Badly bent legs, the inability to walk without support - all these seem to be signs of old age, but in fact, they can be caused by diseases. Knowledge about this disease can help everyone, because timely treatment prolongs the youth of the joints. Gonarthrosis of the knee joint has another name - deforming arthrosis or joint osteoarthritis.
This disease belongs to the group of degenerative-dystrophic diseases. Under the influence of pathogenic factors, changes in joint tissue develop, and with this pathology, not only the cartilage of the knee joint, but also the bones, ligaments, joint capsule and muscles that ensure its operation suffer.
This disease is one of the most common pathologies of the musculoskeletal system. Due to changes in the structure of hyaline cartilage tissue, they lose elasticity, firmness and gradually collapse. This leads to increased impact on bone tissue, the appearance of osteophytes called on them. These are "thorns", which are bony growths in the joint. If arthrosis of the knee joint is not treated, then the cartilage tissue can gradually disappear completely, the bone will change shape, and the function and performance of the joint will be lost.
Causes of knee gonarthrosis
This disease is classified as idiopathic, that is, the cause of osteoarthritis of the knee joint has not yet been precisely explained. There are two main types of gonarthrosis: primary and secondary.
Primary or idiopathic gonarthrosis of the knee joint develops due to metabolic and blood circulation disorders in the lower leg. This form of the disease mainly affects the elderly, especially women, and people who are overweight. The reason for the development of degenerative-dystrophic changes in the cartilage tissue can be an excessive load on the joint, a violation of normal blood circulation and various tissue microtraumas. Hormonal disorders and endocrine disorders can also cause this.
Secondary, or traumatic gonarthrosis occurs as a result of mechanical damage to the joint. This leads to:
- knee injuries - damage to the ligaments, meniscus of the knee joint, fractures and cracks in the bones with hemarthrosis;
- various inflammatory diseases - rheumatism, arthritis;
- non-inflammatory joint wounds - chondrosis, arthrosis of various etiologies;
- untimely and incomplete treatment of knee joint disease;
- trauma and injury in the past.
Disease symptoms
Symptoms of osteoarthritis of the knee joint develop gradually. At the beginning of the disease, pain appears during physical exercise, with too much work or after walking, then other symptoms join and a detailed clinical picture of the disease appears.
symptoms:
- pain in the knee joint when moving;
- joint swelling;
- limitation of movement in joints;
- knee joint stiffness;
- instability when leaning on a sore leg;
- visible defects in the joint bones.
Stages of gonarthrosis
In the clinical picture, there are several stages that reflect the severity of the disease:
- Stage 1 - slight limitation of movement in the joints, increased fatigue of the limbs, mild pain, appearing at the beginning of movement or after doing physical exercise, during rest the pain and stiffness of the joints disappear. Bones retain their shape, there is no deformation. X-rays show slight narrowing of the joint space.
- Stage 2 - there is a clear limitation of movement, pain when walking becomes constant, especially aggravated by physical exertion, prolonged standing. There is significant stiffness in the joints during movement, lameness, deformed bones, ligaments and muscles become weak. On the x-ray, the joint space is narrowed by 3 times compared to the norm, osteophytes grow on the bones, fluid may appear in the joint cavity.
- Stage 3 - the pain becomes persistent, does not go away after rest and relaxation. Movement is very limited, perhaps a violation of blood circulation in the joints. On the radiograph, the joint space is almost absent, the bone changes shape sharply, a strong growth of bone tissue is noted.
Diagnosis and treatment of gonarthrosis
Diagnosis of the disease includes examination of the patient and X-ray examination of the affected limb.
Treatment of the disease should be started as early as possible. A comprehensive examination and consultation of an experienced specialist is necessary, as this disease has non-specific symptoms and is easily confused with other lesions of the articular system.
The main principles of treatment, aimed at a therapeutic effect:
- eliminate pain in the knee joint;
- improves blood circulation and accelerates the regeneration of cartilage tissue;
- reduce the pressure between the bones of the joint;
- restore mobility of limbs;
- strengthen muscles and ligaments.
Methods for the treatment of gonarthrosis
Treatment of gonarthrosis is carried out with drugs and with the help of physiotherapy exercises, folk remedies and manual therapy.
- Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). They are traditionally used in the treatment of inflammatory arthritis. Good for pain relief, reducing swelling and inflammation. But the use of these drugs, only provides temporary relief and does not cure the disease itself. In addition, they have many contraindications and side effects.
- Chondroprotectors are the most etiological treatment, they help regenerate cartilage tissue and eliminate the cause of the disease. Its use is effective in the early stages of the disease. To get the result, long-term use of chondroprotectors is required.
- Local medicines - various ointments and creams - have anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects.
- Intra-articular injections are used to provide emergency care. The most commonly used drugs are corticosteroid hormones. They quickly and effectively suppress pain and inflammation in the joints, but, like NSAIDs, they only have a symptomatic effect.
- Manual therapy and physiotherapy - at stages 1 and 2 of the disease can provide a significant therapeutic effect.
- Diet. Gonarthosis of the knee joint is called a "salt deposit" disease. Therefore, with this disease, you need to follow a diet that does not include foods that contribute to the formation of salt. It is necessary to limit the intake of edible salt to 1 g per day, meat, canned food, sweet, fatty, flour.
- Walking support - using crutches or crutches can significantly reduce the pressure on the knee joint and help with a faster recovery.
- Therapeutic gymnastics is the main method of rehabilitation after gonarthrosis treatment. Only special exercises will help restore lost mobility, strengthen muscles and ligaments, and improve blood circulation. It is impossible to restore limb function without specially designed exercises.
- Surgical treatment - if there is no effect of therapeutic methods, in the 3rd stage of the disease, with severe joint deformity, surgery is required. Usually this is joint arthroplasty. This operation allows you to restore the mobility of the limbs, but has many contraindications and limitations. It is also quite expensive financially.
Complete cure of this disease is almost impossible. To achieve a stable remission of the disease, you need to follow all the doctor's recommendations, try to move more, do special exercises, take chondroprotectors and drugs that improve blood circulation, and also follow a diet.