Among the many diseases of the joints, osteoarthrosis is the most common.With the development of this pathology, the patient begins with problems of mobility of the limbs, swelling, inflammation and intensive pain syndrome.And if we are talking about the causes of osteoarthritis of the knee joint at a young age, they may include many predisposing factors.
general information
The development of deformation processes in the field of knee articulation in official medicine is called gonarthrosis.The disease is accompanied by dystrophic degenerative phenomena in hyalin cartilage, which develop in stages and offer many problems to the patient.The main signs of the disease include:
- Pain syndrome.
- Moving station.
- Inflammation.
- Edema.
Among the different forms of osteoarthritis, damage to the knee joint is considered to be the most common.In most cases, the problem is growing in women aged 40.It can also manifest itself in young people in the context of mechanical injuries or colossal stress.For example, professional athletes are the most vulnerable to this pathology.
If you do not take appropriate measures in the first stages of the development of the disease, then over time, gonarthrosis will transform in a serious form, which will result in irreversible consequences.The dimensions of the joint will start to increase at incredible speed, the deformation process will start in cartilage and bones, and all physical activity will be accompanied by intense pain and discomfort.In the worst case, the patient will completely lose the opportunity to move independently.
Many mistakenly think that osteoarthritis and arthritis are the same pathologies.However, the first disease implies an acute inflammatory reaction and the second - a number of chronic diseases with a degenerative nature.If the patient has the symptoms of the two problems, it can be diagnosed with arthroso-arthritis.
The causes of osteoarthritis of the knee joint
The causes of the disease are very different, it is therefore problematic to distinguish only one.In most cases, the development of the problem occurs with the appearance of several factors causing a violation.Modern medicine identifies these osteoarthritis mechanisms:
- Primary.It is a natural process that occurs in people aged 40 years and is explained by the aging of body tissues.The main mechanism for osteoarthritis development is also contributed to related factors, including obesity, heredity or high charges.
- Secondary - It covers 30% of all osteoarthritis diseases.The cause of the occurrence is associated with the transfer of mechanical injuries, the fractures of the low leg or the ruptures of the ligaments.The first symptoms of pathology may appear a few years after damage.However, with serious injuries, this can occur after 2 to 3 months.
There is another development mechanism, which holds 7 to 8% of osteoarthritis cases.It's as follows: if a 40 -year -old person has suddenly started running or professional sports, this can cause rapid dystrophic and degenerative changes.In addition, osteoarthritis also manifests with concomitant diseases, including different forms of arthritis, drop, overweight, etc.
The reasons for the development of the disease are often associated with intense charges, weight lifting or frequent increases on stages (especially in old age).Patients who have undergone vertebral lesions or neurological diseases also fall into the risk zone.
In most cases, the predisposing factor of the occurrence of gonartrose is muscle spasm on the anterior surface of the thigh.Since the appearance of the first pain, the pathology may not manifest itself for a long time, and the only signs will be fatigue and gravity characteristic of the legs.
Development and symptom stages
After understanding what osteoarthritis of the knee joint appears, you can start studying the main symptoms and stages of the development of the disease.Experts argue that pathology is characterized by slow progression, as negative symptoms increase.Depending on the patient's ability to work, three stages of osteoarthritis are distinguished:
- First of all.
- The second.
- The third.
It should be noted that gonarthrosis has no acute shape of course, because it is a degenerative process of a chronic nature.As for the term "acute osteoarthritis", in most cases, it concerns the third step with weighted symptoms.
The first step
At the first stage of gonarthrosis in the joint, the circulation of a special liquid begins to be disturbed, which nourishes and lubricates it.The special changes in the structure are not noticed and the cartilage fabric is slightly inflamed.
The initial stage of osteoarthritis development is accompanied by slight discomfort and a feeling of stiffness during movement.The patient becomes problematic to climb the steps, do remote shopping or stand for a long time.All increased activity leads to the appearance of pain in the knees.However, at the slightest rest, pain syndrome is located and disappears.
A more in -depth progression of the pathology improves pain, but the patient's ability to work is in no way disturbed.In this regard, the patient continues to lead the usual lifestyle.
It is not easy to determine the development of osteoarthritis in the initial stages.The fact is that people may simply not notice the symptoms, all attributing to an overwork.
Second and third degree
Between initial symptoms and the transition of pathology to the second step can take several months.At the same time, the patient can forget the first symptoms for a while and continue to live an ordinary life.But the progression of degenerative changes will result in more serious consequences, namely:
- Improved pain at any charge.
- Moving station.
- Edema.
- Inflammation.
In addition to the symptoms described, a crunch in the knee joints will also appear, which is explained by a violation of the structure.The cartilage fabric will begin to become thinner and the volume of synovial fluid, which lubricates and nourishes the joint, will decrease considerably.
If the patient did not start treatment at the second stage of osteoarthritis, this will lead to the development of the third, more dangerous.It is a very neglected form of pathology, in which the articulation loses its basic functionality, and the patient's ability to work is in danger.
In this case, the content of the synovial fluid in the cartilaginous tissue becomes minimal, the cartilage loses its previous thickness and the bones thicken.In the affected area, a lymphatic fluid also appears and an inflammatory process is launched.
In an advanced form, gonartrosis has such symptoms:
- Excessively severe pain syndrome, which occurs in any movement.In addition, even if the patient is in a lie or sitting without activity, he can suddenly feel intense pain.
- The motor skills of the knee joint are greatly limited.
- The joint undergoes many changes, increases in size and deformation.You can notice such consequences to the naked eye.
As for acute pain syndrome at the third stage of osteoarthritis, it seems spontaneously and is practically not located by pain relievers available in pharmacies.In this case, the articulation prostheses are the only way to get out of the situation.
In particularly complex forms of gonarthrosis, experts distinguish another step in which the destruction of the joint bag begins.Unfortunately, in modern medicine, there is no effective way to treat pathology, which increased to 2 and 3 steps.In this regard, doctors recommend in time to get the clinic help if the slightest suspicion of gonartrose is detected.
Diagnosis
Taking an understanding of the causes of gonarthrosis, it is important to know the right diagnosis of pathology.After all, you must be able to distinguish it from other diseases that may have similar symptoms.
To determine the development of the disease, a complete examination is used, which includes a biochemical blood test, an radiography, an MRI and an ultrasound.It should be noted that with different stages of osteoarthritis, the composition of the blood remains almost similar, therefore any change compared to the standard indicates the presence of another problem.
As part of this feature, it is possible to make a precise diagnosis and determine the presence of gonarthrosis as using an X-Ray examination.The photo taken clearly shows violations in the structure of joints and bones, and also determines surface defects.
However, despite the great precision of the diagnosis, X -rays cannot study soft tissue, including cartilage and meniscus.As an additional product for diagnosis, ultrasound, MRI or CT are used.
If you determine the development of pathology over time and start a complete treatment, this will avoid the irreparable consequences and prevent the problem from going to more serious steps.However, due to the specific course of the disease, many patients do not even think that joint pain, stiffness and other changes are not the result of fatigue after hard work, but a sign from the beginning of degenerative processes.
Treatment methodology
Currently, there are many ways to treat gonarthrosis.They can differ in the principle of action, a list of tasks to be resolved, as well as the individual characteristics.For a more productive fight against the disease, a complete treatment is used, which aims:
- Location of pain.
- Improvement of mobile functions.
- Improvement of the condition of the tissue of the cartilage and the patient as a whole.
- Reinforcement of the muscular structure surrounding the affected joint.
The most common methodology to treat osteoarthritis is physiotherapy.It includes a set of special procedures that aim to strengthen muscle tissue and restore blood circulation.
During physiotherapeutic treatment, the patient notes a significant improvement in degenerative wells of wells and slowdown.However, it is strictly prohibited to start the procedure independently, because the poorly calculated charges can only increase the problem.
By trying to get rid of pain, relieve swelling and inflammation, it is necessary to use a number of non -steroidal type drugs.These include ibuprofen, ketoprofen, diclofen and others.The task of drugs is to quickly relieve pain for more productive treatment in the future.
If the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs gives no results, you will need to use the use of corticosteroids with a more pronounced anti-inflammatory effect.However, it is not recommended to use pain relievers for a long time, as they only reduce symptoms, slowing down the tissue restoration process.If after taking a tablet, the pain has disappeared, it is best to refuse drugs.
External funds and surgical intervention
The causes of osteoarthritis of the joint struggle using various ointments, compresses and creams.And although these drugs do not treat osteoarthritis, they improve the well-being of the patient and reduce pain.Among the most effective external means, warming and anti-inflammatory ointments are distinguished.
With the development of the second stage of the disease, the patient can prescribe intra-articular corticosteroid injections, namely:
- Betamethason.
When choosing the drug, it is necessary to take into account his tolerance by the patient.If we are talking about corticosteroids, they are able to effectively eliminate pain, but not to face the serious stages of osteoarthritis.
If the disease is in the last stage, which is considered the most dangerous, surgery will be the only way out.In this case, you will need to make surgical decompression of the joint bag to extend the light between the bones and restore the surfaces of the cartilage.
The question of whether this approach will be effective depends on many factors.First of all, you should take into account the severity of the disease.If it is not the most deplorable, it is quite possible to restore the old mobility of the joints and to get rid of the pain.
However, the endolori articulation will always be felt, so the patient should seriously revise his lifestyle.It will also be necessary to pay great attention to physiotherapy exercises, good nutrition and adequate physical activity.
As a prevention, it is recommended to abandon the consumption of savory or spicy foods, alcoholic beverages and cigarettes.Such actions will positively affect the condition of the body and save the joint of unnecessary loads.
The complete treatment of osteoarthritis compliant with the above recommendations is the best way to suspend a dangerous pathology and to restore the previous functioning of the knee joints.