Knee osteoarthritis or gonarthrosis mainly affects women, usually after the age of forty. At an earlier age, such pathology can develop as a result of injury or professional sports. Particularly severe course of the disease is observed in overweight people or suffering from varicose veins of the lower extremities.
The onset of the disease is characterized by the appearance of moderate knee pain during movement, especially when walking up stairs. Also, pain can occur if a person stands for a very long time or gets up after a long stay in a sitting position. At rest, the pain usually subsides. Acute and intense pain in osteoarthritis of the knee joint does not occur spontaneously, it is usually preceded by long-term discomfort when walking, physical activity. Gradually increasing pain is one of the main signs of gonarthrosis.
Stages of the disease
First stage
In the initial stage of development of gonarthrosis, the bones in the knee do not change their shape, only swelling of the joint can occur, usually associated with the accumulation of fluid in the knee. If its amount exceeds the permissible level, edema develops affecting the back of the leg. In this case, you can relieve puffiness with the help of anti-inflammatory drugs.
Second stage
The next stage of osteoarthritis of the knee is characterized by a significant increase in pain intensity. The pain is felt even after a light load, a crunch appears in the knee joint, which intensifies if the disease progresses. The patient bends his legs with difficulty, has severe pain, to the point of complete inability to bend it at the knee. Also in the second stage of the disease, the joint begins to change its shape, which becomes quite noticeable on palpation - you feel the expansion and swelling of the joint bones. Synovitis is much more pronounced at this stage - the appearance of puffiness as a result of fluid accumulation.
Third stage
The third stage of the disease is characterized by the appearance of severe pain, which occurs even at rest. The patient has long been looking for a suitable position in which the pain will be less. With impaired blood circulation, pain can bother a person even during sleep, causing a painful sensation in the joint. The mobility of the joint is minimized, a person is often unable to keep the legs upright and is forced to bend it when walking. With significant deformation of the bones, the gait becomes agitated, a change in the shape of the lower limbs becomes noticeable.
How to recognize osteoarthritis of the knee joint?
The patient is initially referred for a blood test, followed by X-ray, magnetic resonance imaging, or computed tomography.
In some cases, ultrasound or arthroscopy may be prescribed (examination of the joint with a special device through a small incision).
During the X-ray examination, the stage of development of the disease is determined, the image shows changes in the joint and bones, as well as the distance between the bones. In the early stages of the disease, the changes in the cartilage tissue are not seen on an X-ray.
Ultrasound, like computed tomography, allows you to identify abnormalities in the soft joint tissues and determine the amount of fluid accumulated during the development of synovitis.
How is osteoarthritis of the knee treated?
Osteoarthritis of the knee is treated by specialists such as a rheumatologist or orthopedist. At an early stage, the disease is in most cases treatable without surgery, but treatment must be comprehensive and qualified. In the second and third stages it is impossible to return the joint to its previous form without surgery, it is only possible to improve the condition of the periarticular tissues.
Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are widely used to reduce inflammation and pain in osteoarthritis of the knee. After reducing the pain syndrome, the patient may be prescribed massage, therapeutic exercises, physiotherapy procedures.
Drugs that are part of the chondroprotector group and provide cartilage tissue repair are also used to treat gonarthrosis. Such preparations also help maintain the elasticity of cartilage, saturating its tissue with moisture. In the first and second stage, chondroprotectors have a gradual effect, the treatment is quite long and can even last a year or a year and a half. Taking glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate together has a greater effect. In the third stage, such drugs are no longer able to have a positive effect.
Drugs that dilate blood vessels have a good effect in the treatment of osteoarthritis. They are able to improve blood circulation in the joint and relieve spasm in small vessels, which helps to restore the affected joint. It is recommended to combine the use of such drugs with the use of chondroprotectors. To relieve painful muscle spasm, the patient may be prescribed muscle relaxants. Such drugs are used only in combination with chondroprotectors and traction of the joints. Dimexid compress also has a positive effect in the treatment of osteoarthritis, which reduces inflammation and relieves pain, especially when fluid accumulates. To prepare such a compress, you need to mix one tablespoon of boiled water with a tablespoon of dimexid. Then moisten a medical bandage in the resulting solution, then place it on the affected joint and cover with a plastic bag and diaper on top. The duration of the procedure is from twenty to sixty minutes, once a day, no more, for two to three weeks.
All drugs are used in the absence of contraindications, strictly according to the doctor's prescription. Osteoarthritis of the knee joint requires medication and physiotherapy and therapeutic exercises.