In the knee joint of the femur and tibia are covered with articular cartilage. There is also a second type of cartilage, forming the so-called menisci, which act as layers or shock absorbers.
This can be observed as a full or partial loss of cartilage. This process is often isolated to a specific area in the joint, in such cases, it may be caused by injury and chronic wear and tear of the joint.
Pathogenesis and symptoms of osteoarthritis
Symptoms of osteoarthritis related to the fact that the articular cartilage loses its elasticity, dries out, becomes thinner and gradually destroyed. Cause the destruction of cartilage can a variety of reasons: age-related changes, hormonal imbalance, disorders of metabolism, circulatory disorders on the background of vascular diseases, effects of trauma.
Osteoarthritis of the knee manifested by constellation of symptoms:
- the pain, intensity and nature of which vary depending on the stage of the disease;
- accompanying the movement of the crunch in the knees;
- stiffness in the beginning of the movement;
- limitation of range of motion in the joint;
- deformity of the knee.
The causes of development and the types of
Causes of arthritis a few: is the process of aging and deterioration of the cartilage, excess weight, trauma, autoimmune disease in which the immune system attacks its own joint tissue, causing inflammation and subsequent destruction.
Knee joints are subjected to heavy loads during the whole life, so prone to more degenerative processes, in contrast to other joints.
The main reason for the development of osteoarthritis of the knee in the second degree – ignoring the person of the first symptoms and the lack of timely treatment. Other reasons:
- age – 80% of cases osteoarthritis affects people (mostly women) after the age of 40;
- the injury – this often affects athletes.
- other pathologies of joints – endocrine, inflammatory, etc.
With osteoarthritis of the knee 2nd degree destruction is not only the cartilage, but also its components. The cartilage becomes less elastic and durable, starts to wear off, leaving without protection the bone surface.
The main causes of knee arthritis are associated with an increased physical activity of middle-aged people, because of what happen the interruption of the blood supply and nutrition of the joint cartilage, which leads to a functional insufficiency of the joints.
There are two forms of osteoarthritis of the knee: primary and secondary.
Primary.
Begins quite early in childhood or adolescence.
Varying degrees of osteoarthritis of the knee
Like many others, the disease osteoarthritis of the knee is divided into several stages.
- The easiest to treat — osteoarthritis of 1 degree. Symptoms: the presence of a small gap inside the joint, the surface edges are sharp, the patient loss of mobility.
- If the patient has osteoarthritis of the knee 2 degrees, it is manifested in the following: significant loss of patient mobility, when walking the affected knee emits a squeak inside is formed a strong narrowing of the cleft and cyst.
- Osteoarthritis of the 3 degrees makes it impossible to move, there is a large joint deformity on its surface is formed a seal.
- At last the fourth stage, the cartilage in the knee joint collapses completely.
For the treatment of gonarthrosis II grade honey can be used. For example, for compresses, massage or internal use.
Signs and symptoms
Arthrosis of the knee joint often develops after 55 years on the background of age-related changes in cartilage. In the pathological process of tissue of other organs rarely involved, in contrast to arthritis, when the development of inflammation, the infection spreads to the heart tissue, nerve fibers, the epidermis.
The main signs and symptoms of osteoarthritis of the knee:
- early pain is weak, the intensity of the pain increases in waves;
- gradually degenerative changes disrupt the mobility of the affected joint, in the morning, the patient is difficult to bend and straighten the knee;
- in advanced pathologies of cartilage are destroyed, severely restricted opportunities for walking.
- the lack of synovial fluid, friction of the articular heads, the splicing of certain elements provokes pain not only during exercise, but without it.
Signs and symptoms
Doctors believe ostreatus common disease that can be transferred to the epidemic. The first sign of the disease is acute pain in the region of the patella, severe pain during walking, in some cases, people simply can not move.
Which in turn leads to a complete loss of function of the patient, to physical and moral degradation.
The most characteristic symptoms of osteoarthritis of the second degree:
The pathology of this disease is reduction of joint mobility, limitation in mobility and the emergence of a sense of joint stiffness.
It should be noted that arthrosis of the joints can damage different body region of the patient, but the most common are species such as arthrosis of the knee joint, the disease osteoarthritis lumbar and cervical, as well as arthrosis of the shoulder joint complex ankle joint arthrosis and wrists, and osteoarthritis of the hip joint.
Diagnosis
Definition of osteoarthritis of the knee begins with a physical inspection by doctors, the study of history and conversation with the patient. Be sure to note the doctor that often becomes the cause of the pain, and tell us about cases of the disease in the family, if any.
For treatment use of narcotic analgesics, nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs, slow acting gold drugs, corticosteroids, methotrexate, etc.
Medical therapy of osteoarthritis of the knee joint involves three main areas:
- the use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, which are needed in order to relieve pain and reduce the intensity of the inflammatory process in tissues;
- medications for cartilage repair, including cartilage protectors: glucosamine and chondroitin;
- the use of creams and ointments in the complex therapy of deforming arthrosis.
The main goal of medical treatment is the elimination of pain syndrome, better nutrition of cartilage, activation of regenerative processes, increase of joint mobility and normalization of blood circulation in the knee.
In advanced, irreversible lesions of the knee osteoarthritis is treated by the radical method – prosthetics, ie, the implantation of a metallic prosthesis to replace the destroyed joint.
This is the only method that gives a chance for a full recovery, however, implants have a limited lifespan, and then must be replaced.
As the price of such operations is very high, this method of treatment has not received wide distribution.
There are many popular recipes of various ointments and compresses based on herbs, medical bile apply warming bandages made of natural wool. Basically, the effect of such methods aimed at pain relief and elimination of the main symptoms.
How to treat osteoarthritis of the knee? At an early stage joint pathology responds well to therapy. In addition to pharmacy ointments and pills naturopaths offer treatment of osteoarthritis of the knee joint.
To replace drugs phyto means can not: refusal of medical treatment will worsen the condition of the diseased joint, will provoke the further development of degenerative changes.
Stop the destruction of cartilage tissue, accelerate the regeneration process is possible only with a complex impact.
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Medication
Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory compositions is mandatory in the treatment of osteoarthritis of the knee joint for relief of pain associated with destruction of the cartilage. In home conditions the drugs are used in the form of gels and tablets. It is important to adhere strictly to the daily dose, frequency of use, duration of treatment.
In acute arthritis therapeutic activities are carried out in the following sequence:
- relieves the pain;
- in the presence of the inflammatory process, care is taken to eliminate it;
- treatment aimed at restoring cartilage.
The main role in the acute stage are given medical treatment anti-inflammatory drugs, can carry out a number of physiotherapeutic procedures.
Of medications mostly shows chondroprotectors that can 1-2 stages to slow down the destruction of cartilage.
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When the knee is bent, the joint is completely or almost completely lost mobility, get rid of the constant pain did not help any medications or physiotherapy.
In the treatment of osteoarthritis prescribe ointment that eases pain and also counteract inflammatory processes, prescribed physiotherapy, which slow down the process of joint destruction.
Moreover, diet should be rich in trace elements and nutrients, which will be enough for the processes of creation of new tissues and cells occurring in the body of the patient.
Diet selects only the dietitian, which will take into account the health status of the patient. It is important to know that restricting and overeating food harm the joints.
In the treatment you can use special braces, crutches and canes, which will relieve the patient from additional physical activity.
It should be noted that osteoarthritis of the knee is one of the most common diseases that is found in many former athletes. This is due to the fact that in his youth, these people subjected themselves to enormous stress, injuries, trauma to the joints, torn ligaments, and multiple contusions.
A compress with horse-radish to treat joint pain
To prepare this compress it is necessary to dig out or buy fresh horseradish root, then grind it to a very fine grater. All the contents should be dipped in water and leave to steam over a slow fire, but the water should not reach boiling.
After 15 minutes, the broth to cool and the resulting structure needs to be put on canvas, but first this tissue to water in the resulting broth. The folded cloth is placed over the affected area.
It is advisable to stock up on horseradish for the winter and apply it as needed.
Compress for treatment of osteoarthritis
To prepare the compress, you will need 5% of health iodine, 10% ammonia, glycerin, medical gall flower may honey. All of these components need to take in equal proportions and mix well.
Then they have to infuse for 10 days in a dark place. Before use, the mixture should be stirred and doing the compress.
Such treatment need to be done every day until pain subsides.
Folk remedies
For nutrition and regeneration of cartilage to its tissues need a constant supply of these compounds as chondro – glucosamine and chondroitin. This is a useful substance for people with osteoarthritis of the knee joint.
Their intake should be for a very long time, from six months and more, only in this case, you can expect a positive therapeutic effect.
However, because of these useful properties of these compounds should not be considered as a basic treatment of osteoarthritis. Deforming arthrosis of the knee joint requires the use of preparations of chondroitin and glucosamine not less than 1.5 years.
Also take into account that they are not able to completely restore destroyed cartilage.
Injection into the knee of hyaluronic acid can slow the progression of osteoarthritis, symptomatic relief but receives only half of people with this diagnosis.
Knee osteoarthritis involves a comprehensive approach to treatment, recipes of traditional medicine are as an additional therapy. Noteworthy tools such as a decoction of onion peel, infusion of leaves of a dandelion, a mixture of aloe Vera, vodka and honey in equal volumes, night compresses of salt with honey and many others.
It is also recommended to eat more jelly and jelly.
Prevention
Prevention of knee osteoarthritis involves many factors:
- Balanced diet: the diet should be adequate protein, vitamins and minerals.
- The fight against unhealthy lifestyle and getting rid of bad habits.
- Normalization of weight.
- Adequate physical activity.
- Injury prevention in sports, lifts weights.
The most important in identifying pathology such as osteoarthritis of the knee is not to run the disease is because far advanced stage it can lead to disability.
But if the time to send all the power to the treatment and prevention of – until the time is missed and the symptoms are minor – there is a chance for a full recovery.
It is important to read: arthritis of the knee joint.
Preventive measures are:
- physical education and sports;
- avoiding high loads on knee joints;
- weight control and reduction;
- immediate treatment to the doctor if the joint is inflamed or has been injured.