Osteoarthritis of the knee joint is very common in the elderly, especially women. It is also diagnosed in young people. This disease greatly reduces the quality of life and, if not properly treated, 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 destroyed. First, its structure, density changes, so it becomes thinner. In severe cases, the cartilage can be completely absent.
There is always a fairly strong load on the knee joint, because it is one of the great structural elements of the lower limb. Therefore, signs of osteoarthritis of the knee joint are evident even with minor damage to the joint.
In knee osteoarthritis, 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 can be of different duration. In some, the changes in the joint progress rapidly, and after a few months the disease passes to the next stage. In others, dystrophy of the cartilage tissue structure occurs slowly, years pass before new symptoms appear.
Signs of the first stage of knee osteoarthritis:
- Intermittent pain in one or both knees. It usually occurs in the morning, when trying to take first steps, during a long standing or when walking up or down stairs. The reason for the occurrence of particularly pronounced pain is the descent from the stairs. There is no pain at rest.
- There are frequent complaints of a slight sensation of stiffness with intense movements in the joint area. But no changes are observed in the amplitude of the movements.
- There may be a slight deformity due to fluid in the joint cavity, but the bone has not changed.
All these symptoms indicate the need to see a doctor. If you start the treatment at this stage, there is the possibility not only to interrupt the process, but also to initiate recovery processes in some parts of the cartilage.
Second phase
If you do not seek medical attention, the disease passes to the next second stage. At the same time, the old symptoms aggravate and further complaints appear.
Signs that osteoarthritis has passed to the second stage:
- The pain intensifies. It occurs with every movement of the foot. With prolonged walking, lifting heavy objects, discomfort is especially pronounced. At rest, the pain gradually subsides.
- When moving, there is pain and a creak from the affected joint.
- The range of possible movements begins to decrease, which can cause discomfort. When a person tries to bend their leg at the knee to the stop, they either fail or bend it causes severe pain.
- On examination, the doctor notes 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 form on the bone edges.
- A large amount of fluid can accumulate in the joint cavity. This can be detected during diagnostic procedures and during routine examinations.
Most often, patients go to the doctor at this stage. In this situation it is very difficult to achieve a meaningful recovery, but some positive changes are possible.
Third stage
The third stage occurs with severe cartilage destruction and is the most severe. Complaints and examination results of a patient with third stage osteoarthritis:
- Severe and almost constant pain in the affected joint. When you try to move, it intensifies. At rest, even in the supine position, the pain does not go away, so there are problems with sleep.
- Movement in the joint is severely limited.
- Often the knee "hangs" in a slightly bent state. This affects the shape of the leg and the patient's gait.
- On examination, a marked deformity of the joint and bones is noted.
- The radiographic image shows the absence of cartilage in many areas of the joint surface, bone sclerosis. The joint space is strongly narrowed, a large number of osteophytes are found.
Management of these patients is particularly difficult. Surgery may also be required.
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 the cartilage are due to a variety 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:
- changes in the structure of the musculoskeletal system associated with age;
- knee injuries, as well as operations where joint damage could occur;
- too much load on the lower limbs;
- congenital anomalies of the musculoskeletal system or metabolic processes;
- inflammatory processes of various etiologies in the knee area.
Let's take a closer look at these groups of causes.
Age changes
Most often, osteoarthritis of the knee develops after 40 years. This is due to the fact that in this and in old age the structure of the bone and cartilage tissue becomes more fragile, their resistance to stress decreases. Therefore, even long walks can be difficult for the joints of the lower limbs to tolerate.
Changes in the musculoskeletal system in women during menopause are especially pronounced.
During this period, the level of estrogen, which previously protected the 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 dislocated knee, a torn ligament, or a severe bruise. The longer the time from the moment of the injury to the correct care, the greater the risk of complications and the onset of osteoarthritis in the near future. Therefore, even with minor knee injuries, it is necessary to go to the hospital.
There is also a high risk of developing osteoarthritis after surgery in the knee area. Especially dangerous is the removal of the menisci. After this operation, osteoarthritis occurs in about 80% of patients.
Traumatic osteoarthritis usually develops rapidly. Therefore, in these cases, surgery may be required.
Overload
Excessive stress on the knees is observed in athletes who are professionally involved in sports related to running, jumping, weight lifting. The older a person becomes, the more carefully he should select options for physical activity during training. Especially dangerous for the knees are squats, sudden movements and jogging on paved paths.
Too much stress on the leg joints is typical for people suffering from obesity. So your own weight creates too much pressure on the cartilage and bones, which leads to their rapid wear.
Congenital pathologies
In the event that there are pathologies in the musculoskeletal system and metabolic processes, this can also affect the knee joints.
Congenital pathological conditions that carry a high risk of developing osteoarthritis:
- knee joint abnormalities;
- flat feet;
- salt metabolism disorders;
- ligament weakness.
If you are aware of such problems, it is important to pay special attention to pain in the knees, not to ignore them and try to work closely with doctors.
Inflammatory phenomena
With arthritis of various etiologies, a large amount of fluid can accumulate in the joint. This leads to the fact that blood circulation is disturbed, nutrients do not reach the bones and cartilage, the structure of the cartilage tissue is destroyed. As a result, secondary osteoarthritis develops.
No less dangerous are the inflammatory processes in the vessels of the legs that feed the knee. When they are clogged with a thrombus, the blood supply is drastically reduced, which leads to degenerative processes in the 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 treatment of osteoarthritis:
- pain reduction;
- better supply of nutrients to the cartilage;
- stimulation of recovery processes;
- an increase in the space of the joint space to reduce the pressure on the damaged cartilage;
- strengthen and restore the functions of the muscles surrounding the joint;
- maximum recovery of motor skills.
There are several treatment options for osteoarthritis of the knee. They usually include a complex of therapeutic procedures.
What can be prescribed to treat this disease:
- Therapeutic exercises. They are selected by the orthopedist for each patient separately. If you try to dial a complex on your own, feel pain, the damage to the joint will progress.
- Diet.
- Surgery, prosthetics.
- Drug treatment: non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (tablets or injections), pain relievers, chondoprotectors, injection of glucocorticoids or hyaluronic acid preparations into the joint.
- Additional procedures: hirudotherapy, massage, magnetotherapy, heating with paraffin or ozokerite, electrophoresis, manual therapy and others.
If you experience pain in the joint, you should visit a doctor. Prompt treatment is the key to successful treatment.