While walking or running, our knee joints are subjected to constant stress and strain, which often causes pain. The most common topic of referral to health professionals is knee pain. After physical examination, the usual diagnosis is the initial stage of knee arthrosis. How to determine the cause of pain and what to do to eliminate it?
Unfortunately, it is impossible to answer these questions that affect almost everyone. The problems of the knee joint are so varied and the reason for their occurrence is that conclusions should not be drawn hastily.
Today we will talk about the most common of these causes, which result in a pathology such as the early stages of arthrosis. In addition, we describe its symptoms and methods of prevention and treatment.
Main cause of knee arthrosis
There is another medical term for such a joint lesion without an inflammatory process - it is gonarthrosis. Gonarthrosis can subsequently lead to deformation and destruction of cartilage in the joints, leading to pain syndrome and limiting its mobility.
The cause of arthrosis or gonarthrosis of the knee joint can be divided into two stages:
- is initial, i. e. , one that results from an existing joint pathology;
- is secondary, that is, as a result of acquired injuries or infections.
Let's stop at stage 1. This form of initial pathology is quite common and can appear very early. It is not caused by the natural formation of the surface tissue of the joints or by a person’s tape device. It is only natural that the degenerative joint is disproportionately strained when walking, causing pain and devastating consequences.
Section 2 covers injuries and mechanical effects of various degrees of damage to health. These can be bruises, fractures, sprains, and displacements of the knee joint. The consequences of surgery are possible, which always lead to the destruction of the integrity of the knee. High levels of sports exertion, excessive obesity that does not match body proportions - all of these factors that provoke the initial stage of knee arthrosis.
Otherwise, being overweight not only provokes the disease, but also creates an unfavorable background that contributes to the formation of excessive pressure on the articular cartilage in the knees and completely disrupts the metabolism.
However, fluid accumulates in the joint cavity of the knee, leading to additional complications that also become a stage of arthrosis. This includes previous operations or diseases on the legs that involve prolonged spasms of blood vessels or leg muscles - deformation is inevitable!
Usually, unilateral gonarthrosis results from traumatic effects on the knee or hip joint. If this is the effect of being overweight, it is bilateral.
Main Signs of Knee Arthrosis
This process does not happen immediately. Usually, for a long time, for the first time, a person feels a slight discomfort in the area of the knee joint, and only after years do these feelings become severe pain. Overweight people over the age of 40 and suffer from additional burdens in the form of varicose veins, much prone to the early stages of knee arthrosis.
Let's look at the order of the traditional stages of the disease:
- Long or beginner. Periods of one to several years are common. Sometimes not very sharp pains are observed in moments of stress on the knee.
- Second or critical stage. Here, any sharp movement of the knee joint already has a noticeable characteristic crackling accompaniment. The volume of motor activity decreases and visually determines the growth of the knee, indicating its deformation and possible accumulation of fluid in the joint cavity.
- Accordingly, the last stage of knee arthrosis, even at rest, is characterized by an acute painful condition of the knee joint. By this time, the stage of arthrosis will become chronic, the person will react painfully to all weather phenomena, and his gait will receive a specific "duck" movement, "wading. "In this case, the patient's legs are bent at this stage.
With osteoarthritis of the knee due to injury, these stages listed above begin to pass even faster.
Prevention and treatment of the initial stage of knee arthrosis
It should be borne in mind that all therapeutic measures depend entirely on the degree of knee damage. However, the effectiveness of treatment can only be achieved if the cause of arthrosis disappears. If this process is in the early stages of development, complete healing is possible! With a chronically advanced procedure, only the more or less prolonged resting phase of the diseased organ can initially be achieved.
Complex therapy is required to restore deformed cartilage, strengthen ligaments, and increase motor activity. This includes not only medications but also hand massages, physiotherapy procedures and, if absolutely necessary, surgery.
The choice of drugs can in no case be independent, as the self-treatment of such a complex disease has serious consequences. The main focus of medication is to relieve pain, localize the inflammatory process, and neutralize the stage of arthrosis. For this purpose, special preparations may be prescribed for introduction into the cavity of the knee joint. The appointment of hormonal drugs is not excluded.
Devices used to relieve vascular spasms and relax muscles are used for active blood circulation in the affected area. In addition, preparations are prescribed for vitamin supplementation and cartilage tissue repair.
The complex of preventive measures and treatment of the initial stage of knee arthrosis should include a relaxing hand massage. It can be used to increase the volume of movement, remove seizures and increase blood circulation, and adjust the position of joints and bones, including the hip bones.
If the initial stage has long developed into irreversible damage to the knee joint, then a radical correction of the deformed organ, namely implantation (prosthetics), is performed. Today, there is only one way and it is used to replace a destroyed joint - to fit a metal endoprosthesis. Such implantation is by no means durable and its cost is so high that there is no need to talk about mass application of this method.
Important!If you do decide to go to the operating table, keep in mind that knee replacement and rehabilitation are interrelated. You have to work hard to get to a good level.
Treating the initial stages of arthrosis also involves a complex of rehabilitation therapy that absolutely covers the full spectrum of treatment - from physiotherapy and physiotherapy practices to kinesitherapy. The concept of kinesiotherapy includes specially designed exercises using loads of varying severity and medical simulators.
If necessary, it is recommended to use a cane, crutch or orthosis to reduce the pressure on the knee - the so-called knee pads, which soften the load while moving. A large number of simple and complex recipes of traditional medicine have been successfully used to treat any stage of arthrosis.
Different compresses and ointments can be based on natural ingredients, from animal hair and medical bile to herbal preparations. For the most part, prescribing traditional medicine is quite effective as it aims to eliminate the symptoms of knee joint disease and the painful feelings.
Additional prevention methods
First of all, it is a complete and balanced diet. In addition to protein and carbohydrates, the diet should include the optimal content of vitamins and trace elements. However, it is highly recommended to avoid bad habits and try to normalize your weight.
The general nutritional guidelines for the prevention of arthrosis are as follows:
- avoid red meat;
- Rejection of high-fat foods;
- Using foods containing jelly meat and similar cartilage and gelatinous ingredients as part of their recipe;
- increase in consumption of clean spring water up to 2. 5 liters;
- Complete rejection of alcoholic beverages and regular intake of vitamins A, D and B
It is highly recommended to go through your wardrobe to exclude uncomfortable shoes such as one-sided worn or high-heeled shoes. Watch your posture to avoid crossing or fitting your legs in a sitting position. Protect your joints from prolonged cooling and hypothermia. Avoid stressful situations and don’t get nervous about little things.
Try to lead a healthy lifestyle in which your body is in good shape. In addition, such physical activity, which would correspond to the condition of the knee and hip joint, is extremely important. This is why self-control and increased caution are required during sports, before lifting weights or performing certain exercises intensely.
Once the initial stage of the disease has been established, the most important preventive condition is to prevent the disease from progressing further, as if the process starts, it can lead to disability. With timely detection and prevention of arthrosis, there is a high probability of complete recovery.
Be sure to consult your doctor before treating any illness. This helps to take into account individual tolerance, confirm the diagnosis, ensure that treatment is appropriate, and rule out negative drug interactions. If you use prescriptions without consulting a doctor, it is at your own risk. All information is for informational purposes only and is not medical advice.