Osteoarthritis of the knee joint is very common in the elderly, especially in women. It is also diagnosed in young people. This disease significantly reduces the quality of life and, if not treated properly, can lead to disability.
How to recognize osteoarthritis? What are the causes of this disease? How to cure it?
signs
Osteoarthritis is a lesion of the hyaline cartilage of the joint. This cartilage is gradually being destroyed. First its structure, density changes, then it becomes thinner. In severe cases, cartilage may be completely absent.
There is always quite a strong load on the knee joint, as it is one of the major structural elements of the lower limb. Therefore, the signs of osteoarthritis of the knee joint are noticeable even with minor joint damage.
In osteoarthritis of the knee, the symptoms are associated with pain and gradual loss of knee function.
There are three stages in the development of the disease. Each of them has characteristic symptoms and requires appropriate treatment.
First stage
The first stage in different people may be of different duration. In some, the changes in the joint progress rapidly and after a few months the disease progresses to the next stage. In others, dystrophy of the structure of cartilage tissue is slow, years pass before new symptoms appear.
Signs of the first stage of osteoarthritis of the knee:
- Periodic pain in one or both knees. It usually occurs in the morning when you are trying to take your first steps, during a long stay in an upright position, or when walking up or down stairs. The reason for the appearance of particularly pronounced pain is the descent down the stairs. There is no pain at rest.
- There are frequent complaints of a slight feeling of stiffness during intense movements in the joints. But changes in the amplitude of movements are not observed.
- There may be a slight deformity due to fluid in the joint cavity, but the bone is not changed.
All these symptoms indicate the need to see a doctor. If you start treatment at this stage, there is a chance not only to stop the process, but also to begin recovery processes in some parts of the cartilage.
Second stage
If you do not seek medical help, the disease progresses to the next, second stage. At the same time, the old symptoms worsen and additional complaints appear.
Signs that osteoarthritis is advanced in the second stage:
- The pain intensifies. It appears with every movement of the legs. When walking for a long time, lifting heavy objects, the discomfort is especially pronounced. At rest, the pain gradually subsides.
- When moving there is pain and crunch from the affected joint.
- The range of possible movements begins to decrease, which can cause discomfort. When a person tries to bend the leg at the knee until it stops, he either fails or the bending causes sharp pain.
- During the examination, the doctor noted small changes in the shape of the joint. If an X-ray is taken, it will be seen that the joint space is too narrow and growths are forming on the bone edges.
- A large amount of fluid may accumulate in the joint cavity. This can be established during diagnostic procedures and during a routine examination.
Most often patients go to the doctor at this stage. In this situation, it is very difficult to achieve a significant recovery, but some positive changes are possible.
Third stage
The third stage is characterized by severe destruction of cartilage and is the most severe. Complaints and results of examination of a patient with osteoarthritis of the third stage:
- Severe, almost constant pain in the affected joint. When you try to move, it intensifies. At rest, even in a supine position, the pain does not disappear, so there are problems with sleep.
- Movement in the joint is very limited.
- Often the knee "freezes" in a slightly bent state. This affects the shape of the patient's legs and gait.
- Examination shows marked deformation of the joint and bones.
- X-ray shows a lack of cartilage in many areas of the joint surface, bone sclerosis. The joint space is sharply narrowed, a large number of osteophytes are found.
The treatment of these patients is particularly difficult. You may even need surgery.
The reasons
The causes of osteoarthritis of the knee joint are very diverse. Very rarely, a person diagnosed with this disease has only one factor that caused the pathological process. In most cases, the changes in cartilage are due to a number of reasons. The more risk factors, the more intense the destruction and loss of functionality.
Most often arthritis is provoked by such characteristics of the body and circumstances:
- age-related changes in the structure of the musculoskeletal system;
- knee injuries, as well as operations that may cause joint damage;
- too much load on the lower limbs;
- congenital anomalies of the musculoskeletal system or metabolic processes;
- inflammatory processes of various etiologies in the knee.
Let's take a closer look at these groups of reasons.
Age changes
Most often, osteoarthritis of the knee develops after 40 years. This is due to the fact that at this and older age the structure of bone and cartilage tissue becomes more fragile, their resistance to stress decreases. Therefore, even long walks can be difficult to tolerate from the joints of the lower extremities.
Changes in the musculoskeletal system in women during menopause are particularly pronounced.
During this period, the level of estrogen, which previously protected bones from calcium loss, gradually decreases, they become more vulnerable.
Injuries and operations
In young people, osteoarthritis can occur due to trauma. It could be a broken leg, a sprained knee, a torn ligament or a severe bruise. The longer the time from the time of injury to proper care, the greater the risk of complications and osteoarthritis in the near future. Therefore, even with minor knee injuries, you should go to the hospital.
There is also a high risk of developing osteoarthritis after knee surgery. The removal of the menisci is especially dangerous. After such an operation, osteoarthritis occurs in approximately 80% of patients.
Traumatic osteoarthritis usually develops rapidly. Therefore, in such cases, surgery may be necessary.
Overload
Excessive strain on the knees is observed in athletes who are professionally engaged in sports related to running, jumping, weightlifting. The older a person gets, the more carefully he should choose the options for physical activity in training. Especially dangerous for the knees are squats, sudden movements and jogging on paved paths.
Excessive strain on the joints of the legs is typical for people suffering from obesity. Then its own weight creates too much pressure on the cartilage and bones, which leads to their rapid wear.
Congenital pathologies
If there are pathologies in the musculoskeletal system and metabolic processes, it can also affect the knee joints.
Congenital pathological conditions that mean a high risk of developing osteoarthritis:
- anomalies of the knee joint;
- flat steps;
- disorders of salt metabolism;
- ligament weakness.
If you are aware of such problems, it is important to be especially careful about knee pain, not to ignore them and try to work closely with doctors.
Inflammatory phenomena
In arthritis of various etiologies, a large amount of fluid may accumulate in the joint. This leads to the fact that blood circulation is disrupted, nutrients do not reach the bones and cartilage, the structure of cartilage tissue is destroyed. As a result, secondary osteoarthritis develops.
Inflammatory processes in the vessels of the legs that feed the knee are no less dangerous. When they are blocked by a blood clot, the blood supply decreases sharply, which leads to degenerative processes in cartilage.
Treatment
Therapy is prescribed taking into account the degree of development of the disease, its causes and the general condition of the body. Principles of arthrosis treatment:
- pain reduction;
- improved supply of cartilage with nutrients;
- stimulating the recovery processes;
- increase the space of the joint space to reduce the pressure on the damaged cartilage;
- strengthening and restoring the functions of the muscles around the joint;
- maximum recovery of motor skills.
There are several options for treating osteoarthritis of the knee. They usually involve a set of therapeutic procedures.
What can be prescribed to treat this disease:
- Therapeutic exercises. They are selected by the orthopedist for each patient individually. If you try to build a complex yourself, get involved in pain, joint damage will progress.
- Diet.
- Surgery, prosthetics.
- Drug treatment: non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (tablets or injections), painkillers, chondroprotectors, injection of glucocorticoids or preparations with hyaluronic acid in the joint.
- Additional procedures: hirudotherapy, massage, magnetic therapy, heating with paraffin or ozokerite, electrophoresis, manual therapy and others.
If you feel pain in the joint, you should see a doctor. Timely treatment is the key to successful treatment.