It is time to talk about illness, no one in which no one is safe, or rather of the knee osteoarthritis.What is osteoarthritis of the knee joint?What are its main symptoms and what is treatment according to traditional methods.And how traditional medicine can help.Believe me, everyone needs to know it, because this disease affects each fifth person on the planet.It's a lot, right?
Indeed, according to medical statistics, osteoarthritis affects the knee much more often than other joints.It is diagnosed in almost 20% of the population.I also add that this disease seriously limits mobility in the knee and, in advanced cases, brings constant and unbearable pain.So let's deal with the subject in advance and don't give a single chance of a single chance!
Distorting osteoarthritis, osteoarthritis of the knee joint or gonarthrosis - these are all the names of a disease that affects hyalin cartilage in the knee.
The causes of gonoarthritis
The reasons for his manifestation can be different.In addition, as a rule, a combination of several negative factors is necessary for the development of obvious dystrophic degenerative phenomena in the joint.
In general, the disease can cause:
- Age without extension, since over the years, the elasticity of the tissues has decreased and physical activity causes deformation in the joint;
- Excess weight as an additional load on the knee;
- The hereditary tendency to joint disorders, that is to say that people whose relatives suffer from osteoarthritis should be doubly more prudent;
- osteoporosis;
- Professional knee charges.For example, when you often have to squat at work, walk along the steps;
- sports career, especially at the ripe age;
- Metabolism violation, for example diabetes;
- spine injuries;
- Damage the knee, ligaments, the lower legs.Sometimes, after such injuries, gonarthrosis is formed after a few years, but with serious troubles, articulation damage is possible after 2 to 3 months;
- Increase in physical effort on the legs;
- Bekhterev's disease;
- drop;
- Rheumatoid, reactive, psoriatic arthritis;
- varicose veins;
- Spasm of the hip muscles, which leads to the "tightening" of the knee and its damage.
In other words, many problems can cause a disease, and it is difficult to predict the appearance of the disease in advance, but for effective treatment, it is important to diagnose the disease as soon as possible.
Gonarthrosis symptoms
It is sometimes difficult to suspect gonarthrosis, it is similar in symptoms with manifestations of other ailments.For example, damaging the meniscus, Ankylose Spondel, inflammation of knee tendons, vascular pain.The doctor will help determine the diagnosis.
In general, such demonstrations will help suspect the problem:
- The pain after sleep or a long seal, which passes soon, but returns again after the next rest;
- discomfort with a long time;
- Crunch while moving;
- Unpleasant sensations for the knees.
In addition, the symptoms depend directly on the degree of damage to the joint.SO:
- in the first degreeThe patient can feel insignificant pain after sleep, and the rest of the time the knee does not disturb;
- Second degreeThe pain is stronger and more intense.It appears with an ordinary walking or lifting of the load, a restriction of crisis and joint movement is possible, that is to say that the patient is not able to bend completely and straighten the leg without unpleasant sensations;
- The third degreeIt is characterized by stronger pain, which sometimes interferes with sleep and life.The deformation of the joint is visible to the naked eye, the legs acquire an OH or X shape in the form of X, a change of approach is observed, a person is not able to walk without cane or other support.
How to treat osteoarthritis on the knee joint
The treatment of the problem is determined according to the degree of disease.If at the very beginning, it is possible to completely restore the joint structure with ointments and tablets, then at the second stage, the injections are already represented intramuscular, intravenous and even inside the joint, and in the third stage, you often have to go to surgery.But about everything in order.
1 degree
The treatment of the 1st degree disease is the most effective.Currently, joint deformations are minimal and you can do a conservative way, which gives good results.It is only a problem - few people listen to their bodies so much that they notice these first knee alarm ringtones.What is there, even in an image of X-rays, sometimes the initial step is not visible.It is only after the right diagnosis that the doctor will decide how to treat the disease.
As a rule, in the first degree, they are used:
- Special gymnastics to improve blood circulation, strengthen muscles, increase the mobility of the joint;
- massage lessons;
- Reception of NSAIDs (non -steroidal drugs) in the form of tablets;
- Rub the ointments in a painful place;
- The use of symptomatic preparations of a slow action that helps restore the cartilage fabric.In the initial stage, they are the most effective, at this stage, it is always possible to use such drugs in the form of ointments and creams.
2 degrees
If gonarthrosis has been diagnosed with 2 degrees, the treatment of the disease should start immediately, otherwise tissue deformations will be so important that conservative therapy will be helpless.
For this, doctors use:
- Anti-inflammatory drugs for oral and local use.As a general rule, the drug treatment of the damaged joint implies the use, in addition to non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, even stronger hormonal drugs which help relieve pain faster, but are used by short courses during exacerbations due to side effects;
- Constant contribution of pain relievers;
- A diet that eliminates fat and carbohydrates to reduce weight and normalize metabolic processes;
- Medical gymnastics for joint development;
- The use of symptomatic preparations of a slow action already in the form of intra-articular injections;
- An injection in the injection of hyaluronic acid, it provides prolonged and clear relief, but it is only necessary to cut it to the hospital, it is important to enter the joint bag.A professional who has such an experience should do so, because when he enters the bloodstream, the drug can cause embolism;
- The ointments with pain relievers and anti-inflammatory components are used outside;
- With intense pain, the devices reduce the load on the knee, that is to say the canes, the crutches and the orthosis of the knee.
3 degrees
If the disease is so neglected, only two treatment methods remain - serious drugs in the form of injections and surgery.
In the first case, all of these drugs are used as in previous stages, but their stronger options.More often than not, not tablets are used, but injections by intravenous, intramuscular and even inside the joint for the maximum effect.If conservative treatment does not give a result, you must go to the second method.
The operation is now carried out in two ways:
- The small holes make small holes in the knee, the joints are cleaned of bone growths which interfere with its movement with special devices, the operation is considered to be slightly invasive, so the restoration is faster;
- With severe deformation of the joint, prostheses are used.In other words, the doctor makes an incision, eliminates part of the bone, puts an artificial joint in his place and, if necessary, a piece of another bone, using spindle and medical cement.On the site of the destroyed joint, an artificial device is installed mainly in titanium.
In all cases, the human capacity to move normally after surgery depends directly on the effectiveness of rehabilitation and its perseverance.As a rule, it is necessary to spend from six months to one year on the restoration of knee mobility, so that operations are more often carried out by younger patients.
What doctor treats osteoarthritis on knee joint
The rheumatologist is above all the problem of osteoarthritis in the joints, including the knee.It is this doctor who can confirm or refute the diagnosis, he specializes in inflammatory and dystrophic processes of connective tissues and joints.As a general rule, he uses conservative methods in treatment, that is to say prescribed ointments, tablets, injections and can also recommend the help of a physiotherapist, a therapist for the exercise and a manual therapist.
In some major medical centers, there is a specialist who treats arthritis.He is a surgeon specializing in joint diseases.Unfortunately, you can only find such a professional in big cities.
Well, in advanced stages, when traditional treatment does not give results, an orthopedic surgeon arrives at the rescue.He, according to the state of the articulation, chooses either the tactics of depreciation of the organs (that is to say, the joint functions), or decides on the need for endoprothetics and establishes artificial "details" on the site of the destroyed articulation.
Diagnosis
To make a diagnosis, the doctor must:
- Inspect the leg, feel the bones, their deformation, their placement, their structure;
- Check mobility in the seal with a special corner;
- Check the joint for the presence of swelling, edema;
- Listen if there is a crunch when it moves;
- directly to X -Ray, MRI and CT;
- Ask to pass blood tests to exclude similar diseases in symptoms (for example, Bekhterev).
Let me remember that at the first stage, even an X-ray may not show a clear image of the disease.Therefore, it is recommended to take photos periodically and compare them in the dynamics to determine the problem and the evolution of the disease.
Home treatment
Of course, it is difficult to completely get rid of osteoarthritis in the knee joint at home, but treatment with folk remedies can become a good addition to pills and ointments prescribed by a doctor.
Some good recipes:
- Apply a new shedding sheet on the painful knee, loosening it at night with a hot scarf, while it is important to fix a leaf to the skin with your back;
- Lubricate the painful place at night with a chicken yellow grinding and a teaspoon of turpentine.Wrap the leg on top with a hot cloth and wash the skin well in the morning.The effect will be in 3 to 4 days, but for recovery, you must use the product for about three weeks;
- Apply a piece of humidified tissue with fresh juice on the knee, after 45 to 50 minutes, the case must be removed and lubricated with vegetable fat.Repeat every day for a week, then relax for 10 days and start a new lesson.
Wave
Having entered the pharmacy or looking at television advertisements, you are lost in the abundance of modern drugs in the joints.And each manufacturer guarantees an instant and long -term instantaneous result.Who to believe, how to choose the best medication?
With osteoarthritis, you can use two types of ointments:
- anti-inflammatory;
- Symptomatic preparations of a slow local action.
It is important not to be self-managed, but to visit a doctor who, after having installed the diagnosis, will tell you which drugs are most appropriate in its composition and its principle of action.
Diet
We are what we eat, therefore, subject to a special diet, we can successfully fight many diseases, including deformation in the knee.
Patients with such a disease are recommended to be removed from the diet:
- Pork and beef;
- Any fast food that causes the so-called "metabolic arthritis;
- Smoked meats, especially useless, made using chemical "liquid smoke";
- fried and too sharp products;
- Meat dishes ready to use dyes, preservatives, taste additives (sausages, sausages, sausages);
- White cabbage;
- alcohol;
- Salted and melted cheeses.
In addition, do not rely on chocolate, candies, pastries, radishes and radishes, spinach, sorrel.
In return, you must use more:
- Fish rich in omega-acids;
- Hard cheese, milk and cottage cheese;
- mineral water;
- Vegetables and fruits, especially with a high calcium content;
- eggs;
- legumes;
- sea fruit;
- cereals;
- Kurags, raisins, nuts.
In addition to enriching the body with vitamins and minerals useful for restoring the cartilage fabric, the diet pursues another target - weight loss to reduce the load on the knees.It's just too fanatic to approach it is not worth it.Excessively hard diet and famine exhaust the body and cause the leachate of calcium, which can further worsen the situation.
Therefore, you should eat varied, but often fractionally.With the edema of the joint, an abundant drink is indicated, the orange and grenade juice is useful because they relieve inflammation.In general, the power must be complex, balanced, but in the presence of an excess weight allows you to slowly return the body to normal, but with confidence.
Hyaluronic acid
A briefly mentioned the use of hyaluronic acid in the treatment of gonarthrosis, but now it is worth revealing this problem in more detail.
In fact, hyaluronic acid replaces the lubricant in the joint, because of which the volume of painless movements increases, a crisis sheet and pain syndrome is eliminated.It's just to deliver the drug to the destination is not so simple.With oral use in the stomach, the capsules dissolve in the same way as a spoonful of junction, without advantage, and if it enters Vienna, it can cause complications to death.There is therefore the only way out - injections in the joint, although there are gaps here.
Fortunately, the joint gap in the knee is quite large, so that if you have experience, you can enter it, but there is always the probability of nerves damage or, once again, the penetration of the drug in the blood.In addition, many patients are arrested by a considerable price of these drugs, and scientists have not yet confirmed the effectiveness of hyaluronic acid in the restoration of tissues, so far, it is known that it replaces natural lubricants.
But there are good news - the medication in the joint operates up to a year and almost instantly relieves pain.So decide for yourself if you have to try medication with this substance.
How to choose the knee osteoarthritis of the knee joint
It is proven that knee buffers help reduce inflammation, eliminate swelling, relieve pain, reduce the pressure on the joint, speed up blood circulation and give the joy of moving the patient, but for that, you should also choose them properly.
One of the main selection criteria is size, because too large the knee buffer will not give the desired fixing, but will break the excessively tight blood flow.To determine the size of the knee and the volume of the legs, 15 centimeters higher and below, will help you.
The form of the product is also important:
- The opening is ideal for people after an injury and with light pain;
- Elastic open with stiffness ribs for people with discomfort in squats;
- Open with tension regulators is useful during the rehabilitation period after surgery;
- Closed is ideal with an incomprehensible source of pain;
- The hinge is suitable for all people with knee problems;
- The heater improves blood circulation and relieves inflammation.
Again, the attending physician will help choose knee pads, taking into account the characteristics of the disease.
Gymnastics for osteoarthritis of the knee joint
Gymnastics, that is to say specially designed exercises, helps relieve muscle spasms, improve blood circulation in the knee and stop the process of destruction.Such therapeutic exercises do not imply muscle pumping, strength methods.On the contrary, all movements must be so soft, smooth, without net turns, twisted joints and other potentially dangerous actions.
It is also forbidden to perform training during exacerbation.You must first relieve the pain, and only then go to classes.
Prevention
Prevention can be divided into primary and secondary, that is to say the first implies the prevention of the disease and the second-its relapses.
The first belongs to:
- weight control;
- wear suitable shoes;
- moderate physical activity to maintain muscle tone;
- Avoid injuries.
Secondary prevention involves:
- Use of a special diet;
- Abundant drink up to 9 glasses per day;
- Take medication and products that contribute to the normal bone condition.
As usually happens, it is easier not to give the disease to appear and to walk, then to treat it with different drugs and methods.
Fortunately, we now know not only how to treat osteoarthritis, but also the first signs of a complete victory over the disease.