If you hear a sting in the knee joint during movement, this is the first sign of a knee joint. Conservative methods of traditional and alternative medicine will help prevent cartilage destruction and maintain normal motor function. Treatment should begin immediately - only in this case, rheumatologists give a favorable prognosis.
What is a knee joint?
A non-inflammatory, degenerative-dystrophic disease that affects the largest joint, the knee, is called a knee joint. A rather unusual medical definition has a simpler "folk" meaning - "salt deposition". Although the clinical picture of joint arthrosis has little to do with the excess of calcified salts in the knee joint. They have no effect on the pathology and are a side effect of a metabolic disorder.
The development of knee joint arthroplasty is facilitated by negative processes in the vitreous cartilage, mainly poor blood circulation in small bone vessels. The lack of nutrients and oxygen carried by the lymph flow leads to destruction of the outer cartilaginous layer of the knee.
In the early stages, the disease is extremely difficult to diagnose. Deformation of the joint occurs slowly, until the vitreous cartilage of the vitreous is attracted in the process. The anatomical structure of the ligament is modified. Turbidity appears, the tissue thickens, becomes thin, cracks in all directions. The result of the pathology can be the complete disappearance of cartilage, which leads to neoplasms in the bone tissue and irreversible curvature of the knee.
Classification of the disease
The International Classification of Diseases divides the knee joint into seven explanatory subcategories:
- Primary knee joint on both sides. The diagnosis is most often made in women aged 70 to 74 years and in men aged 60 to 64 years. This places the disease in the "elderly" category.
- Another primary knee joint. Pathology of a knee joint, due to physical wear or with a background of other diseases.
- Post-traumatic knee joint. People of different age groups are affected with serious leg injuries.
- Other post-traumatic knee injuries. Unilateral, with a background of injuries and bruises on the limb.
- Other secondary knee joints are bilateral. It is the result of chronic, incompletely healed bruises, fractures or dislocations. It is most often diagnosed in athletes who have heavy loads on both feet - soccer players, athletes, skating.
- Other secondary knee joints. Unilateral development of pathology related to the profession. For example, miners, metallurgists, fishermen.
- Knee joint, unspecified. It is diagnosed with unexplained etiology of the disease, after excluding age, occupational and genetic predisposition.
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Causes
Osteoarthritis of the knee joint develops due to a disturbance of metabolism in the knee joint, which leads to a loss of softness and elasticity of the cartilage.
Destructive processes are caused by several reasons:
- Diseases of the thyroid gland, which violate the hormonal background.
- Reduced patency of blood vessels in the knee joint.
- genetic preparation;
- natural aging;
- Knee injuries in the past or present, of various origins.
- Obesity (over 20% of the norm), which puts a lot of pressure on the knee joint.
- Inflammatory diseases of the joints (polyarthritis, purulent arthropathy).
- Autoimmune diseases (rheumatoid arthritis);
- Specific infectious pathologies (syphilis, tuberculosis, encephalitis).
- Living in ecologically unfavorable areas, poor quality food and water.
Rheumatologists also identify several additional reasons that lead to the development of knee joint. Dysplasia in newborns. With this diagnosis, the joint wears out faster. Changes in the structure of collagen lead to violations of the protein located in the connective tissue.
Symptoms depending on the degree of knee joint
It is difficult to diagnose the early stage of knee arthropathy. Only the description of the symptoms by the patients themselves and the external examinations by rheumatologists make it possible to compile a clinical picture that differs for each degree of development of the knee joint:
- Knee joint I degree.Pulling pain in the knee, feeling of some stiffness, partial loss of sensation, difficulty in bending the leg, especially after prolonged immobility, inability to prolonged walking or running, slight swelling. As a rule, the symptoms disappear after rest or just anesthetics.
- Knee joint II degree.At this stage, it is already possible to identify the pathology on an X-ray examination. The pain becomes stronger and appears after each physical activity. The discomfort can still be relieved with rest. In the morning it becomes more difficult to straighten your legs, it takes some time to restore motor function. The discomfort is complemented by frequent cramps in the calf, especially at night. A crackling sound is heard during the movement. The swelling of the knee joint is intense. There are visible signs of deformity of the limbs.
- III degree of knee joint.There are irreversible changes in the knee joint. Cartilage abnormalities can be unequivocally identified on an x-ray. Knee pain becomes constant, acute. The leg stops bending at the knee. The patient can not walk without a cane or crutches. Swelling is important. The anatomical shape of the knee is smoothed and acquires a compact appearance. There is a primary curvature of the spine.
Diagnosis
For a correct diagnosis, a combination of clinical manifestations of knee joint and patient complaints is used. To clarify or rule out the causes of the disease, studies are performed in various ways.
Typical diagnostics are as follows:
- Making a memory of the disease. History of concomitant diseases, genetic predisposition, previous injuries and surgeries, professional activities, etc.
- External assessment of musculoskeletal deformity. Gait, posture, condition of the knee joint, curvature of the legs.
- General inspection. Palpation of the lower leg, thigh, damaged joint, determination of the location of the disease.
- Laboratory Tests. A general blood test gives data on the absence of an inflammatory process. If the process is present in the background of other diseases, then an increased rate of erythrocyte sedimentation in the blood will be observed. The level of protein, globin and fibrinogen will differ from the regulatory indicators. The biochemical composition will remain within the standard limits. If the development of the pathology is in the final stages, then a biopsy of the synovial fluid of the knee joint is performed.
- Instrumental research. X-ray is the main and most common method of diagnosing suspected knee joint. As a rule, a rheumatologist can easily identify changes in the structure of bone tissue from an image already at the beginning of stage 2 of the disease. The presence of lateral diseases and the causes of their appearance are diagnosed with the help of more modern and expensive equipment - magnetic resonance imaging, computed tomography, ultrasound, osteostinography, thermography.
Treatment of knee joint
Like all diseases of the joints, the knee joint requires systematic treatment, which is desirable to start when the first symptoms appear. In this case, the prognosis of treatment becomes favorable and guarantees a return to a normal lifestyle in a fairly short time.
Comprehensive treatment aims to eliminate the main signs of the disease:
- Discomfort, pain syndrome and muscle tone.
- Improving the motor function of the knee joint.
- Interruption of the cartilage destruction process.
- Strengthening the connective muscles.
- Restoration of normal blood circulation in the knee joint.
Medicines
Anti-inflammatory drugs
They help treat pain, relieve swelling caused by inflammation of muscle tissue.
Chondroprotective
Regeneration and repair of cartilage tissue is impossible without cartilage protectors. They are the main component of conservative treatment.
Vasodilators
They are used to improve the patency of intra-articular blood vessels.
Hormonal drugs
Reduce the production of the hormone cortisone, to prevent the development of inflammatory processes.
Hyaluronic acid injections
Used to restore intra-articular synovial fluid. Due to this, the friction between the joint parts is reduced, the motor function is normalized and the elasticity of the cartilage tissue is restored.
Anti-enzyme agents
They inhibit the activity of trypsin, thus preventing further damage to the joint. He was appointed to the band.
Physiotherapy
Physiological therapies have been used successfully for decades to treat osteoarthritis of the knee. It can be as a separate type of treatment, for prevention or during the recovery period. The same goes for a comprehensive approach to the disease.
Most often, the following types of procedures are prescribed by a rheumatologist:
- Electrophoresis with painkillers.
- Ultrasound treatment?
- Magnetotherapy?
- Laser exposure?
- Paraffin applications?
- Mud treatment?
- Therapeutic exercise (exercise therapy);
- Manual therapy, massage with medicated ointments.
Surgery and prosthetics
If the knee joint is in an advanced stage, the knee joint and cartilage tissues are destroyed, it is impossible to do without surgery. Otherwise, the person will remain disabled for life.
Modern medicine offers several ways to solve the problem:
- Arthrodesis. Complete removal of the affected tissues and the knee joint. The body is released from the focus of the disease, but the motor function of the limb is completely lost. It is used extremely rarely, if the patient has additional joint diseases.
- Arthroscopy. Damaged vitreous cartilage is removed. The operation is low traumatic, has a short recovery period. Suitable for patients whose progress has not affected the knee joint itself.
- Periarticular osteomy. A complex operation, the essence of which is the filing of deformed bones and shoots, with subsequent connection to the necessary anatomical structure.
- Endoprosthesis. The completely damaged joint of the knee is removed and a titanium prosthesis is placed in its place. An effective method that allows you to forget about kneeling forever. It requires careful preparation and long recovery.
Traditional medicine
The use of folk remedies in combination with conservative treatment can relieve external symptoms (pain, swelling). Recipes based on bay leaf, burdock root, asparagus, malt and hay have proven to be good. Ointments, creams, tinctures and decoctions are made from them.
These plants have anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties. Requires regular and long-term use to achieve visible results.
Ointments and compresses made on the basis of honey, with the addition of alcohol or apple cider vinegar, well relieve swelling and have a calming effect on the affected tissues.
A nutritional mixture is made from lemon and garlic, which is taken orally, one teaspoon each, after breakfast and dinner. Such a recipe has a general strengthening effect on the body, increases the patency of blood vessels and nourishes the joints with useful trace elements.
We must remember that home remedies do not remove the main problem - the pathological destruction of the knee joint.
Diet
Adherence to the diet is an integral part of complex therapy. Adjusting your diet will not only help you control weight, but will also provide your bones and joints with essential vitamins.
For a patient diagnosed with a knee joint, it is contraindicated:
- Fried, spicy, savory, pickled.
- Fatty broths;
- Sweet pastries.
- Fruit, high in acidic enzymes.
- Alcoholic beverage.
The menu should be supplemented with raw vegetables, fruits and herbs, low-fat sour milk products, bone broths and dishes containing gelatin (jelly, jelly).
Additional Methods
For the treatment of knee pain, it is necessary to undergo regular thermal treatment, at least once a year, if possible more often. The procedures of hydrotherapy, mud therapy and manual therapy are able to maintain the disease for a long time and prevent the destruction of the joint.
It will take the rest of your life to keep a sore knee in place. But it can be quite useful for the body as a whole. Review of diet, elimination of bad habits, sports, visit to resorts - the quality of life can be significantly improved.
We must remember that self-medication, ignoring the primary symptoms and unbearable pressure on the aching knee joint can very quickly turn a healthy person into a helpless person with a disability.