Many people sooner or later come to 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, which is bothering you, sparing it.Over time, the pain intensifies and begins to accompany the unfortunate person wherever he goes.Finally, it becomes so intrusive that the person goes to the doctor, or seeks information about his problems on his 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 during which cartilage tissue is destroyed.In this case, concomitant inflammation often occurs, called synovitis.Subsequently, the knee becomes 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 disease.
Before finding out what causes knee pain that bothers you periodically or constantly, let’s see which categories of people are susceptible to this disease:
- people who are overweight.It is logical that obesity and excess weight when walking contribute to increased pressure on the legs.As a result, cartilage, unable to cope with the load, is destroyed;
- athletes.The occurrence of the disease is associated with the excessive stress that athletes experience during training;
- varicose veins.In this case, the cause is a violation of the blood supply, a reduction 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 beginning 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.For a long time it may be completely asymptomatic, or manifest itself as periodic mild pain and mild discomfort.The sensations intensify when a person gets out of bed in the morning and begins to walk.The discomfort is felt even more clearly when a person goes down or up the stairs.This degree can last 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 2 degrees.The patient begins to notice a characteristic crunching sound while walking, which is sometimes accompanied by severe pain.Movements become limited, constrained, as if with difficulty.During an examination at this stage, the doctor may detect the beginning of minor deformation and fluid accumulation.This stage involves drug therapy and regular therapeutic exercises.
- Arthrosis of the knee joint 3rd degree.During this period, severe deformation is visible, and movements become very difficult.The patient has problems bending and straightening his leg.The pain is constant and intensifies during changing weather conditions.A characteristic gait appears on half-bent legs, waddling, while the legs have a curved X- or O-shape.
Treatment methods depend on the degree of manifestation of symptoms, on the stage of its development and become more complex as it progresses.
Why does he appear?
There are many reasons why knee damage develops, and they directly depend on what form the disease has - primary or secondary.
The primary form occurs for congenital reasons;begins to appear at an early age.Due to pathologies in the development of the ligamentous apparatus, when walking there is too much stress on it.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 consider all the causes of the disease:
- rheumatic diseases (rheumatism, arthritis) may be the root 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, difficulty in blood circulation;
- prolonged spasms of muscles or blood vessels in the legs;
- surgical interventions;
- too much stress on the legs during sports activities;
- injuries: dislocations, fractures, bruises, which were 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 different 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.Methods, types, methods of therapy are varied and often effective only in combination.Therefore, you need to approach this issue 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, therefore any treatment methods are aimed, first of all, at achieving remission and disappearance of symptoms.However, in the very first stage of development, when problems are just beginning, it is possible to achieve complete relief from damage to the knee joint by eliminating its causes (for example, excess weight or excessive stress) and carrying out simple physical therapy.
Therapy in most cases comes down to relieving a person of pain, restoring damaged cartilage, and returning the possibility of full movement.
The therapy combines the following methods:
- medications and medications, use of medicinal ointments;
- providing therapeutic massage and manual therapy;
- physiotherapeutic methods: therapeutic exercises, exercise therapy;
- surgical intervention if necessary;
- folk and non-traditional methods of treatment.
How and what medications are used?
The first goal that drug therapy should pursue is pain relief.For effective pain relief, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are used.
These medications do not cure the disease or prevent its development - they are intended only 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 doses and frequency of taking medications.Do not try to treat yourself - this will inevitably lead to negative processes.
There are also observations that in large doses, anti-inflammatory non-steroidal drugs have a destructive effect on cartilage.
Only if non-steroidal drugs no longer have an effect can the doctor 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, the effects of which are very strong, which is why they are not recommended to be taken orally.In addition, their use causes many side effects.Recently, some corticosteroids are given to the affected area by injection.
The next group of drugs - symptomatic 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 make up cartilage tissue, and when they get inside, they stop the destruction and stimulate cell reproduction.
Before taking such medications, be sure to consult a specialist: the fact is that these drugs are effective only for the first and second degrees of the disease.In the third degree, the cartilage has already been completely destroyed, and there is nothing to restore there.
What non-drug methods are used?
In the treatment of arthrosis of the knee joints, a combination of exercise therapy and physiotherapy sessions is most effective.Physical therapy exercises should be carried out exclusively under the supervision of a specialist.Physical activity should be moderate, dosed and regular.
While performing exercises, it is useful to undergo physiotherapeutic procedures, such as ultrasound, high-frequency magnetic therapy, radon, hydrogen sulfide baths, and laser treatment.All these procedures not only relieve knee damage, but also generally strengthen the body.
It must be remembered that exercise therapy classes are possible only during the first degree of the disease or during its remission - that is, only when visible manifestations (inflammation, pain) are absent or almost absent.If your condition does not allow it, it is better to refuse exercise.
Before starting therapeutic exercises, get a consultation from a physical therapy instructor who, after an examination, will create an individual exercise program for you and show you the entire complex that 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 make 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 completed with manual therapy - massage, which is done by a specialist, or by you yourself, having learned how to do it.Massage allows you to relax the muscles and improve blood supply to the cartilage layer.
What helper methods are there?
Many doctors recommend the use of special knee braces.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 process of deformation.This makes it easier for a patient at the second stage of the disease to move, because walking is already a problem for such people.
Knee pads can be used for prevention by those who experience physical stress, overweight people to reduce the traumatic impact of walking, and by athletes during training.
When choosing knee pads, it is better to consult a doctor.Knee pads vary in the degree of fixation: tight, medium and light.At the most advanced stage of the disease, tight ones are used, during the first stage - light ones.When using them, it is necessary to ensure that the leg does not go numb: numbness means that blood stagnation occurs, which can lead to disastrous results.
The warming effect of the knee brace relieves pain, which allows you to reduce the dose of painkillers.There are knee pads made of camel and dog hair.Wool itself has a beneficial effect, thanks to which you can, if not cure the disease, then at least alleviate the condition and speed up the treatment 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.In 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 rubbings, 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 healing remedies that our ancestors used.Their healing properties have been proven over centuries of use and are beyond doubt.Burdock compresses, rubbing cranberry juice, mummy and beeswax are just some of the many folk remedies.
Recently, treatment with leeches (hirudotherapy) has become increasingly popular.Hirudotherapy sessions relieve inflammation and act as a powerful painkiller.
As you know, leeches increase blood circulation in the area being treated.Increasing the blood supply to the sore area significantly accelerates the regeneration of cartilage tissue and cleansing of affected cells, and supplies more nutrients to the sore area.
Thus, the use of folk remedies and hirudotherapy together with medication, manual and physiotherapy and therapeutic exercises promotes complete recovery.