How do you feel when you meet an old person with a cane on the street?Compassion, of course, and trust that you will definitely not be like that!
No young, energetic person imagines his old age with diseases or lameness;the imagination depicts a young, smiling pensioner who travels the world with healthy legs and a snow-white smile rather than a photo in foreign magazines.
But disease is an insidious thing.And especially joint diseases.Creeping up unnoticed, various diseases gradually destroy and deform the joints, one fine morning manifesting in pain and the inability to move normally.
Based on the number of requests for medical help, the leader among all joint pathologies is arthrosis of the knee joint (gonarthrosis, osteoarthritis of the knee joint).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 arthrosis of the knee joint and can it be avoided?Let's start by defining the disease.
Arthrosis of the knee joint (gonarthrosis, knee osteoarthritis) is a degenerative - dystrophic change of the joint 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 due to:
- Traumatic injuries of the knee joint.
- Excess body weight.
- Increased physical activity, including professional sports.
- Existing diseases (usually arthritis of various etiologies).
- Weak tape device.
- Metabolic disorders.
How does arthrosis develop?
Osteoarthritis of the knee joint is divided into grades 1, 2 and 3.Let's take a closer look at the distinguishing features.
Symptoms of stage 1 arthrosis of the knee joint
Gonarthrosis first presents with pain, which appears when walking on the stairs.A person feels discomfort in the knee joint, pain that makes it difficult to go down the stairs.In other situations, the pain almost does not appear, so the patient happily forgets about it or takes some therapeutic measure, completely trusting the advice of friends who "had it."
It is the frequency of occurrence of pain that postpones the visit to the clinic, which leads to the transition of the disease to the more serious, 2nd degree.
How does stage 2 disease manifest itself?
Stage 2 gonarthrosis is characterized not only by severe pain, but also by limited mobility of the joint.
The pain occurs more often, not only during exercise, but also at rest.
It becomes difficult for the patient to bend and straighten the knee, and a characteristic creaking sound can be heard in the joint during movement.
During a visual examination, swelling of the joint and slight deformation of the joint can be observed.
Patients in the clinic with 2nd stage of gonarthrosis, who are unable to cope with the excruciating pain on their own, and who are unable to move, consult a doctor.
Is grade 3 arthrosis synonymous with disability?
Stage 3 arthrosis of the knee joint is characterized by constant severe joint pain and loss of mobility.The X-ray examination shows dystrophic changes in the cartilage tissue and severe deformation of the joint.The so-called deforming arthrosis develops.
The pain caused by arthrosis usually worsens at night and becomes most intense in the early morning hours.
A patient with grade 3 arthrosis can only walk with the help of a cane, do you remember our old man from the introduction?That's exactly him.
Treatment tactics for arthrosis of the knee joint
The process of treating arthrosis is a long process and requires endurance and patience from the patient.The basic principles of gonarthrosis treatment are as follows:
- Regularity.
- An integrated approach.
The treatment of arthrosis must be carried out under the guidance of a doctor.It is he who gives recommendations on how to treat and treat the disease, which must be followed very carefully.You can add traditional methods to your prescription, but only after your doctor's approval.
The beginning of the treatment of gonarthrosis, like any other disease, begins with the organization of a gentle treatment regimen.With gonarthrosis, a gentle system is created for the diseased joint.Physical activity and prolonged walking are excluded if possible.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
- Pain relievers and antispasmodics are prescribed to relieve pain.
- Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are very popular.Medicines belonging to 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.NSAIDs relieve the condition of patients, but do not eliminate the causes of gonarthrosis.Medicine entrusted this mission to another group of drugs - chondroprotectors.
- The effect of chondroprotective drugs is based on restoring the normal production of synovial fluid and damaged cartilage tissue.Medicines are very effective in the treatment of 1st and 2nd degree gonarthrosis.
- Therapeutic ointments, gels, creams.It is applied locally, used for rubbing and poultices.The pharmacy chain offers a huge selection of drugs from this group;when buying, it is not the advertising popularity of a specific ointment that is guided, but the recommendations of the specialist.
- In case of worsening of the disease, not only exercise, but also massage and physiotherapy are excluded.They cannot be used during the acute period due to increased pain.As soon as the pain subsides, massage, exercise therapy and physiotherapy methods should be added to the drug treatment.The following procedures are well proven in the treatment of gonarthrosis:
- Laser.
- SMT.
- Electrophoresis.
- Magnetotherapy.
- Ozokerite.
Unfortunately, in the 3rd stage of the disease, treatment with chondroprotectors has no effect.
Traditional medicine and gonarthrosis
In folk medicine, there are many different recipes for the treatment of arthrosis of the knee joint.
Herbal decoctions:
- cranberry,
- blueberry,
- thyme,
- corn silk,
- golden mustache
Taken orally, it is used as a poultice.There are also methods that use alcohol tinctures for rubbing:
- bitter pepper tincture,
- fly swatter tincture,
- wood lice tincture.
Poultices made with medical bile, apple cider vinegar, cabbage and honey poultices are also used in folk medicine.There is even a way to treat sore joints with raw fish tied to the sore spot overnight!But we don't think there will be many fans of this recipe.
Important!Whichever folk remedies you choose, be sure to discuss the appropriateness of using them with your doctor!
How to prevent the development of gonarthrosis - preventive measures
Preventing arthrosis of the knee joint is not difficult if you start thinking at a young age.How are the prevention rules developed?It's very simple.Read about the causes of the disease and do everything you can to avoid them, namely:
- Do not overeat, follow a gentle diet and the principles of proper nutrition.
- We distribute physical activity wisely.
- Don't get too cold.
- Treat all diseases in a timely manner.
- Avoid injury.
- Do gymnastics.
- Contact a specialist in time.
At first glance, the recommendations are quite simple.And if you follow them, gonarthrosis will not threaten you.And you don't have to worry about advancing age - after all, we agreed at the beginning of this article to travel around the world on our own feet!