Arthrosis of the hip joint (coxarthrosis) is a degenerative-dystrophic disease in which the surface of the femoral head is lined and hyaline cartilage is destroyed. The disease occurs most often in women over 40 years of age and in older men. Such early damage to the hip joint in women is explained by anatomical features.
In the early stages, coxarthorosis can be treated quite effectively with medications and folk remedies. Arthrosis of the 3rd degree is almost impossible to cure with medication. That is why, at the first signs of the disease, it is necessary to consult an orthopedic doctor who will prescribe individual treatment.
Coxarthrosis is divided into two categories:
In any case, the picture of the disease is always the same. At the initial stage, the articular cartilage becomes thinner, changes and ceases to absorb loads. Its dissection is compensated by bone growths, which leads to deformation of bones and joints.
The main causes of arthrosis of the hip joint include:
At the initial stage of the disease, patients are only bothered by a feeling of discomfort and minor pain in the hip joint. These signs are most often ignored, as a result of which coxarthrosis begins to progress.
Ignoring the disease in the initial stages can lead to serious consequences. Therefore, it is recommended to know the symptoms of coxarthrosis so that you can identify the disease as early as possible and consult a doctor in time.
Signs and symptoms of arthrosis:
When diagnosing arthrosis, x-rays can show bone growths and atrophy of muscle tissue in the hip area.
The initial stage of the disease is characterized by pain in the hip or joint, which occurs during physical activity and subsides after rest. There is no gait disturbance and joint mobility is not limited.
With grade 1 coxarthrosis, the following occurs in the hip joint:
The first stage of arthrosis of the hip joint is quite easy to treat. First of all, experts offer drugs that relieve swelling and pain . For this purpose it is prescribed:
Since these drugs have many side effects, long-term use is not recommended. And if after using them the pain does not go away, the doctor may prescribe Movalis, which has a similar effect, but fewer contraindications.
Treatment at the initial stage includes the use of muscle relaxants, which relax the muscles, thereby relieving spasms. After taking such drugs, blood circulation improves and pain is relieved .
The use of vasodilating drugs Trental and Cinnarizine is aimed at improving the functioning of the circulatory system. Thanks to them, blood begins to actively circulate, and the body activates restoration processes in cartilage tissue.
Degeneration of cartilage tissue and its restoration involves the use of chondroprotectors. Drugs such as Teraflex, Artroglycan, Dona and others stop the progression of the disease and are able to influence the body even for some time after their discontinuation.
When treating arthrosis of the hip joint in the initial stages, it is necessary to adhere to the following recommendations of specialists:
As soon as the first symptoms of arthrosis of the hip joint appear and the diagnosis is made by a specialist, the diseased joints must be protected . To do this, you should eliminate excessive loads on them, limit the duration of runs, give your legs rest while working, and get rid of excess weight.
However, physical activity cannot be completely excluded, as this is fraught with muscle atrophy. It is very important to maintain a balance between stress on sore joints and rest.
Complex treatment of coxarthrosis in the initial stages must necessarily include exercise therapy or yoga. With their help, “the blood accelerates through the veins,” the muscles of the corset are strengthened, and the mobility of the joints increases.
You should not be too zealous when doing exercise therapy. Physical therapy is not a sport. Too much physical activity can quickly destroy the thin layer of hyaline cartilage. As a result, acute pain will occur in the hip joint.
At home, a very effective exercise for the treatment of arthrosis is “cycling” , which is performed while lying on your back. You can also include riding an exercise bike, cycling, swimming, and skiing in the exercise therapy complex.
When treating arthrosis of the hip joint in the initial stages, experts recommend physiotherapeutic procedures . They relieve inflammation, increase blood circulation and reduce pain. Such procedures include:
Massaging the inner thighs, lower back, legs and buttocks is another important link in the treatment of coxarthrosis. With the help of massage in the problem area, blood flow increases, which helps deliver nutrients to the sore joints. In addition, muscle tone increases , pain decreases, and spasms are relieved.
Mirorelaxants, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and non-aggressive painkillers are added to the drugs used in the treatment of arthrosis of the 1st degree.
All medications are prescribed by the attending physician. They can be used both in the form of ointments, tablets, and injections directly into the affected area. Such injections are performed by specially trained medical personnel.
The third stage of coxarthrosis is characterized by:
Arthrosis of the 3rd degree can only be treated surgically , since no medications can restore cartilage. During surgery, the diseased joint is replaced with an endoprosthesis, one part of which is implanted into the pelvic bone, and the other into the femur. Currently, these are gentle operations, after which patients undergo long-term rehabilitation and return to normal life.
There are a large number of different decoctions and medicinal potions that can help in the early stages of coxarthrosis. Most recipes are based on the use of medicinal plants and herbs. In addition to them, treatment with poison and honey, medicinal baths, acupuncture, and clay therapy are good for arthrosis.
The most effective recipes for the treatment of arthrosis of the hip joint:
When using folk remedies, you should remember that they are not the main treatment for coxarthrosis. With their help, you can only slightly improve the patient’s condition and reduce the main symptoms. Alternative medicine helps rather slowly, but for other human systems and organs they are completely harmless, which cannot be said about medications. However, before using such products, you must always consult a specialist.
Timely prevention will help prevent the development of coxarthrosis , which should be carried out throughout life, and especially after 40 years of age. To do this you need:
Treatment of grade 1 and 2 arthrosis of the hip joint should be comprehensive and versatile . Only such therapy, carried out over several months, will help achieve positive results. A timely diagnosis and timely initiation of comprehensive treatment will save the hip joints from pain and the patient from disability.
Deforming arthrosis of the hip joint is a severe form of osteoarthritis, which most often occurs in older people. The disease begins to progress noticeably in the later stages, and the first signs in the form of pain in the joint remain unnoticed.
The occurrence of this pathology can be caused by a number of different reasons that contribute to the formation of this disease.
Deforming arthrosis can be diagnosed by primary signs with pronounced symptoms of joint damage and by secondary reasons, when other pathologies of vital organs develop against the background of the underlying disease. In this case, bilateral coxarthrosis often occurs on the right and left hip joint.
It is quite easy to identify obvious signs of coxarthrosis at the second or third stage, but at the initial stage the symptoms are more general. The main manifestations of deforming arthrosis in the hip joint:
The appearance of suspicious cases occurs when unbearable pain occurs in the hip and complete cessation of motor function. At the same time, most people do not pay attention to the first symptoms of mild ailment in the hip joint and successfully allow the pathology to develop to a more serious degree.
It should be understood that when observing such symptoms, only an experienced rheumatologist can establish the correct diagnosis and prescribe a course of treatment! The success of treating the pathology depends on the degree of joint damage and the effectiveness of the prescribed treatment.
It is not difficult to completely restore JOINTS! The most important thing is to rub this into the sore spot 2-3 times a day.
In medicine, coxarthrosis is classified into three separate degrees of the disease according to the degree of damage.
It is worth saying that the third degree of deforming arthrosis is the most severe and requires radical treatment methods using surgical intervention. Therefore, it is best to treat pathology in the early stages of the disease!
In order to establish the degree of deforming arthrosis, the following research methods are used:
After receiving all the necessary information, the attending physician makes a conclusion based on the identified deviations in the results and prescribes further treatment!
Treatment of coxarthrosis in the first and second degrees is carried out mainly by traditional methods. Further treatment of the disease in case of severe symptoms is effective only with the use of surgical operations. The following pathology rehabilitation methods are distinguished:
Disability for this pathology is prescribed only if there are appropriate indications:
Joint replacement is not an indication for disability, since in this case the person’s motor activity is restored. In most cases, disability is granted with limited or complete absence of movement. This appointment is carried out after the conclusion of a special medical commission, which confirms the degree of physical incapacity of the patient!
In conclusion, it is necessary to emphasize the important points of the above topic and say that deforming arthrosis of the hip joint is a completely serious disease that can lead to disability. Therefore, it is very important to take action in time and undergo appropriate treatment!
Many patients ask what ointments to use for arthrosis of the knee joint. Arthrosis and its various forms cause many problems to a person, affecting the joints of the knees, hip area, fingers, and ankles.
Ointment for arthrosis of the knee joint and other joints helps eliminate inflammatory manifestations. There are a huge number of similar drugs, but you don’t need to prescribe them to yourself. After consulting with your doctor, you can choose gels and creams for arthrosis. The advantages of using them include the fact that they can:
Ointments for the treatment of arthritis must be selected very carefully, taking into account the properties of the components that make up a particular cream or gel.
There are 2 main groups of medications that can be used for osteoarthritis, arthrosis, gonarthrosis or coxarthrosis:
At the onset of the disease, arthrosis of the shoulder, ankle, and fingers should be treated with anti-inflammatory creams and gels. If the disease has become chronic, then vasodilating and warming gels are used.
The composition of the ointment for arthrosis of the shoulder or other area affected by the disease usually includes active ingredients that relieve inflammation:
Based on these substances, ointments and gels are produced for the treatment of arthrosis. The main medications are:
Vasodilator and warming creams are made on the basis of natural substances that determine the effectiveness of the use of other drugs during therapy. Usually these are compositions based on red pepper extract, bee and snake venoms, and essential oils. In particular, Apizatron is based on bee venom, Viprobel and Voltaren are made from snake venom, and red pepper extract is included in Espol.
Such medications cannot be used if there are microtraumas or wounds on the skin, or if patients are allergic to the components of the medications. It is prohibited to use such substances if a period of exacerbation has occurred. Long-term use of ointments based on poisons can cause sprains. As a result, the functioning of the joint and periarticular tissues is disrupted.
Despite positive reviews of the effects of medications that doctors prescribe for arthrosis of the ankle, knees, fingers, and shoulders, they are not allowed to be used for a long time. Long-term therapy can cause the development of allergic reactions, hypersensitivity and side effects. For example, itching, burning, redness of the skin.
Drugs that can be used in the treatment of various types of arthrosis include:
Vishnevsky ointment helps relieve inflammation and irritation in the joints, warm them, creating a specific protective shell on the skin - a film. It is this that reduces the level of heat transfer and increases irritation of nerve endings. It is used as part of compresses and bandages that need to be changed frequently.
Heparin should be applied to the joints in a thin layer, rubbing into the skin. This allows the release of the active substance heparin, which eliminates inflammation and other symptoms of the disease. The drug may cause swelling, rash and allergic reactions.
Traupel consists of plant components, the main ones being arnica, calendula, echinacea and others. Rub into the skin with massage movements and apply together with a bandage.
Ointments used to treat arthrosis of the knee joint, or gonarthrosis, include Finalgel and Finalgon.
The popular drug Finalgel belongs to the group of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. The main component is piroxicam, which has pronounced anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties for gonarthrosis of the knee joint. Must be used at least 3 times during the day. The course and schedule of use is determined by the doctor. Side effects of using Finalgel include nausea, vomiting, shortness of breath, headache and allergic reactions. For patients suffering from kidney diseases who are in the first stages of pregnancy, it is not prescribed; they should not use the drug under any circumstances.
Finalgon. Its action is aimed at irritating and anesthetizing with the help of 2 components - nonivamide and nicoboxil. Before treating arthrosis of the knee joints, the reaction to Finalgon is studied. To do this, apply a small amount of the product to an area of the body and look at the skin. If there is no redness or itching, then you can treat the joints with Finalgon.
For arthrosis of the knee joint, the indications for therapy and the general health of the patient are taken into account. It is important to carefully study the instructions for the ointment so as not to cause the development of side effects.
You can get rid of arthrosis of the ankle joint only with the help of steroid and non-steroidal medications, among which are often used.
This is a non-steroidal medicine that contains ibuprofen and levomenthol. You need to rub it into the skin 4 times a day, then wash your hands thoroughly. The duration of the therapeutic course is 10 days. It is forbidden to use by children under 14 years of age, as well as by those who suffer from bronchial asthma, allergies or have damage to the skin.
Osteoarthritis of the foot is usually treated with medications aimed at relieving inflammation and improving the condition of the joints. The drug Viprosal B, which has the following characteristic features and application features, is usually used for arthrosis of the foot:
Do not use for tuberculosis and skin infections, fevers, problems with the liver and kidneys, during pregnancy and lactation.
Ointments for arthrosis of the hip joint should be homeopathic, which should improve the patient’s condition. For example, Dimexide, which helps relieve pain and relieve inflammation, is good for coxarthrosis of the hip joint. The effect of the medicine is based on the active component, which is called dimethyl sulfoxide. Can be used from 12 years of age. Rub the cream into the affected area 2 times a day, massaging to achieve maximum effect. The course of treatment should be continued for about 2 weeks.
This ointment for arthrosis of the hip joint also has many side effects - burning, dryness, allergies, pigmentation.
Ointments for arthrosis of the shoulder joint help stop inflammation, stop the development of processes, and relieve pain.
The most popular remedy in the fight against the disease that affects the shoulder joints is Nimesulide. It belongs to the group of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs created on the basis of nimesulide.
Ointment for arthrosis of the fingers - Diclofenac and Dolgit. The first type of medicine is non-steroidal, created on the basis of phenylacetic acid, which is why the medicine has excellent analgesic, antipyretic and anti-inflammatory properties. The second ointment, Dolgit, is also non-steroidal, based on ibuprofen. This substance helps fight inflammation and restore tissue.
Thus, ointment for arthrosis has many side effects and contraindications. To prevent the patient’s condition from worsening, it is prohibited to use expired gels or creams. Often these ointments are supplemented with special chondroprotective drugs. Such medications do an excellent job of improving metabolism in cartilage tissue, restoring cartilage tissue, and accelerating the metabolism of calcium and phosphorus.
Coxarthrosis (arthrosis of the hip joint) is the most severe type of arthrosis. This degenerative-dystrophic disease of the joints can lead not only to loss of ability to work, but also to disability. This form of arthrosis leads not only in the complexity of the pathological process, but also in its localization. The hip joint bears the greatest functional load, and therefore is more often susceptible to degenerative processes compared to other joints.
The manifestation of certain symptoms of hip arthrosis depends on the degree of development of the disease. At first, the pain is not very pronounced and occurs only after heavy and prolonged physical activity. Then patients note that they feel uncomfortable walking up stairs and the range of motion in the joint has decreased. The pain becomes more frequent and intense, radiating to the groin area and knee. Patients have a noticeable limp and are forced to use a cane, and in the later stages of the disease, crutches. Due to the fact that extension movements in the hip joint are limited, functional shortening of the leg develops.
Particular attention to patients with a history of risk factors, prevention of injuries and identification of signs of deforming arthrosis of the hip joint at an early stage and timely initiation and complete treatment is the basis for preventing the occurrence and progression of coxarthrosis .
Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (indomethacin, diclofenac sodium, ibuprofen, ortofen, dexalgin, ketoprofen, meloxicam, celecoxib) are widely used in the treatment of coxarthrosis Their use is justified if an inflammatory process occurs in the joint. In addition, this group of drugs relieves pain, which patients complain about most. Also, to eliminate inflammation, glucocortisteroids are injected into the tissues surrounding the hip joint. But often such injections of Kenalog, Diprospan or hydrocortisone cannot be done, otherwise the destruction of articular cartilage can be accelerated. To stimulate regenerative processes in cartilage tissue, preparations containing chondroitin and glucosamine sulfates are used. Ointments, creams, gels, compresses, and rubbing are prescribed locally, which have an analgesic, warming and irritating effect.
Diet plays the main role in preventing the disease, but it can also have a big impact on the effectiveness of treatment. The main recommendation is to achieve normal weight. Excess weight implies not only an extra load on the hip joints, which are already having a hard time, but also a disruption in the normal course of metabolic processes. Without restoring metabolism, it is impossible to achieve full results from therapy.
Physiotherapeutic procedures with anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects are indicated for patients during the treatment of hip arthrosis . Such procedures include heat treatment (paraffin and ozokerite applications), electrotherapy, cryotherapy, electrophoresis with novocaine and dimexide, laser and magnetic therapy. Therapeutic massage is prescribed for those who have arthrosis of the hip joint of degrees I and II. Of course, it is impossible to cure arthrosis in this way, but there is undoubtedly a benefit: by improving blood supply, the delivery of nutrients to the articular cartilage increases. Massage courses must be completed 2 times a year for 8-10 sessions.
A properly selected set of exercises for coxarthrosis helps strengthen the muscles of the thigh and buttocks, as well as maintain or increase the range of motion in the hip joint. To avoid axial load on the joints of the lower extremities, gymnastics should be done in a lying or sitting position. All exercises are performed at a measured pace, avoiding sudden movements, turns, and squats. Only regularity of classes and adequate load allows patients to feel the results of their efforts.
The need for surgical intervention arises at stage III of hip arthrosis and with rapid progression of the disease. It is difficult to determine the optimal type of surgical treatment, since it is necessary to take into account the relationship of the articular surfaces of the bones to each other, the stage of the disease, the degree of loss of the functional ability of the joint and the individuality of the development of the pathological process in each individual patient.
Now there is a tendency to perform low-traumatic organ-preserving operations in young patients, and for elderly people in the later stages of coxarthrosis , complete joint replacement with an endoprosthesis is performed. Organ-preserving operations on the hip joint include the now popular intertrochanteric osteotomy. It allows you to evenly distribute the pressure inside the joint over the area of cartilage tissue and get rid of pain by interrupting the nerve formations that conduct pain and eliminating irritation of the sensory nerves. Indications for total endoprosthetics are bilateral coxarthrosis of the third degree, unilateral ankylosis of the hip and knee joints, bilateral ankylosis in ankylosing spondylitis, aseptic necrosis of the femoral head, post-traumatic coxarthrosis , etc. This operation is performed every year by more than 500 thousand patients worldwide. This is not surprising, since it returns the ability to self-care, work and an active lifestyle.
GarantKlinik Medical Center offers its patients a wide range of methods of conservative and surgical treatment of deforming arthrosis of the hip joint. Our doctors use modern equipment to perform complex operations and, importantly, at government prices. Our orthopedic traumatologists are well-known specialists in the country, including doctors of medical sciences and professors.
Arthrosis of the hip joint is commonly called coxarthrosis. This disease involves degenerative changes in the joint. Accompanied by serious symptoms that occur in the later stages of the disease. As a rule, there are no early manifestations. If a patient notices serious symptoms of arthrosis that force him to see a doctor, then the process is advanced.
Coxarthrosis can be unilateral or bilateral. The second variant of the disease is the most severe, since it affects two hip joints at once. However, it is much less common.
Pain is the first symptom of hip arthrosis
In the vast majority of cases, the cause of arthrosis of the hip joint is constant stress. As a result, deformation occurs, leading to arthrosis. However, this is only the main reason, supplemented by many other, more rare ones. For example, arthrosis occurs due to the so-called office lifestyle, in which minimal stress is placed on the joints.
Athletes are often susceptible to the disease, as they are characterized by injuries to the structures that form the joint.
Based on their occurrence, it is customary to distinguish between two characteristic forms of coxarthrosis: primary and secondary. The first of them can occur on its own, for example, due to age-related changes in the joint. The secondary form occurs exclusively as a result of other diseases.
It is customary to distinguish three stages of coxarthrosis.
In the early stages of the development of the degenerative process, symptoms are practically not expressed
Symptoms occur with physical activity. The pain manifests itself in the joint itself, however, over time it can radiate to neighboring areas. But it quickly disappears after a short rest. At the first stage, there are no other characteristic symptoms of arthrosis in the hip joint. At this stage, coxarthrosis is subject to conservative treatment.
Often, a patient with the first stage of arthrosis does not consult a doctor because the load that his joints previously experienced was familiar to him and was never accompanied by pain. Also, bone growths that occur with coxarthrosis do not cause any discomfort at the very beginning of their development.
Arthrosis in the joints of the hip and pelvis is characterized by degenerative lesions of bone surfaces
Symptoms intensify and occur more frequently. The functioning of the hip joint at this stage of the disease deteriorates, and lameness is observed when walking. Bone deformation becomes noticeable on x-ray. It is expressed in changes in the contour and volume of the femoral head. In those parts of the joint that experience the greatest load (for example, the head of the femur), there is a risk of developing a cyst. At this stage of the disease, patients increasingly turn to the doctor. But treatment becomes difficult and time-consuming.
The third degree is the most severe in the development of coxarthrosis. Pain accompanies the patient almost always, walking becomes almost impossible. Patients often use a cane. Movements are limited or practically absent. In addition, there is a high risk that marginal bone growths will lead to complete fusion of bone structures and the disappearance of the joint space.
Experts identify several common symptoms that are characteristic of coxarthrosis and appear depending on the stage of the disease. The most common signs are:
An equally alarming symptom is limited mobility in the joint.
The most important symptom that almost all patients present with is pain. In the early stages of the disease, the pain is of low intensity and is relieved fairly quickly. This is often the reason for ignoring the manifestations of arthrosis. As the degenerative process develops, the pain becomes more intense, and other symptoms of deforming arthrosis develop.
The clinical diagnosis of arthrosis of the hip joint includes:
The goals of therapy are:
Endoprosthesis replacement is a last resort method of surgical treatment of arthrosis of the hip joints.
There are two global types of treatment for arthrosis of the hip joint: conservative therapy and surgical treatment. The type of treatment is chosen by the doctor depending on the diagnostic results.
This type of treatment requires maximum effort from the patient, without which progress is simply impossible. The patient will have to radically change his lifestyle and habits. Especially if he is an athlete who has to constantly experience various types of physical activity.
Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and chondroprotective drugs are successfully used in treatment.
The therapy in question also includes physiotherapeutic treatment (electrotherapy, balneotherapy and other techniques), as well as:
Additional treatments may include special walking canes, as well as various wedge cushions, seats, and orthoses to relieve pain while sitting.
This type of treatment is used in cases where conservative methods are not effective or there are contraindications to them. Applicable:
Regarding possible complications, their risk increases only if the patient’s age is in the range of 40–50 years and he has severe concomitant diseases (for example, diabetes mellitus).
Rehabilitation includes special complexes of physical therapy, selected by the attending physician and a specialist in the exercise therapy room. All physical activity is subject to strict control to avoid possible complications. Over time, the patient expands his physical activity and adds walking short distances to his lifestyle.
Special therapeutic massage of a course nature is also allowed. The referral should be issued by the attending physician after assessing the success of the surgical intervention and subsequent recovery.
Therapy for arthrosis of the hip joint
It is important to remember that the occurrence of pain in the hip area, even of low intensity and frequency, requires special attention. You should immediately contact a specialist to prevent the development of a pathological process. The sooner arthrosis of the hip joint is diagnosed, the faster and more effectively the doctor will select a treatment method.
An exercise bike for coxarthrosis of the hip joint will help provide optimal load on the thigh muscles, strengthen them and improve blood circulation. This device will allow you to set the necessary parameters taking into account the condition of a particular patient, so as not to harm him in any way and prevent the occurrence of complications.
For diseases of the musculoskeletal system of any location, physical therapy plays an important role in complex therapy. With its help you can:
Exercise therapy is strictly prohibited during the period of exacerbation of the disease, as it can lead to a deterioration in the patient’s condition. Therefore, you cannot do even morning exercises without permission. First, you must obtain the consent of the doctor, who will issue a referral to a specialist in physical therapy.
This is necessary in order to develop an individual set of exercises for the patient. In this case, the patient’s complaints, clinical picture, degree of damage to joint tissue, the presence of complications and contraindications must be taken into account.
Special simulators play an important role in the complex treatment of coxarthrosis. In the initial stages of the disease, all types of exercises are allowed, thanks to which the muscles surrounding the joints are effectively strengthened.
Using the simulator, you can perform exercises during which there is no load on the joint, and only the muscles contract. All movements, regardless of whether they are performed on a special device or not, must be calm, smooth, and gradual. Sharp turns, squats, and bending should be avoided.
Training on an exercise bike is indicated for coxarthrosis of the hip joint, since smooth movements occur while pedaling. There is no risk of damage to cartilage tissue, which is very important in the case of degenerative-dystrophic changes.
The main condition for exercising on an exercise bike is that all movements should be absolutely painless. Under no circumstances should you endure pain and perform exercises with force. The occurrence of unpleasant sensations is a signal to immediately stop exercising.
If you have coxarthrosis, you can exercise on an exercise bike only with the consent of your doctor. This is due to the fact that training on this device has a number of contraindications. These include:
The elliptical trainer for arthrosis of the knee joint is characterized by a specially designed design, due to which the knee, hip joints and spine are completely relieved. During classes:
An elliptical trainer is not only a very useful device, but also absolutely safe. The main thing is to agree on the duration and intensity of exercise with a specialist before using it in order to prevent the progression of the disease or the occurrence of complications.
An exercise machine or even a simple bicycle will provide effective assistance in the rehabilitation of joints. Since ancient times it has been known that movement is life. Therefore, if you have a sore knee, you cannot completely immobilize it, since muscle atrophy will occur over time, and the patient’s condition will worsen.
It is recommended to use a bicycle to restore range of motion and stop the development of the degenerative - dystrophic process in the initial stages of the disease.
Significant damage to cartilage tissue requires a more responsible and careful approach. Only a specialist can determine the necessary training parameters, since the slightest disregard for the doctor’s recommendations can provoke severe injury, which will significantly worsen the patient’s condition.
Regular exercise on the simulator will lead not only to strengthening the muscle frame, but also to reducing excess weight. This reduces the load on the affected joint. This is an important part during the rehabilitation period of gonarthrosis.
Degenerative-dystrophic processes in the joint provoke the development of painful sensations during exercise. Therefore, the first training should take place under the supervision of a specialist.
The bicycle has many advantages compared to other methods of exercise therapy:
Only a specialist with the necessary knowledge and experience can correctly determine the duration and intensity of classes. In many ways, the success of the patient’s rehabilitation depends on this, as a result of which it is categorically not recommended to practice on your own, especially at the very beginning of the recovery period.
Initially, you should ride the bike for no longer than 3 to 5 minutes, using minimal exertion. However, such a short duration can be compensated by frequent approaches - every 1 - 2 hours. After some time (1.5 - 2 weeks from the start of classes), a gradual increase in loads and their duration is allowed. Later, the workout is extended to 30 minutes, and the frequency is reduced to 2 - 3 per day.
Rehabilitation of coxarthrosis of the knee and hip joints is a long process that requires a responsible approach from the patient. There is no need to wait for lightning-fast results, since the restoration of cartilage tissue occurs very slowly, and it will take quite a long time to achieve a visible effect.