Many people sooner or later reach a point in life when knee pain begins to bother them.It becomes difficult to walk, there is a desire to limp on the leg that bothers you, you spare it.Over time, the pain intensifies and begins to accompany the unfortunate person wherever he goes.Finally, it becomes so obsessive that the person goes to the doctor or searches for information about their problems on their own.
Often in this case, the doctor, based on the symptoms, makes a diagnosis of "deforming 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 it
This is a process where cartilage tissue is destroyed.In this case, a concomitant inflammation called synovitis often occurs.Subsequently, the knee is deformed, and movements become painful or impossible at all.
Who can get sick?
This disease is diagnosed based on a number of symptoms.In general, they are quite specific and characteristic of all types of diseases.
Before you find out what causes knee pain that bothers you periodically or constantly, let's see which categories of people are susceptible to this disease:
- overweight people.It is logical that obesity and excess weight when walking contribute to increased pressure on the feet.As a result, the cartilage that cannot cope with the load is destroyed;
- athletes.The occurrence of the disease is related to the excessive stress that athletes experience during training;
- varicose veins.In this case, the cause is a violation of the blood supply, a decrease in the supply of nutrients;
- people with leg injuries.
Belonging to one of these categories significantly increases the risk of developing knee arthrosis.Now let's look at its symptoms directly.
How to recognize the disease?
The development of the disease can last a very long time - for several years a person does not feel anything, does not suspect that he is starting to develop a disease.Over time, the manifestations intensify and obvious discomfort appears.
There are several stages of its development:
- Arthrosis of the knee joint 1st degree.It can be completely asymptomatic for a long time or manifest as periodic mild pain and mild discomfort.The sensations intensify when a person gets out of bed in the morning and starts walking.The discomfort is felt even more clearly when a person goes down or up the stairs.This degree can last for several months or even years.If you consult a doctor at this stage, it will be much easier to recover than if you wait until the next stage.
- Arthrosis of the knee joint 2nd degree.The patient begins to notice a characteristic crunch when walking, which is sometimes accompanied by severe pain.Movements become limited, limited, as if with difficulty.During an examination at this stage, the doctor can detect the beginning of a small deformation and fluid accumulation.This stage includes drug therapy and regular therapeutic exercises.
- Arthrosis of the knee joint 3rd degree.During this period, severe deformation is noticeable and movements become very difficult.The patient has problems bending and straightening the leg.The pain is constant and worsens when weather conditions change.A characteristic half-bent, wobbly gait appears, while the legs have a curved X- or O-shape.
Treatment methods depend on the degree of manifestation of the symptoms, on the stage of its development and become more complicated as it progresses.
Why does it appear?
There are many reasons why knee damage develops, and they directly depend on the form of the disease - primary or secondary.
The primary form arises from congenital causes;begins to manifest at an early age.Due to pathologies in the development of the ligament apparatus, there is too much load on it when walking.This leads to the development of the disease.Thanks to timely medical intervention and adherence to a certain diet, the primary form of knee damage will be eliminated.
The secondary form is a consequence of injuries and diseases.
Let's look at all the causes of the disease:
- rheumatic diseases (rheumatism, arthritis) may be the main cause.With prolonged arthritis, fluid accumulates, causing inflammatory processes and, as a consequence, the development of the disease;
- the presence of excess weight also contributes to problems due to an increase in the load on the cartilage layer and, as a result, its premature damage;
- metabolic disorders leading to the deposition of salts in the joint cavity, impaired blood circulation;
- prolonged spasms of the muscles or blood vessels of the legs;
- surgical interventions;
- excessive load on the legs during sports activities;
- injuries: dislocations, fractures, bruises, which are accompanied by damage to the cartilage layer and ligaments.
In the treatment of deforming arthrosis of the knee joints, one of the main roles is assigned to the elimination of the causes that led to the development of the disease.And only after getting rid of the causes, we can talk about the possibility of curing the disease itself, using various 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 exact cause that led to the disease.The methods, types, methods of therapy are diverse and often effective only in combination.Therefore, you should approach this matter responsibly and carefully follow all the doctor's recommendations.
It should be borne in mind that this is a chronic disease that can rarely be completely cured, which is why all treatment methods are primarily aimed at achieving remission and disappearance of symptoms.However, in the first stage of development, when the problems are just beginning, it is possible to achieve complete relief of the damage to the knee joint by eliminating the causes of this (for example, excess weight or excessive stress) and conducting simple physiotherapy.
Therapy in most cases is reduced to relieving pain, restoring the damaged cartilage and returning the possibility of full movement.
The therapy combines the following methods:
- drugs and medicines, use of medical ointments;
- providing therapeutic massage and manual therapy;
- physiotherapeutic methods: therapeutic exercises, training therapy;
- surgical intervention, if necessary;
- folk and non-traditional methods of treatment.
How and what drugs are used?
The first goal that drug therapy should pursue is pain relief.Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are used for effective pain relief.
These drugs do not cure the disease and do not prevent its development - they are only designed to relieve pain.Their use should be combined with the use of drugs to restore the function of cartilage damaged by arthrosis of the knee joint (symptomatic slow-acting drugs) and ointments.They have a number of side effects - mainly a negative effect on the mucous membranes.Only a doctor should prescribe the doses and frequency of taking medicines.Do not try to treat yourself - this will inevitably lead to negative processes.
There are also observations that in large doses, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs have a destructive effect on cartilage.
Only if nonsteroidal drugs no longer have an effect, the doctor can prescribe strong analgesics 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 inflammatory processes.These are hormonal drugs whose effects are very strong, so it is not recommended to take them orally.In addition, their use causes many side effects.Recently, some corticosteroids are injected into the affected area.
The next group of drugs - symptomatic with delayed action - stimulate the synthesis of healthy cartilage cells (chondrocytes), which replace the destroyed ones.The active substances that make up these drugs are in many ways similar to those that build cartilage tissue, and when they get inside, they stop the destruction and stimulate the reproduction of cells.
Before taking such drugs, be sure to consult a specialist: the fact is that these drugs are effective only in the first and second degree of the disease.In the third degree, the cartilage is already completely destroyed and there is nothing to restore there.
What non-drug methods are used?
In the treatment of arthrosis of the knee joints, the combination of exercise therapy and physiotherapy sessions is most effective.Physiotherapy exercises should be performed exclusively under the supervision of a specialist.Physical activity should be moderate, dosed and regular.
During the exercises, it is useful to undergo physical therapy procedures, such as ultrasound, high-frequency magnetic therapy, radon, hydrogen sulfide baths, laser treatment.All these procedures not only relieve knee damage, but also generally strengthen the body.
It should be remembered that exercise therapy classes are possible only during the first stage of the disease or during remission - i.e.only when there are no or almost no visible manifestations (inflammation, pain).If your condition does not allow it, it is better to refuse the exercises.
Before you start remedial gymnastics, seek advice from a physical exercise instructor who, after an examination, will draw up an individual training program for you and show you the entire complex, which is performed until recovery.
Exercises must be performed strictly according to the schedule and exactly with the load that the instructor will determine for you.Missing classes will render the procedures ineffective, so follow all instructions regularly and responsibly.Only then can we hope for a truly positive result.
Exercises should be combined and supplemented with manual therapy - a massage that is done by a specialist or by yourself after you have learned how to do it.Massage allows you to relax the muscles and improve blood supply to the cartilage layer.
What support methods are there?
Many doctors recommend the use of special knee pads.They increase the effectiveness of therapy and relieve pain.An elastic bandage is used for the same purpose.
Knee pads fix the ligaments and partially resist the deformation process.This facilitates the movement of the patient in the second stage of the disease, since walking is already a problem for such people.
Knee pads can be used for prevention by people experiencing physical stress, overweight people to reduce the traumatic impact of walking, as well as by athletes during training.
When choosing knee pads, it is better to consult a doctor.Knee pads differ in the degree of fixation: tight, medium and light.In the most advanced stage of the disease, tight ones are used, in the first stage - light ones.When using them, it is necessary to ensure that the leg does not go numb: numbness means that blood stagnates, which can lead to disastrous results.
The warming effect of the knee relieves pain, allowing you to reduce the dose of painkillers.There are knee pads made of camel and dog hair.The wave itself has a beneficial effect, thanks to which you can, if not cure the disease, at least alleviate the condition and speed up the healing process.
Is it worth using folk remedies?
Folk remedies for the treatment of arthrosis of the knee joints can be used only after consultation with a doctor and only as an auxiliary method.By itself, the use of only traditional methods without the use of 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, rubbing, herbal preparations and infusions are used to relieve pain and relieve the inflammatory process.There are many different recipes for preparing medicinals that our ancestors used.Their healing properties have been proven over centuries of use and are beyond doubt.Burdock compresses, cranberry juice rubs, mummy and beeswax are just some of the many folk remedies.
Recently, treatment with leeches (hirudotherapy) has become increasingly popular.Hirudotherapy relieves inflammation and acts as a powerful pain reliever.
As you know, leeches increase blood circulation in the treated area.Increasing the blood supply to the diseased area significantly accelerates the regeneration of the cartilage tissue and the purification of the affected cells and supplies more nutrients to the diseased area.
Thus, the use of folk remedies and hirudotherapy along with medication, manual and physical therapy and therapeutic exercises promotes full recovery.