and avocado, has shown good results. However, this medication must be used for at least six months - only in this case should one hope for a positive result.
Some of the exercises depicted are suitable for the treatment of grade 1 and 2 arthrosis of the knee joint.
Special exercises also help alleviate osteoarthritis of the knee joint. Treatment is selected individually by a physiotherapist and consists of daily performance of a special course of exercise therapy. It should be noted that during the acute period of the disease and in the presence of any complications, physical therapy is strictly contraindicated. In this case, the sore leg needs to be provided with complete rest.
People who have deforming arthrosis of the knee joint are prohibited from performing:
In addition to special gymnastics, some physical therapy methods can be added to the treatment of knee arthrosis. This will help stop the inflammatory process, remove pain and alleviate human suffering. Physiotherapy also accelerates and stimulates the regeneration of articular cartilage.
The following methods can be included in the treatment of gonarthrosis:
Wearing special devices is an integral part of the treatment of grade 2 and 3 knee joint gonarthrosis. As a rule, experts advise wearing orthopedic insoles and orthoses made of rigid materials that fix the knee and limit the range of motion. How to choose knee pads for arthrosis of the knee joint is a question that should be resolved together with your doctor.
Endoprosthetics allows you to restore the destroyed elements of the joint.
Surgical intervention is indicated for severe dysfunction of the joint. Endoprosthesis replacement is recommended in case of disability in young or middle age. One or both joints can be replaced. As a rule, surgery is not performed for grade 1 arthrosis of the knee joint. Osteoporosis is also a contraindication to surgery.
In the initial stages, many people fight the disease at home. It should be noted that treatment with folk remedies is effective only for grades 1 and 2 of arthrosis. You can use any homemade medicines only after prior consultation with your doctor. If home treatment does not help relieve pain and inflammation, this is a clear sign that it is ineffective.
Treatment of arthrosis of the knee joint takes a lot of time, money and effort, but if you do not follow the doctor’s recommendations, you can become disabled in a short time.
Coxarthrosis of the hip or knee joint is a type of arthrosis. This pathology is characterized by pain in the groin, transmitted along the lateral and anterior surface of the thighs.
Sometimes discomfort is felt in the buttocks area. At the initial stage, this disease is accompanied by mild pain in the lower abdomen, and when moving, the person limps slightly. When the patient is in a lying position, he does not experience pain.
If coxarthrosis of the hip joint progresses, the pain becomes more intense and can last from a week to several months. Then the pain moves lower and begins to affect the knee joint area.
Occasionally, when moving the joint, a characteristic cracking sound is heard. At the same time, the person has poor control of his leg; he cannot lift the limb or press it to the body.
When deforming arthrosis is at an advanced stage, the leg shortens, however, the opposite happens - in 10% of patients the limb lengthens. At the same time, the thigh muscles atrophy, causing the pelvis to become distorted. Also, due to overload of the spine, the patient is constantly plagued by pain.
The reasons why coxarthrosis of the hip or knee joint appears are as follows:
It should be noted that the progression of the disease contributes to the development of osteoporosis and diabetes.
But the main factor in the occurrence of coxarthrosis is the constant presence of a person in a stressful state. Chronic stress causes the adrenal glands to begin to synthesize a variety of corticosteroids.
As a result, the amount of joint substance in the body is reduced, which has a negative effect on the condition of cartilage and bone tissue.
Pathological processes occurring in cartilage make their surface dry and rough, which is why they become covered with microcracks. In the process of friction, the cartilage becomes thinner, so they cease to perform their function - to reduce pressure on the bone. All these are symptoms of the primary stage of the disease.
When there is no shock absorption, the head of the femur flattens, and degenerated tissues begin to grow. These growths (osteophytes) can be seen on an x-ray. Also, in the area of the hip or knee joint, blood circulation is impaired - these are signs of the second stage, when coxarthrosis thins and affects the cartilage by 70%.
The destruction of the knee joint progresses due to friction of the bones left without a shock-absorbing substance. So, the disease progresses to stage 3.
At this stage, the damaged head of the femoral bone is gradually pressed into the acetabulum, thereby not giving the articular tissues a chance to recover. In this case, treatment of the disease will be long and complex.
And in particularly difficult situations it is necessary to install an artificial prosthesis.
For treatment to be successful, the doctor must first make a correct diagnosis. In order to identify coxarthrosis, the doctor prescribes:
Blood for biochemical analysis is taken from a vein, and for clinical analysis - from a finger. Such a study is done to exclude the possibility of arthritis, the symptoms of which are similar to coxarthrosis.
The presence of arthritis can be judged by changes in blood composition, since these pathologies are accompanied by inflammation of the joints. This difference is noticeable when using special markers.
To establish an accurate diagnosis, radiographic equipment must be used. This method of research makes it possible to determine coxarthrosis at the middle stage of its development, because x-rays show all the degenerative processes occurring in the joint.
However, at the primary stage of the disease, when changes in cartilage tissue are barely noticeable, this method is ineffective. In such a situation, the doctor can diagnose the pathology based only on conservative manifestations.
To identify signs of deforming arthrosis, which is at the initial stage of development, magnetic resonance and computed tomography are used.
The techniques make it possible to determine even minor changes in cartilage and bone tissues.
Often, the patient mistakenly believes that getting rid of such a pathology is not difficult, but in practice, treatment must be complex and long-term. By the way, the disease is successfully treated at the initial stage. In this case, with the help of therapy, pain is eliminated and cartilage tissue is restored.
Treatment of joint coxarthrosis at an advanced stage involves surgical intervention. This method does not remove the factors causing the pathology, but it allows you to get rid of debilitating pain and other unpleasant symptoms.
At the last stage of the disease, the cartilage tissue becomes very thin and deformation of the head of the hip joint occurs. Surgical intervention for coxarthrosis is reduced to replacing the knee joint with a prosthesis.
There are two main types of surgery:
During endoprosthetics, the diseased bone is completely replaced. During the operation, a pin made of titanium or other durable materials is inserted into the thigh. At the end of the pin there is a plastic head that follows the shape of the joint.
The artificial prosthesis is attached to the bone using special glue. The operation is also performed on other areas of the joint affected by coxarthrosis.
Unfortunately, surgical treatment does not allow you to say goodbye to the disease forever, because over time the prosthesis becomes loose, so the operation must be repeated. But surgery relieves pain and allows the joint to return to its previous mobility, due to which coxarthrosis recedes for a long time.
Arthrodesis is a surgical intervention whose main goal is to stabilize the joint. There are 4 types of arthrodesis:
During the operation, the ends of the adjacent bones are cut off and then joined. This is necessary so that they will grow together in the future. Thus, the pain is reduced, but the motor capabilities of the hip joint are limited.
If the operation is done inside the joint, then such treatment involves replacing the prosthesis every 12 years. The disadvantage of this therapy is that infections and bacteria can enter the affected area.
If coxarthrosis reappears, endoprosthetics must be performed again. However, such treatment is contraindicated for elderly people who have crossed the sixty-year mark, and for middle-aged patients (35–45 years old), surgical intervention may be the only way to restore joint mobility.
Exercise therapy for arthrosis of the knee joint comes to the rescue when the patient needs to overcome pain and relieve the symptoms of arthrosis. Physical therapy contains a specific set of exercises for the joints, which allow not only to restore the knees, but also to strengthen them.
If you decide to engage in physical therapy, be sure to consult with a rheumatologist or exercise therapy instructor.
Therapeutic exercises for gonarthrosis (as knee arthrosis is called in medicine) will allow the patient to recover if he is consistent and persistent . By combining exercise therapy with physiotherapy, treatment with mud, leeches, and electrophoresis, the patient has every chance of restoring his knees.
Here are some positive factors that physical therapy brings:
Properly constructed gymnastics for the knee joints, performed systematically and persistently, will also help in cases where the disease has exceeded stage 2. If arthrosis does not go away completely, then progress in the destruction of the joint will not be observed. The patient will not need surgery, will not go on disability and will be able to return to normal life.
Physical therapy for arthrosis of the knee joint has regulations that must be followed to avoid unnecessary suffering and damage to the knee:
Therapeutic exercise for knee joints prevents complications and restores joint activity. The bone is no longer deformed because the painful process stops. Exercises need to be approached comprehensively, combining physical exercises with simulators, exercises in water and rehabilitation courses.
For arthrosis, you can also exercise on an exercise bike; Pilates exercises, hatha yoga asanas and micromovements are recommended. It is important to do knee exercises under the supervision of an experienced trainer. To develop muscles for arthrosis of the knee joint, steppers are used - exercise machines that work on the principle of walking.
A set of physical therapy exercises for arthrosis of the knee joint
There are contraindications for doing exercises with sore joints. You can do physical exercise only if you are in stable remission. When the joints are inflamed, you should not put any weight on your knees.
There are also situations when joint gymnastics should not be done:
Physical exercises with arthrosis of the knee joint are prohibited if they cause severe pain. It is forbidden to squat low, walk for too long, carry heavy objects, or perform various jerks. When the chronic condition worsens while performing a set of exercises, you need to give it up for at least a week.
Carrying out exercises and subsequent exercises of the exercise therapy complex for arthrosis allows medications to work more actively in the body. But we can’t always afford a personal trainer or a visit to a rehabilitation center.
In this case, do not despair and just start doing gymnastics for the knee joints at home. In this case, you need to be very careful and not exercise when you feel pain. You need to approach exercises carefully and abandon them at the slightest discomfort.
Osteoarthritis begins when you put too much stress on your joints, are overweight, or seriously damage your knee joints. To get rid of pain, you need to change your attitude towards health completely. Do not abuse salt, reduce weight, do not lift weights and do therapeutic exercises.
Dr. Evdokimenko, who has written more than ten books about this insidious disease, has created his own unique method of exercises for sore joints.
Osteoarthritis of the knee joint of the 3rd degree occurs if the cartilage tissue is deformed and destroyed, resulting in severe pain. The disease is dangerous because it leads to a degenerative process, the joint stops moving and loses functionality. Often observed in women after 40 years of age. One of the reasons is varicose veins and excess weight. In young people, arthrosis is triggered by injury resulting from a sports injury or other physical activity.
With grade 3 arthrosis of the knee joint, cartilage tissue may be affected. It becomes thin, a large number of cracks and delaminations form on it. If the disease is not treated in time, the cartilage can be completely destroyed, leaving the bone exposed.
1. Trauma – dislocation, fracture, menisci are severely damaged. As a result of injury, gonarthrosis may develop. If the knee joint is damaged, extension and flexion movements are impaired. During treatment, the limb must be fixed; this must be done extremely carefully, because this may cause a disturbance in the blood circulation. As a result, post-traumatic arthrosis in the knees will begin to develop.
2. Increased load on the knee joint. When playing sports, it is necessary to take into account the age of the patient. Often older people exercise at the same level as younger people. As a result, microtraumas occur. With them, symptoms may not be observed, but the joints are very seriously affected. Therefore, a person over the age of 40 should be exposed to only moderate stress. Older people cannot train as well as young people do, because with age, cartilage tissue can become thinner and wear out. It is important that the movements are smooth. Squatting and running harm your knees; you need to give up some physical activity.
3. Due to obesity, excess weight. The cartilage tissue of the joints is not damaged due to obesity, but the menisci may be injured. It is very difficult for people because the knee joint cannot fully recover from the disease. Injury to the meniscus leads to the development of arthrosis in the knee joint. It is especially dangerous when varicose veins are combined with obesity. In this situation, everything can end with serious consequences. Due to the weak ligamentous apparatus, in which there is high mobility in the joints. The man is flexible, does all the exercises without any problems - does the splits, stretches his muscles. Due to physical activity, microtraumas of the knee and arthrosis can occur. In addition to weak ligaments, sensitivity in the legs is impaired. When injured, there is no severe pain, so the disease is often not diagnosed in time.
4. Joint diseases. Osteoarthritis in the knee joint occurs due to arthritis - psoriatic, rheumatoid, reactive. Arthritis is characterized by an inflammatory process in which synovial fluid accumulates in the joints, which can result in swelling and destruction of cartilage tissue.
5. Due to metabolic disorders. The tissues lack vitamins and minerals. Most often, there is not enough calcium, so bone and cartilage tissue is destroyed.
6. Grade 3 arthrosis in the knee joint is often a consequence of stress, nervous tension, mood swings - all this affects the condition of the joints. It is necessary to rest as often as possible, mental and physical activity should constantly alternate. In women over 40 years of age, the inflammatory process is most often triggered by accumulated fatigue.
The disease develops gradually, maybe over months or years, until it worsens. The pain is weak at first, and worsens when a person runs, walks, or after physical activity. Pain occurs due to dislocation, pinching, or fracture.
Arthrosis of the knee joint of the 3rd degree appears not only during physical activity, but also during rest. Paroxysmal pain appears after walking, if a person lifts something heavy. To get rid of the feeling of discomfort, you need to rest a lot. But the pain may still return.
At an advanced stage of the disease, the knee swells. A serious consequence is synovitis, in which a large amount of fluid accumulates in the joint. If there is a lot of it, a Becker cyst may occur. A dense elastic formation appears on the back. In this situation, grade 3 arthrosis is treated with surgery.
Often when the disease occurs, a crunching sound appears, it is sharp, and severe pain occurs. All symptoms arise due to the fact that a person has a weak ligamentous apparatus or a person moves his joints excessively
Symptoms develop at a late stage of arthrosis. It is painful for the patient to bend and straighten his legs. When he wants to perform a movement, severe pain occurs. Legs can bend at an angle of 95 degrees. Subsequently, severe unbearable pain occurs and the joint becomes deformed.
Arthrosis at stage 3 is characterized by the fact that the joint stops moving completely; sometimes the patient has to move by bending his legs. The patient cannot sleep peacefully and begins to take a large amount of non-steroidal medications for inflammation. Ozone therapy is especially helpful; for this purpose, an injection is given into the affected area. Additionally, it is recommended to use creams and ointments.
Kinesitherapy is also necessary for illness; it includes a set of exercises using simulators, with their help you can improve blood circulation and elasticity. In severe cases, chondroprotectors are used.
So, with grade 3 arthrosis, the cartilage tissue becomes very thin, the bone is exposed. Osteophytes are visible on x-rays - a large amount of salts and free bodies are deposited in the joint cavity. The pain is very difficult to overcome; you have to completely stop walking. Unpleasant sensations with arthrosis of the 3rd degree remain when a person is resting. Particularly dangerous is deforming arthrosis of the knee, which causes severe pain and crunching. In this situation, it is necessary to start treatment at an early stage, this way you can protect the cartilage from deformation.
Osteoarthritis of the knee joint is found in medical dictionaries under the name “gonarthrosis.”
What is it? A disease caused by a degenerative process affecting the hyaline knee cartilage.
Symptoms of arthrosis of the joint develop slowly, over the years, manifesting as pain that hinders movement. Among other articular arthrosis, it is the knee, and not the hip, elbow, shoulder or phalangeal arthrosis, that occupies a leading position in the number of suffering patients.
The development of the disease is often observed in very young people, but this is associated with injuries or excessive stress in athletes.
It is impossible to affirmatively state the existence of one single cause contributing to the development of arthrosis of the knee joint, however, it has been proven that there is a certain set of provoking factors, under the influence of which the risk of such a disorder increases with age. In medicine, there are two mechanisms that explain the occurrence of arthrosis:
Some facts about gonarthrosis of the joints:
In medical practice, there have been cases when people after 40 began active sports activities, in particular intense running and squats. With the onset of age-related changes, you cannot sharply load the body and its individual parts; this can provoke the activation of dystrophic and degenerative processes in the joints.
In addition to injuries and serious injuries, the occurrence of joint arthrosis can be affected by underlying diseases (psoriatic, reactive or rheumatoid arthritis; gout; varicose veins; ankylosing spondylitis; excess weight).
Professional sports, regular physical activity, hard work or carrying heavy objects, frequent climbing stairs to high floors in old age can also lead to the development of disease in the knee joint. Those at risk are those who have had spinal injuries, neurological diseases, diabetes mellitus, metabolic disorders and hereditary ligamentous weakness.
In half or even most of the cases of this joint disease, the root cause was a spasm in the muscles of the front surface of the thigh. Before the pain begins to manifest itself in the knees, this spasm can go unnoticed for a long period of time, while the person experiences discomfort from lumbar pain, fatigue and heaviness in the legs. The constant spasmodic state of the rectus and iliopsoas muscles of the thigh, over the years, “tightens” the knees, blocking their free movement.
More recently, Belgian orthopedic surgeons from the city of Leuven discovered a hitherto unknown and as yet unstudied anterolateral ligament (all), located in the human knee. Another name for the ligament is “anterolateral”.
It was noted that some patients, even after knee ligament surgery, felt instability of the joint, as well as pain with minor loads.
Four years of research on almost fifty knee joints yielded stunning “fruits” in the form of the discovery of this ligament, completely unknown until that very day. The anterolateral ligament provides rotational function of the tibia. It requires surgical correction during operations performed after injuries, which, out of ignorance, orthopedic doctors have always neglected.
As is known, gonarthrosis in most cases develops in only one of the joints, and given the intensity of the pathological processes, medicine has identified 3 degrees of joint arthrosis:
At this stage of the “inception” of the disease, there is no bone or joint deformation; the manifestation of the disease is infrequent, load-related pain in the joint. Minor swelling of the joint is also possible, which can disappear on its own.
This stage is characterized by intense and prolonged pain that increases with light physical exertion, walking, and after heavy lifting. You can clearly hear a crunching sound in the joint. At the second stage, joint deformation begins to develop, which leads to moderate limitation of movement.
Symptoms are actively developed and fully manifested. Regular pain leads to gait disturbances, joint deformation is quite noticeable, and its mobility is limited. Increased pain depends on changing weather conditions. The piercing nature of the pain disrupts sleep, and it becomes difficult to find a comfortable position.
When the disease appears, symptoms appear gradually. At the initial stage, only minimal discomfort appears, with minor pain from walking up stairs - this is the so-called patellofemoral syndrome. A distinctive feature of arthrosis of the knee joint is the symptom of starting pain. When suddenly changing position from sitting to standing, the first steps are very painful. However, with each movement the pain goes away, but may return after a noticeable load. The external condition of the knee does not change immediately. It is only due to the accumulation of fluid that it may swell slightly or become spherical.
Initially, arthrosis leads to the disruption of the blood supply to the hyaline cartilage; over time, it dries out and cracks. Therefore, there are obstacles to the movement of cartilage, which contribute to tissue microtrauma. Overgrowths form on bone structures, leading to even more difficult supply of nutrients and cartilage degeneration.
Because of this pathology, the second stage is characterized by increased symptoms, and the slightest load is enough to cause severe pain. Resting, she calms down, but continuing her movements, she returns again. It becomes impossible to bend the leg as much as possible because A sharp pain interferes, and a rough crunching sound is noticeable when walking.
When arthrosis has completely affected the knee joint, the bone is completely deformed, and there is practically no cartilage tissue left. The pain does not give rest around the clock, lying down and standing, the legs can bend and become X or O shaped, it is very difficult for the patient to walk without support.
The first degree of arthrosis does not make it possible to diagnose the disease using a routine examination, but in grades 2 and 3, noticeable deformations of the joint and bones become a clear sign, the axis of the limbs changes, movements are constrained and are accompanied by a crunching sound.
In addition to standard X-ray diagnostics, more effective methods are used - CT and MRI.
As a medical treatment, chondroprotective agents are prescribed to replace synovial fluid. Treatment may also require intra-articular administration of steroid hormones. Sanatorium-resort treatment is very useful.
As a modern method of treatment, injections into the knee joint for arthrosis are used; drugs for this are used in the form of hyaluronic acid. It serves as a “liquid” prosthesis, which performs the functions of real synovial fluid, providing lubrication of the articular surfaces, its nutrition and restoration.
If the treatment is unsuccessful, the possibility of joint replacement cannot be ruled out, but only if the patient is young, arthrosis is severely painful and movement is completely limited.
Impaired metabolism, obesity, obesity, all this can lead to unnecessary stress on the joints, especially on such weak ones as the knees. If you have been diagnosed with deforming arthrosis of the right or left knee joint, you must immediately reconsider your daily diet. It should be dominated by light dishes prepared in a simple way - boiled, stewed or steamed. Their regular use will lead to a gradual and safe loss of extra pounds, which will please the joints, ligaments, and all internal organs.
But also, a diet for treatment of joint arthrosis should combine foods that have a beneficial effect on tissue, bones and cartilage, restoring them if possible. Here it is worth paying attention to the strong broth made from bones, jellied meat and jelly.
Protein must also be present daily for treatment. You can get it from chicken and rabbit meat, cheese and cottage cheese, as well as legumes. Sick joints are in great need of vitamin E, so never deny yourself almonds (or hazelnuts) and baked fish.
Healthy carbohydrates are consumed from various cereals, sweet fruits and whole grain bread. Nutrition for arthrosis of the knee joint cannot be imagined without vegetables; the healthiest of them are cauliflower, broccoli, zucchini, pumpkin and carrots.
Treatment with physical therapy for arthrosis of the knee joint can only be an auxiliary method and in consultation with a doctor.
This type of gymnastics is very simple to perform and does not require any investment, but despite this, it is very effective. Here are a few exercises from exercise therapy for joint arthrosis:
Exercises for the treatment of arthrosis of the joints can be combined well with massage.
Massage treatment for arthrosis of the knee joint can be performed even independently, having first studied the correct technique for its implementation.
Pain in the knee area can be due to various diseases. If the patient is over forty years old, and pain has not occurred for the first time, the doctor may suspect the development of coxarthrosis. Let's take a closer look at what coxarthrosis of the knee joint is and what its symptoms are. How is the disease treated and prevented?
Remember! Coxarthrosis is exclusively arthrosis of the hip joint, and it does not affect the knees very much, causing pain in the joints. Very often, because of this phenomenon, the doctor diagnoses arthrosis of the knee joint, and treats it in the wrong place.
The main symptoms of coxarthrosis of the knee joint:
To accurately diagnose coxarthrosis, it is important to undergo examination using modern equipment. Using X-rays of the knee and hip joint, an experienced specialist will see the exact location of the damage.
Thanks to the knee joint, a person can walk while maintaining his weight and balance. Because of this, it is subject to constant loads . Symptoms of coxarthrosis make themselves felt gradually, and the patient simply gets used to living with them.
The most important reason for the development of coxarthrosis is mechanical damage. Due to a small injury to the articular cartilage, under the influence of loads on the knee, the covering of the cartilage begins to deteriorate. After some time, the cartilage cannot withstand even the simplest minimal load, which is why coxarthrosis of the joint begins to develop.
Coxarthrosis of the hip joint provokes severe pain in the knees. After a while, the patient can hardly move. When coxarthrosis begins to progress, the patient hears a clear crunching sound when walking. In some situations, the knee may become very swollen and even red.
If the doctor has diagnosed coxarthrosis, then you need to undergo treatment to get rid of the pain. But in order to somehow relieve knee pain, you can resort to the following methods of traditional medicine:
In order not to bother with preparing various infusions and ointments, you can buy special medications at the pharmacy to relieve pain in the knee joint. Whether pharmaceutical or folk remedies will only dull painful sensations for a short time. Therefore, if you have symptoms of coxarthrosis and you want to get rid of the disease forever, it is important to visit a doctor as soon as possible, who will prescribe the correct and effective treatment.
Treatment is aimed at ensuring that the diseased joint begins to function without pain. If coxarthrosis is just beginning, it is enough to change your diet and lifestyle. It is also useful to do physical therapy and take analgesic medications. It is very helpful to do acupuncture or physical therapy.
If the patient follows all the doctor’s recommendations, but no results are visible during treatment, it means that coxarthrosis is already advanced and the doctor will be forced to perform endoprosthesis replacement of the affected joint.
Treatment using traditional methods can be carried out in parallel with the recommendations and prescribed treatment of the doctor. Traditional methods of treatment are as follows:
If the disease is not treated, or the wrong therapy is carried out, the quality of life deteriorates, the patient cannot fully care for himself or move independently.
For these reasons, every patient should know how to treat the disease, as well as what is prohibited to do with coxarthrosis.
During an exacerbation of coxarthrosis of the knee joint, it is strictly prohibited:
If you follow the described rules of prevention and treatment, you can overcome coxarthrosis of the first and second degrees. The sooner treatment measures are started, the faster you can achieve positive results. It is also important to know that in advanced forms of the second degree of the disease, coxarthrosis can only be cured through surgery. All medications and therapy procedures will only help reduce the symptoms of the disease. Therefore, it is important to be treated according to the doctor’s recommendations.
Now you know what coxarthrosis of the knee joint is, what its main symptoms are and how treatment is carried out. Prevention of the disease must also be carried out to avoid undesirable consequences. At the first symptoms of coxarthrosis, urgently consult a doctor. Take care of your health!
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