Osteoarthritis of the knee

Osteoarthritis of the knee – specific, having a damaging effect on the hryaschik knee joint disease. When is the emergence of this disease, doctors see a serious breach in the processes of blood circulation in the vessels of bone, resulting in deformation and destruction of cartilage, one feels strong, chilling any movement, kicks, knees pain, watching the swelling and change in appearance of the knees.

What happens to the knee joint in osteoarthritis?

Articular cartilage plays an important role in the process of human movement and is a smooth, resilient and durable gasket, with which the articulated bones to freely move relative to each other, and also there is a shock absorption and load distribution when walking.

But excessive exercise, genetic predisposition, metabolic substances in the body, prolonged muscle cramps and trauma the cartilage loses its smoothness and starts to thin. Thinning of cartilage leads to a reduction of the distance between the articulated bones of up to 80%. During walking due to abnormal friction and shock absence of destructive processes in the joint is rapidly increasing, it quickly leads to the development of third degree of osteoarthritis with pronounced symptoms:

• Pain during movement, especially when climbing or descending the stairs.
• Pain and during exercise, and at rest, morning stiffness.
• The patient begins to limp, trying to spare the patient's joint.
• Severe cases are forced to use crutches or a cane.

Third degree osteoarthritis of the knee is characterized by the almost complete lack of cartilage that leads to decrease of joint mobility to a minimum. So no arcane methods, super medications and ointments will not be able to rebuild the worn cartilage, and given the degree of deformation of the bones, the normal operation of the joint impossible. In this case, it can only help surgery.

The stage of osteoarthritis

The main thing that determines the success of therapy is the extent of the disease, i.e. the severity of destructive changes in the knee joints. As the progression of osteoarthritis are the following stages or degrees:

• The initial stage, or stage 1, often called compensated, because clinical symptoms of the pathology yet. The patient may feel discomfort in the knees after exercise, which quickly disappears after rest; joints still fully functional.
• The 2nd stage of osteoarthritis, subcompensated, the symptoms worse. Formed severe pain, which, however, stopped by pain-relieving ointments and gels that are used topically. Disturbed motor activity, there is joint instability. The vast majority of cases, the treatment of patients to doctors is precisely at this stage.
• 3 degree, decompensated, you can also call and deforming. The knee joint is twisted, unstable, stationary, absolutely dysfunctional. Pain syndrome is permanent and requires serious medical intervention. To unload the joint and to move the cane.

Depending on what stage the person asked for help, the specialist developed the schema therapy. Unfortunately, people resort to medical help in most cases when knee pain does not pass after taking the usual analgesics or use of ointments.

Symptoms and first signs

Depending on the severity of symptoms, the disease is divided into 3 stages. Symptoms of early development of osteoarthritis is highly variable and has no specifics.

In the first stage of pathology the following characteristics are possible:

1. knee pain during squats, walk the stairs;
2. pain in the joint after prolonged stress or cooling;
3. the knee may ache at the end of the day or in the morning;
4. stiffness and soreness in the morning is everyday after work.

In the future, there are symptoms characteristic of 2 and 3 stages (by increase):

• the pain becomes sharp and long lasting;
• swelling in the joint;
• perhaps the appearance of fluid in the joint;
• between the articular surfaces of the possible infringement of the particles of cartilage, meniscus, synovial villi, in which there is a sharp immobility (it can also dramatically pass);
• it is difficult to move;
• developing stiffness in the joint.

The rate of development of degenerative processes and the severity of the symptoms depend on the presence or absence of additional precipitating factors. E.g. stress or inflammatory processes in the body will accelerate the destructive process.

Diagnosis

For the diagnosis of osteoarthritis used:

• blood tests (General and biochemical);
• x-rays;
• arthroscopy;
• Ultrasound;
• MRI.

The most important diagnostic method to confirm the diagnosis of gonarthrosis is radiography. Although to consider the initial stage of the disease and the condition of the cartilage on x-rays cannot, however, bone changes 2 and 3 stages are clearly visible. This:

1. narrow the joint space;
2. located on the contour of the bone, the edges of the patella boundary spikes – osteophytes;
3. changes in the periosteum;
4. change the height of one of the condyles of the other.

However, a more detailed review of the changes by using arthroscopy. It can help to determine the condition of the cartilage, menisci, synovium. Its rarely used because of the strong possibility of trauma to the joint, as, in fact, this mini-operation consisting of several punctures. Sometimes arthroscopy is used to treat the knee joint (if the need arises to remove a piece of broken off cartilage or meniscus). To detect changes in the soft tissues of the knee joint with early osteoarthritis helps ultrasound and MRI. These methods also show the condition of cartilage, synovial membrane and fluid.

Physical therapy and exercise in osteoarthritis

Exercise helps to restore function of the joint and strengthen it. Perform them slowly and carefully so as not to cause a sprain and not to exceed the permissible load.

The most effective are the following exercises:

1. Slowly alternately raise straight legs, lying on his stomach. In this exercise involved the muscles of the thigh and lower leg. We can not allow the load is transferred back. Raise the legs too high is not worth it. The main thing is to strain the muscles in the upper point;
2. This exercise is similar to the first, only now should be to lift the leg bent at the knee. At the top of thigh should be further strain. On each leg exercise you need to perform the same number of times;
3. Lying on the floor (on stomach) raise the straight leg up and then breed and settle. For this exercise you need a strong trained muscles, so it is not suitable for all patients. In addition, when it is executed can rise blood pressure. Patients who suffer from hypertension or other cardiovascular diseases, it is better to abandon it;
4. To perform the following exercises should lie on its side, lying on the floor bend the leg at the knee and the other slowly raise and hold at the top. It is important that the angle when you perform on each leg was the same;
5. For this exercise you will need a chair. Sitting on it, legs alternately straighten up, rise up and linger for as long as possible in an erect position;
6. It is useful to rise on tiptoes, holding the back of a chair or bed. As when performing other exercises, you need to stay at the top for a few seconds and additionally to strain the muscles of the legs;

The doctor will be in office a few sessions will show basic techniques that the patient could massage the problematic knee of their own. Competent actions improve the condition of the damaged area.

Physiotherapy treatment

We should not think that physical activities relate to the subsidiary methods of influence on the patient's joint. In the initial stages of the disease physical therapy provides significant relief to the patient, removes pain, reduces muscle spasm and accelerates the recovery of knee function. Moreover, some types of therapy allow you to enter the medicinal substance through the skin, which leads to a reduction in the dose of the drug taken by the patient inside.

All methods of physiotherapeutic treatment can be divided into several groups:

1. Reduce the pain;
2. Reduce inflammation;
3. Reducing food joint and accelerate the restoration of joint function.

What kind of impact necessary the patient can identify the doctor based on the symptoms and comorbidities.

Surgery for osteoarthritis

Surgical treatment belongs to the most radical methods of partially or fully restoring the functioning of the knee joint. Surgical treatments differ from each other by the degree of intervention in the affected joint.

1. Arthroscopy is one of the most sparing methods of surgical treatment. This method has low invasiveness and can be used as a medical event even in the early stages of osteoarthritis. Its primary objective is to extend the service life of the damaged joint. Arthroscopy is performed using an endoscope – a flexible probe with a camera on the end. The knee joint is made small incisions, through which is introduced the endoscope and accessory instruments. During the operation, remove the damaged areas of tissue, causing pain. The operation is most appropriate for young adults and, if necessary, can be repeated several times.
2. Arthroplasty refers to the most radical surgical methods. When this occurs, full recovery of joint function by replacing the entire knee joint or part of the implant. This method is the best alternative to previously existing methods – the fusion (complete immobilization of the damaged joint). At the moment joint replacement provides up to 90% positive results and significantly improves the quality of life of patients.
3. Osteotomy applied in the case when the joint has developed significant deformation, and the function of the joint is noticeably suffers. Osteotomy involves creation of an artificial fracture in a pre-planned location. In the further part of the bone map in the correct physiological position and allow them to grow together. Sometimes during the operation, you can use artificial fixatives of bone fragments that contribute to a more sustainable position of the bone.

Diet

As for special diet for osteoarthritis, it is usually often aimed at reducing the weight of the patient, as in the majority of cases it is a lot of weight overloading of the joints. The diet involves eating small portions every 3 hours. For weight loss in daily diet you should add lean meat (chicken, Turkey, rabbit) and eliminating fat (lamb, pork). Vegetable proteins should come from legumes. For diet in the diet should be a substitute for refined crude oil, and also decrease salt intake.

Medical diet involves the failure or the minimal consumption of canned, smoked and fried foods (appetite suppressant). In order to restore destroyed cartilage, it is necessary to provide the body with complex carbohydrates (cereals, products made from wheat flour). In nutrition should also be included juices (carrot, beet, Apple). They will withdraw toxins from the body and will reduce the impact of inflammatory processes.

The diet should include fish and jelly that acts as a kind of cartilage and helps create new cartilage. It is worth remembering that diet cannot assign themselves the best variant will be able to choose only a dietitian (a specialist in diets).

Sample menu:

• Breakfast: oatmeal porridge on the water without butter and sugar, fruit juice, boiled egg;
• Second Breakfast: a glass of skim natural yogurt;
• Lunch: meat or fish, steamed, steamed vegetables, tea without sugar;
• Afternoon snack: cottage cheese pie with nuts, a glass of fruit juice;
• Dinner: vegetable salad, Apple, tea without sugar;
• Second supper: a glass of nonfat yogurt.

Prevention

Protect your joints, until such an unpleasant disease, like osteoarthritis, is not worried about you. The detection of symptoms of pathology, contact your doctor at an early stage, while the mobility and elasticity of joint tissue is not fully lost. Delayed treatment in advanced cases leads to disability.

Prevent joint disease:

• dose the load on feet during active sports;
• make a diet with the inclusion of foods containing calcium, magnesium, gelatin;
• if the work involves lifting, moving heavy objects, observe the safety rules, do not carry loads greater than a defined rate;
• take regular self-massage for prevention of osteoarthritis, particularly, with a constant load on the legs;
• eat right, limit "bad" foods;
• control of body weight (the extra weight of the additional load on the joints);
• regularly be surveyed and treat acute and chronic diseases.

Attention to the health of the musculoskeletal system provides activity at any age. The detection of osteoarthritis, consult a doctor. The treatment of arthritis at home – a mandatory element of successful therapy.

Forecast

Assuming the diagnosis of osteoarthritis of the knee in the early stages, the elimination of the causes of the pathological process and adequate treatment the prognosis is favorable. Ongoing therapy gives you the opportunity to achieve long-term remission, but treatment is usually lifelong. In the absence of necessary treatment, as well as failing patients prescription osteoarthritis of the knee causes the disability.