How do you feel when you meet an old man with a cane on the street?Of course, sympathy and also the belief that you will not really become like this!
No young, vigorous man has imagined his old age with sickness and lameness;Rather, the imagination depicts a young, smiling retiree traveling the world with healthy legs and a snow-white smile, like a photo in a foreign magazine.
But illness is an insidious thing.and especially joint diseases.Creeping imperceptibly, various diseases slowly destroy and deform the joints, manifesting one fine morning with pain and inability to move normally.
Among all joint pathologies, judging by the number of requests for medical help, arthrosis of the knee joint (gonarthrosis, osteoarthritis of the knee joint) is the leading one.According to statistics, every fifth inhabitant of the planet over the age of 40 suffers from gonarthrosis, and this disease "loves" women more than men.
What is osteoarthritis of the knee joint and is it possible to prevent it?Let's start with the definition of the disease.
Arthrosis of the knee joint (gonarthrosis, osteoarthrosis of the knee joint) is a degenerative-dystrophic change of the articular cartilage.
It can be primary or secondary, that is, it occurs against the background of other diseases.
Causes of arthrosis of the knee joint
Most often, gonarthrosis occurs for the following reasons:
- Traumatic injuries of the knee joint.
- Excess body weight.
- Increased physical activity, including during professional sports.
- Pre-existing diseases (usually arthritis of various etiologies).
- Weak ligament apparatus.
- Metabolic disorders.
How does arthrosis develop?
Osteoarthritis of the knee joint is divided into degrees 1, 2 and 3.Let's take a closer look at the distinguishing features.
Symptoms of stage 1 arthrosis of the knee joint
Gonarthrosis is first manifested by pain that occurs when climbing stairs.A person feels discomfort in the knee joint, pain that makes it difficult to climb stairs.In other situations, the pain almost does not arise, and therefore the patient happily forgets about it or takes his own therapeutic measures, completely trusting the advice of friends who "had it too."
It is the frequency of pain that delays the visit to the clinic later, which leads to the transition of the disease to a more serious, 2nd degree.
How is stage 2 disease diagnosed?
The 2nd stage of gonarthrosis is characterized not only by severe pain, but also by limited mobility in the joint.
Pain occurs more often not only during exercise, but also at rest.
It is difficult for the patient to bend and straighten the knee, and when moving, a characteristic crackling sound is heard in the joint.
During the visual examination, swelling of the joint and slight deformation of the joint are noted.
It is the patients with stage 2 gonarthrosis who turn to the doctor when they cannot cope with unbearable pain and limited mobility.
Is grade 3 osteoarthritis synonymous with disability?
The 3rd stage of arthrosis of the knee joint is characterized by constant severe pain in the joint and loss of mobility.X-ray examination shows dystrophic changes of the cartilage tissue and severe deformation of the joint.The so-called deformed arthrosis develops.
The pain of arthrosis worsens at night and becomes most intense in the early morning.
A patient with grade 3 arthrosis can only walk with the help of a cane, remember our old man from the introduction?This is exactly it.
Tactics of knee joint arthrosis treatment
The process of treating arthrosis is a long process and requires patient endurance and patience.The main principles of gonarthrosis treatment can be called:
- systematicity.
- An integrated approach.
Treatment of arthrosis should be carried out under the guidance of a doctor.It is he who should give you recommendations on how and how to treat the disease, which you should follow very carefully.You can also add traditional methods to your medical prescriptions, but only after your attending physician approves them.
The start of treatment for gonarthrosis, like any other disease, begins with the organization of a gentle regimen.A gentle regimen is created for the joint suffering from gonarthrosis.As far as possible, physical activity and long walks are excluded.You should limit the consumption of salt, sweets and fatty foods in your diet and include more vitamin-rich fruits and vegetables in your diet.
drug treatment
- Painkillers and antispasmodic drugs are prescribed to relieve pain.
- Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are very popular.Drugs of this group are not prescribed for long courses due to the abundance of side effects.Therefore, long-acting tablets or injections and injections are more often used for treatment.Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs alleviate the condition of patients, but do not eliminate the causes of gonarthrosis.Medical science assigned this mission to another group of drugs - chondroprotectors.
- The action of chondroprotective agents is based on the restoration of normal production of synovial fluid and damaged cartilage tissue.Medicines are very effective in the treatment of 1 and 2 degree gonarthrosis.
- Healing ointments, gels, creams.They are used locally, used for rubbing and compresses.The pharmacy chain offers a huge range of drugs of this group;When buying, you should be guided not by the advertising popularity of a particular ointment, but by the recommendations of a specialist.
- In case of exacerbation of the disease, not only exercise, but also massages and physiotherapy are excluded.They can not be used during the acute period due to increased pain.As soon as the pain subsides, massage, exercise therapy and physical therapy methods should be added to the medical treatment.The following procedures are well proven for the treatment of gonarthrosis:
- laser.
- SMT.
- electrophoresis.
- magnetotherapy.
- Ozokerite.
Unfortunately, treatment with chondroprotectors has no effect on the 3rd stage of the disease.
Traditional medicine and gonarthrosis
In folk medicine, there are many different recipes for the treatment of arthrosis of the knee joint.
Decoction of medicinal plants:
- lingonberry
- blueberry,
- thyme,
- corn silk,
- A golden mustache
It is taken orally and used for compresses.There are also methods of using alcohol tinctures for scrubbing:
- bitter pepper tincture,
- fly agar tincture,
- wood stain.
Compresses with medicinal bile, apple cider vinegar, cabbage and honey are also used in folk medicine.There is even a method of treating painful joints using raw fish, which is tied to the painful area overnight!But we do not think that there will be many followers of this recipe.
Important!Whatever folk remedies you choose, be sure to discuss the advisability of using them with your doctor!
How to prevent the development of gonarthrosis - preventive measures
Preventing the occurrence of arthrosis of the knee joint is not difficult if you think about it from a young age.How are prevention rules formed?very simple.Read about the causes of the disease and do everything you can to prevent them, namely:
- Do not overeat, follow a gentle diet and correct nutrition principles.
- We distribute physical activity wisely.
- Don't get too cold.
- Timely treatment of any disease.
- Avoid injury.
- do gymnastics
- Contact a specialist in time.
At first glance, the recommendations are quite simple.And if you follow them, you are not at risk of gonarthrosis.And you don't have to worry about age - after all, at the beginning of the article we agreed to travel around the world on our feet!