Complex treatment of knee arthrosis

Diseases of the musculoskeletal system cause significant restrictions on human mobility. In order not to bring the situation into complication, timely treatment needs to be done. Arthrosis of the knee joint is the most common form of damage to the skeletal joint and the most common cause of disability. But with a timely visit to the doctor, you can get rid of the disease.

GENERAL INFORMATION

Arthrosis of the knee is an unofficial name of the disease. In medicine, it is referred to as osteoarthritis. The word consists of two ancient Greek words - bone and joint. Other synonyms:

• deformed osteoarthritis or DOA in abbreviated form (the first word in the name describes the main clinical symptom - joint deformity);
• gonarthrosis (from a combination of the ancient Greek words "knee" and "joint").

Sometimes this disease is mistakenly called arthritis, although traditionally this term refers to a disease of connective tissue that has nothing to do with arthrosis.

The gist of arthrosis is that the cartilage tissue lining the surface of the joint is damaged, as a result of which inflammation begins, the work of the bone joint is disrupted, and pain appears. Unfortunately, this is a very common pathology, which is mainly diagnosed in the elderly (especially overweight) and young athletes due to injury.

For effective treatment, it is necessary to perform a complete examination of patients with arthrosis, in particular, to identify the causes of problems with the musculoskeletal system. Often, the following factors lead to this disease:

CAUSES AND SYMPTOMS

For effective treatment, it is necessary to perform a complete examination of patients with arthrosis, in particular, to identify the causes of problems with the musculoskeletal system. Often, the following factors lead to the disease:

• broken leg;
• dislocations, cartilage injuries, inflammation;
• disturbed metabolism;
• endocrine diseases;
• ligament tool weakness;
• hereditary tendencies;
• autoimmune diseases and infections that cause damage to joint tissue.

Late access to the doctor threatens with persistent pain in the knee area and complete loss of joint mobility.To prevent this, you need to sign up to consult a specialist if you experience knee pain while walking and the increased painful sensation when going down or up stairs. If treatment is not started at this stage, the condition will get worse - the pain will stop, movement will be limited, and the knee will be deformed.

The longer you do not see a doctor, the treatment of gonarthrosis will be more difficult, time consuming and expensive.

DEGREE OF DISEASE

Arthrosis is diagnosed by a doctor. He not only identifies the disease, but also determines its stage. There are three of them:

• First. It is possible to cure the disease at an early stage, as there is currently no morphological disruption of tissues, weakened muscles, but has not changed, and the joints begin to tolerate more severe loads due to dysfunction of the synovial membrane and biochemical composition of theeat cartilage and menisci. Excessive use causes inflammation and pain.

• Second. At this stage, the cartilage and menisci begin to collapse, the load on them leads to pathological growth of bone tissue, narrowing of the joint space. Because of this, the knees become larger and look deformed. Treatment of bilateral gonarthrosis of the 2nd degree knee joint is already more difficult than in the first stage. Pain and inflammation become chronic.
• Third. This degree is already considered bad. At the same time, the bone defect is clearly expressed, the axis of the limb changes, because the mechanical load is not distributed properly. The joint ligament is shortened, natural movement is limited because of this, and then the leg becomes completely immobile. Treatment of grade 3 knee joint arthrosis without surgery is impossible, as the disease is very advanced.

If the pain can be endured for a long time, people think that they have arthrosis only in the first stage, and postpone going to the doctor. But this opinion is not correct. Every day, the load on the key elements of the joint, is already beginning to collapse, increase, and pathological changes can lead to joint damage and severe limb dysfunction.

DURING CLINIC

The development of the disease is accompanied by characteristic symptoms. The pain occurs in the middle of the night, even when the legs are not moving. Stiffness is felt in the morning.

Walking becomes difficult when passing a certain distance, then at the beginning of a movement. In severe cases, a person is unable to walk 100 meters normally, making it painful for him to stand and sit. You have to move with the help of special equipment.

Slight defects in the first level then become noticeable. As a result, walking, using public transportation, performing professional duties, day-to-day functions, and even self-service become impossible.

TREATMENT METHODS

Folk recipes, pharmaceutical compresses and ointments will not help get rid of the disease, as the approach must be comprehensive.Rehabilitation can usually only be done in a hospital where the doctor will treat knee arthrosis.What kind of recommendations to give to the patient, he decides based on the complaints shown and the associated pathology. The following are usually required to comply:

• reduces the load on the joints;
• compliance with orthopedic regimes;
• physical therapy (exercise therapy);
• undergoing physical therapy.

All this helps to slow down the development of arthrosis and prevent loss of motor function. It should be understood that the method used is highly dependent on the capacity of the hospital and the availability of one or another physiotherapy equipment. It is best if the patient has the opportunity to go to a spa treatment or to a specialized orthopedic clinic, where a modern approach to the choice of medication, diet, techniques, etc. will be provided.

USE OF MEDICINE

The inflammatory process and painful sensations make the treatment of osteoarthritis of the knee impossible without medication in the form of tablets, creams, ointments and injections. In the first stage, you can use non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs - Diclofenac, Indomethacin, Nimesulide, and others. In the second and third, you should often fight inflammation with steroid drugs - Triamcinolone, Hydrocortisone. The same hormone is used during acute pain.

In addition, you need to perform intramuscular and intraarticular drug injections that improve the condition of cartilage tissue (vasodilators and chondroprotectors).

METHODS OF PHYSIOTHERAPY

Significant improvements can be made by using physical therapy. The following techniques are considered the most effective:

• Shock wave therapy. This method has worked well for the past 20 years. The essence lies in the effect on the affected area with a special device that emits radial acoustic waves that activate the blood supply and stimulate tissue repair.
• Myostimulation. This therapy targets the muscles that surround the joint. Low current stimuli increase leg movement, relieve pain, and increase endurance during physical exercise.
• Phonophoresis. This technique combines ultrasound therapy and the use of products in the form of ointments, gels and creams harmoniously. Typically, such dosage forms are absorbed by only 5-7%, but high-frequency ultrasound vibrations warm the tissue, and its absorption increases several times. In addition to the good therapeutic effect, this saves the use of expensive drugs.
• Ozone therapy. Anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects can be achieved by acting on joints with active oxygen. This is a good addition, and in some cases, an alternative to taking hormone medications.

MEDICAL TRAINING

Pain during physical activity on the joint leads to the fact that the person is trying to avoid it. In the long run, this threatens physical inactivity, causing muscle atrophy and ligament weakness. Of course, during the exacerbation period, the load on the joints must be completely removed, but after a few days after the elimination of inflammation and pain, it is necessary to begin physiotherapy training.

It is believed that proper and consistent exercise therapy training can save patients from the need for surgical intervention. Nowadays, experienced specialists have developed many special methods of daily training that strengthen muscles and increase their strength and endurance, prevent the destruction of pathological tissues, restore joint mobility and range of motion.

The most important thing about this type of treatment is regularity.Good effects can only be achieved by patients who understand the need for lifestyle changes and strictly follow the doctor's recommendations on the ratio of physical activity and joint rest period.

PASSIVE KINESITERAPY

Lymphatic drainage, massage, manual therapy are good additions to drug therapy, physiotherapy and exercise. They are indispensable for inactive patients and can improve the condition of their muscles, joints and ligaments.

Another passive kinesitherapy method is mechanotherapy. It uses special devices - vibration simulators, weighting agents, mechanical massagers, which increase the effectiveness of treatment.

Stretching joints, where their cavity space mechanically increases, allows you to relieve pain and stop destructive processes. Regular use of this therapy will prolong knee health for many years.

DIET COMPLIANCE

Because obesity is often the cause of arthrosis, patients with this diagnosis need to take care of weight loss. Losing weight will reduce stress on the joints and facilitate exercise therapy. Sometimes diet is not enough, then bariatric surgery is needed, but situations like this are rare.

Other indications for adherence to a particular diet may be pathology associated with arthrosis. If there is no obesity or other illness accompanied by the need to change eating habits, there is no need for a special diet. However, you can help the body to strengthen the affected cartilage tissue by including your diet foods rich in collagen, which includes jelly and meat jelly, fish oil, berries and fruits. It is better to refrain from eating unhealthy foods such as sugar, carbonated drinks and alcohol.

SURGICAL INTERVENTION

In further cases, the quickest solution to a problem with the musculoskeletal system is to perform surgery. With arthrosis, the following types of surgical interventions are prescribed:

• A puncture allows you to remove fluid that has accumulated in the joint cavity. As a result, inflammation is reduced, as knee movement is restored.
• Arthroscopy makes it possible to clean the joint surface from pieces of destroyed tissue. It is done using a thin flexible instrument using a video camera, thus avoiding the cutting of the joint cavity.
• Periarticular osteotomy allows you to change the angle of one of the bones that make up the knee joint, as the load is redistributed, movement increases, and pain is eliminated. This intervention is quite traumatic, as the bones have to be sawed.
• Endoprosthetics allows the replacement of diseased joints with biocompatible structures. At the same time, the distance of the previous movement was restored, but its operation was quite new and very complicated, after which a long recovery was required.

Surgery is rarely needed in the first stage. The second, only necessary once in a while, but the third can not be done without it.

PATIENT REVIEW

Which of the many treatments to use in each case depends on the doctor. The specialist will choose the best method, and the patient's task is to strictly follow the recommendations of the orthopedist. This is the only way to get good results quickly. This is confirmed by patients who have been diagnosed with gonarthrosis.