Everything about knee arthritis: what it is, symptoms, causes, treatment, prevention

8 April 2021

Arthritis, gonorrhea, and osteoarthritis are synonymous with the definition of the same disease: deformation changes in the cartilage tissue of the knee joint.

The human knee joint is composed of three bones: femur, tibia and the bone. At the point of contact with each other, these bones are covered by cartilage tissue, which ensures smooth sliding of the surface between them.

Over time, this cartilage becomes thinner and loses its flexibility and elasticity. Synovial fluid nourishes cartilage; the shock-absorbing properties of joints depend on the quantity and quality of this synovial fluid.

Initial symptoms and signs

It most often occurs in people between 45 and 50 years old. This disease is typical for both men and women, but "weak sexual behaviors" are more likely to suffer from this disease.
At the onset of the disease, the patient experiences tolerable pain in the knee joint area, and over time, severe pain develops.
The intensity of the pain changes: with exercise, physical activity, it becomes stronger, at rest-the pain disappears.

If you do not pay attention to these symptoms of an upcoming disease in time, the disease will begin to develop, which can lead to disability in severe cases.

When contacting a doctor, X-rays can definitely diagnose arthritis. The picture shows a narrowing of the joint space inside or outside the joint. But over time, the pathological process will capture the entire joint. Along the edge of the joint surface, osteophyte-bone growth can be seen.

The main signs of knee arthritis:

During the day, the pain increases; during the night, when resting, the pain decreases. However, if there is venous insufficiency, then there will be dull pain at night.
Muscle tension in joints
When walking, I heard a creaking sound in the knee joints

In severe cases of the disease, deformation and swelling of the affected joints are observed, and their volume increases
Joint pain on palpation
The pain will increase when trying to move the knee pad
In the late stages of the disease, muscle shortening occurs and the patient is unable to put the leg in the correct position
If left untreated, joint mobility will be reduced or completely lost

What is knee pa hip joint disease?

Usually, you can hear the diagnosis of "pat hip joint disease" from a doctor-what is it? Indeed, there is no such arthritis in the International Classification of Diseases. Few people know that arthritis of the knee joint begins with the development of of femoral syndrome.

This syndrome occurs when a part of the body is often overused or repeatedly injured. In other words, pa femoral arthropathy is the same as pa femoral syndrome.

The main causes of the disease are:

Congenital and acquired deformities of the lower limbs;
various abnormalities in the bone development;
Regular knee overload (for example, athletes).

Knee femoral arthropathy has the following clinical manifestations: pain in the anterior area of the knee joint, which increases significantly with physical exertion (running, jumping, up and down stairs, various squats). When the patient’s leg is bent over and sits down, the pain also worsens. The patient may feel the tension and stiffness of the knee inside and in front of the knee.

It is clinically diagnosed as syndrome femoral syndrome, and other studies are usually not required.

Usually, this disease does not require special treatment. However, in order to reduce the pain and have undesirable consequences (the bone is unstable, the knee joint is deformed, the inflammatory exudate builds up), the following steps must be performed:

Reduce physical exercise. This does not mean that the patient will have to live a passive lifestyle, but the level of activity should not be painful.
Use a special bandage to tie the knee joint area during exercise or tension to support and fix the bone;
For patients with obvious pain syndrome, glucocorticoids and anesthetics are injected into the painful part of the joint through precise injection, which will reduce the pain and avoid the use of anti-inflammatory drugs in the future.

If pa femoral arthropathy has caused knee complications or accompanied by other degenerative dystrophic diseases, treatment should be carried out according to the treatment plan for knee arthritis.

the reason

Occupational diseases of athletes refer to increasing pressure on the knee joints. Athletes are injured, minor joint injuries, bruises and ruptured ligaments. After retiring from sports, the muscle framework is weakened, which leads to the development of the disease.
Increased life expectancy and physical exercise for middle-aged people
People who "put work time on their feet" have increased knee exercise
Genetic susceptibility
Congenital diseases of joints and bones
Lack of collagen
Knee injury
The excess weight puts more pressure on the knee joint
Acquired joint disease
Knee surgery

In order to obtain a positive therapeutic effect, it is necessary to conduct clinical and radiological examinations to reveal the several stages of the disease:

Knee arthritis 1 degree. . . The joint space is slightly narrowed, the surface edges are slightly sharpened, and movement is slightly restricted. During the arthroscopy, the doctor will check the softening of the cartilage.
Second degree knee arthritisIts characteristic is that the movement of the knee joint is obviously restricted and tightened. These images clearly show that osteophytes and joint spaces have shrunk by 2-3 times. Small cracks were observed on the surface of the joint.
Knee Arthritis Grade 3-This has completely restricted movement. When the joint deforms, deformation and compaction, osteophytes and cysts are observed on the joint surface. Cartilage tissue varies throughout its thickness.
Knee Arthritis Grade 4-Arthroscopy showed no cartilage tissue at all.

medical treatement

In the comprehensive treatment of knee arthritis, drug therapy occupies an important position. Combining it with physical therapy procedures, therapeutic exercises and manual therapy can achieve very good results and even restore limb function.

When diagnosed with knee arthritis, medical treatment helps to eliminate pain, normalize blood circulation in the problem area, improve metabolism and cartilage nutrition, activate the recovery process, and increase joint mobility.

Since it is impossible to apply other treatments in the context of severe pain, the patient is first prescribed analgesics and anti-inflammatory drugs. However, it is not recommended to use such funds for a long time, because in addition to side effects (often negatively affecting the digestive system), they may also cause dehydration and further damage to cartilage tissue.

Cartilage protective agents are used to restore cartilage nutrition, regenerate cartilage plates and improve the quality of synovial fluid.. . . This group of drugs is injected directly into the sore joints and is the safest for patients. The chondroprotective agent immediately falls into the affected area to protect the joint from damage and help restore its function. One of the disadvantages of this method is that it takes too long to wait for results-the patient may only notice the improvement after a few months. In addition, if the disease is in the third stage and the joints are almost completely destroyed, it is not recommended to take chondroprotectants.

Use various ointments and creams to relieve pain, relieve swelling and improve joint mobility to a certain extent.Various warming agents help relax ligaments and muscles, improve blood circulation and speed up the metabolism of joints. But they cannot be used in cases of inflammation, in which case it is proven to use non-steroidal anti-inflammatory gels and ointments.

Compression cannot be ignored-they have penetrating power, improve blood circulation, have anesthetic and anti-inflammatory effects, and accelerate the metabolic process of cartilage.

Therefore, for people who are found to be suspected of knee joint disease or arthritis, you should not delay medical treatment-drug treatment, start in time and choose the right one, can save the joint and help avoid surgical treatment.

Drugs for treating knee joint arthritis

Without the use of drugs, the treatment of knee arthritis will never be completed.

The main purpose of drug therapy is to eliminate inflammation and pain, improve local blood circulation and nutrition of articular cartilage, activate metabolic processes and restore joint mobility.

What drugs are prescribed for knee arthritis?

In order to successfully treat the disease, you should first relieve the pain and eliminate the inflammatory process. For this, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are used. However, you should not be swallowed up by these funds-using them for a long time will obscure the true clinical picture of the disease.
In order to restore the cartilage surface of the joint, restore its structure, nourish the cartilage and improve the production of fluid in the joint cavity, a cartilage protective agent is used. These drugs work very slowly, so before the patient sees real improvement, you will have to receive a course of chondroprotective agents for 2-3 years, which takes about a year.
In order to improve the patient's general condition and relieve pain, gels and ointments can be used in combination with other drugs. If the arthritis is accompanied by synovitis, ointments based on non-steroidal anti-inflammatory substances should be used first.
Intra-articular injections are used to provide emergency care for joint disease. The most commonly injected corticosteroids or hyaluronic acid.
For local treatment, it is necessary to prescribe medicinal compresses-dimethyl sulfoxide, pyrite and medical bile. Dimethyl sulfoxide has the ability to penetrate the skin barrier, that is to say, its effect is directed at the site of inflammation. The substance has analgesic, anti-inflammatory, absorption properties, and improves metabolism in its application areas. Bischofite (an oil derivative) also has an anti-inflammatory effect on the affected area and has a warming effect. Medical bile has the same properties as dibisulfite and dichromite, but its use is restricted by certain contraindications. Patients with pustular skin diseases, elevated body temperature and lymphadenitis should not take medical bile.

Before starting any medication for knee arthritis, it is necessary to consult a doctor to discuss the dosage, administration characteristics, and course of treatment.

Knee injection for arthritis

Intra-articular injection is one of the effective methods to treat knee arthritis. This rather expensive procedure significantly reduces pain and inflammation, and new modern drugs not only improve the patient’s general condition, but also treat the affected cartilage tissue.

Joint injection in the knee joint is a very difficult process. Therefore, even if the patient knows what medicine to inject and how much medicine to inject, they should consult their doctor.

For intra-articular injections, the following drugs are most commonly prescribed:

Corticosteroids. These are the most common remedies, because the effect of introducing these measures can be achieved within a few minutes. However, corticosteroids can reduce inflammation and pain, and have a negative impact on the joint itself-cartilage tissue is still degrading. In addition, this group of drugs can cause blood vessels to narrow, which in turn can destroy joint tissue. Therefore, it is reasonable to use corticosteroids only when unbearable pain occurs in the final stage of the joint. The injection can be repeated every two weeks.
Chondrprotectants and enzymes. Unlike hormones, they do not reduce inflammation, so it is meaningless to administer it when the joints are swollen. But they have a regenerative effect and can partially restore cartilage tissue. These drugs are particularly effective in the early stages of arthritis. The course of treatment is 5-10 injections.
Hyaluronic acid. A very effective, but at the same time expensive drug. Its effectiveness lies in the fact that the composition of the acid itself is similar to the natural lubrication of the joint. After the drug with hyaluronic acid is introduced into the knee, the friction of the affected joint surface is reduced, and the mobility of the knee is improved. Such an injection is very effective in the initial stage of arthritis, but the effect observed in the second stage is slightly worse, and in the arthritis of the third knee joint, this drug can only temporarily relieve the patient's condition. The course of treatment usually involves three to four injections a year.

It is strictly forbidden to inject knee arthritis under the following conditions:

Infection of the skin or subcutaneous tissue in the expected area of the injection;
septicemia
Infectious arthritis;
hemophilia;
The presence of a virus infection;
Lack of results from previous injections;
Personal intolerance to drugs.

Intra-articular injections for preventive purposes are also unacceptable.

Orthopedic knee pads

In the treatment of knee arthritis, knee pads are used to prevent various injuries, support damaged tissues and reduce joint pressure.

Orthopedic knee pads are basically the same as elastic bandages. However, compared with the latter, the knee brace has its advantages: it does not need to be strapped several times a day, it will not slip or hang, and the correctly installed knee brace will not squeeze the legs, and will not cause swelling and other unpleasant consequences for prolonged squeezing.

The orthopedic knee brace for knee arthritis has the following functions:

Reduce inflammation and pain;
Relieve swelling;
Reduce stiffness and tension;
Normalize blood circulation;
Promote free movement of joints.

When choosing orthopedic knee pads, you should pay attention to the following characteristics:

Knee pad type-choose according to the severity of the pain. There are several types of knee pads:
- Closed-used when the location of the pain cannot be determined;
- Adjustable open tension-used during rehabilitation and for minor pain;
- Open with spiral reinforcement-pain during the process of ascending and descending stairs;
- Clearly express-for different types of pain;
- Support the tendon-use if the pain is under the bone.
The material of the knee pad is very important, because not only the degree of fixation, but also the strength of the heating effect depends on it. Modern knee pads are made of cotton, Lycra, nylon, neoprene, spandex, camel and dog hair.
The size of the knee pad is calculated separately for each patient.

The doctor will help determine the parameters of future purchases-he will not only choose the size and type of knee brace that best suits the patient, but he will also suggest which material is the most effective.

Orthopedic knee pads for joint disease can be purchased in pharmacies or specialized medical equipment stores, and the price is acceptable. You should beware of buying such products in non-professional stores or suspicious companies, because you can easily buy counterfeit products, and if such counterfeit products do not cause harm, it will certainly not help.

Proper nutrition

Nutritionists have been studying the nutritional characteristics of various ethnic groups for many years. Comparing the cuisines of various countries, scientists are trying to understand the influence of people's dietary preferences on the occurrence of certain diseases. For common diseases such as knee arthritis, many such studies have been conducted.

Many theories have been proposed and many different assumptions have been made. For example, at one time some people thought that the use of tomatoes would help the development of diseases, and then some people suggested that eating salt was the "culprit" of joint disease.

In the twentieth century, the situation deteriorated sharply as the disease progressed.

Proper nutrition is the key to joint health.

In order to prevent the development of the disease, it is necessary to understand that nutrition plays a key role in knee arthritis. In terms of diet, the consumption of meat products in fast food should be minimized. These products are:

Semi-finished products made from meat production waste: sausages, sausages, all kinds of sausages, etc.
Smoked meat sold in stores (in most cases, such products are prepared using chemical methods, not in smokehouses).
Instant meat-ham, bacon (in this case, the manufacturer will not hesitate to use flavor enhancers and dyes).
fast food.

Of course, not everyone can give up the above food. Over the years, many people have developed a habit of smoking smoked sausage sandwiches or boiled sausages every morning. In this case, we recommend that you buy a piece of meat in the market, roast it in the oven with spices, cut it into small pieces, and use it as the basis for a sandwich. This "fast food" will not harm the body.

Therefore, we find it best to refuse semi-finished products, smoked meats and fast food. But what if the meat is injected with a syringe?

Of course, the ideal choice is to buy meat from a reliable supplier, but under urban conditions, this suggestion is not feasible.

In this regard, it is necessary to use this cooking method to destroy as many harmful chemical compounds as possible. Sometimes just using this factor can achieve excellent results in anti-arthritis.

How to properly cook food for knee joint arthritis

It should be remembered that nutrients used for knee arthritis should not be rich in fat.

Therefore, when preparing food, it is necessary to cut the visible fat from the meat and remove the skin from the poultry. A lot of harmful substances are concentrated in fat.

Cooking, stewing, baking and steaming with foil are the healthiest ways to prepare food.

If the knee joint has arthropathy, you should not eat jelly and jelly meat. There is a view from the "Grandma in the Yard" series that these dishes are good for joints, but this is not the case. People with joint disease will only get worse because of high cholesterol levels.

Broth and soup should be eaten as little as possible. Even if the first soup is drained, there will still be a lot of unhealthy fat in the second soup. It is best to get used to vegetable soup, which is so popular in Western countries. Mushroom soup also helps.

Trying to replace the meat in the soup with dry soup and cubes will not bring any benefit: these products contain a lot of chemical ingredients.

Las, the fish sold in our market must also be injected with dyes and preservatives, which are harmful to knee arthritis. Therefore, you should buy live fish whenever possible. Obviously, not everyone has enough money to do this. The above methods will help to properly cook frozen fish.

Prevent knee arthritis

Since the disease is unlikely to worsen living conditions, the cause of arthritis must be eliminated. Preventing the disease is much easier than dealing with expensive and long-term treatments.

You need to lose weight.
The joints require constant physical activity: skipping rope, squatting, trotting. But everything should be modest. Excessive exercise can also cause illness. There should be enough rest for the alternating loads of the joints.
As the knee is injured, the joint will develop. When skiing, skating, riding a bicycle or roller skating, you should wear padded knee pads. At the time of sale, there are enough fixed knee pads and sheep wool thermal products for you to choose from.
If the weight exceeds your strength, please don't neglect the help of others.
Eat more vegetables and fruits. It should be noted that vegetarians do not actually suffer from joint disease. Use olive oil or mustard oil instead of mayonnaise. Plums, dried apricots, apricots, apples, raspberries, cranberries and honey are particularly useful.
Strong tea and coffee will wash away a lot of calcium.
Homemade cheese and cheese will help strengthen bones.
Can walk with crutches to avoid knee overload.
The shoes should be comfortable and the heel should be small.
Swimming and water aerobic exercise can reduce the pressure of the whole body and reduce the fatigue of the knee joint.
Among vitamins, vitamin E is particularly useful, it can prevent the destruction of cartilage tissue.
Vitamin C is involved in the synthesis of cartilage tissue.
Due to the lack of vitamin D, the disease progresses faster.
Calcium helps keep bones strong. Sesame and celery seeds are high in calcium.

By following these simple rules of a healthy lifestyle, you can avoid serious illness. And in the case of disease manifestations, they will slow down the development of the pathological process.