Our joints are very healthy. The ends of the bones fit exactly to each other and are covered with cartilage from above for better gliding. The joint itself is protected by the joint capsule and the ligaments and muscles strengthen it in the front, back and sides. Inside the joint capsule is a special fluid that provides smooth movement without jerking, creaking and creaking. This is how healthy joints work. And what happens to them with osteoarthritis?
How and why osteoarthritis occurs: obesity, trauma, arthritis
For starters, how does osteoarthritis differ from arthritis? Arthritis is inflammation of the joints and can be treated and cured until complete recovery. With osteoarthritis, the cartilages on the articular surfaces of the bones deform, thin, lose elasticity, become covered with cracks and become stratified, the amount of synovial fluid decreases. And these changes are already, unfortunately, irreversible. Therefore, this disease is called degenerative, that is, destructive. The destruction of the joint is affected by age: over time, the cartilage wears out, but at the center of it all is our upright posture, as a result of which a large load is placed on the knee joints.
Gonarthrosis is osteoarthritis of the knee joint. This type of osteoarthritis is more common in women and is aggravated by obesity and venous disease. Many older people suffer from osteoarthritis, which is explained by age-related changes in the joint. At a young age, osteoarthritis can occur with joint injuries during sports or with high physical exertion. In addition, the development of arthrosis is affected by weakness of the ligaments and muscles in the knee area, a sedentary lifestyle, arthritis, stress and metabolic disorders and in everyday life - high-heeled shoes and carrying weights (for example, shopping bags). Joint damage is bilateral, but it can also develop on one leg.
Manifestations of arthrosis: pain, crunching, stiffness
Knee pain, crunching, stiffness when flexing and extending the joint, in particular, when a person stands and sits - all these are signs of osteoarthritis of the knee joint. However, the pain doesn't come suddenly. At the beginning of the disease, it is rather discomfort in the knee, which turns into pain with heavy exertion, running and exercise. If the pain is acute, it can be associated with dislocations, sprains, damage to the menisci (elastic cartilage padding in the joint).
With 2nd degree osteoarthritis, pain in the knee becomes a frequent companion, it is especially noticeable after long walks, weight lifting. If you give the joint rest, the pain disappears, but returns again when the load is resumed. A further symptom of osteoarthritis is swelling of the knee joint. In addition, there is an excessive accumulation of joint fluid (synovitis), a characteristic crunch during movement, in which pain and therefore limited mobility in the knee occurs. The patient is unable to bend and bend the leg easily. Trying to straighten it completely causes severe pain.
When osteoarthritis reaches the third degree, the knee joint sometimes completely loses its mobility. People walk with their legs slightly bent at the knees, suffer from aching pains that often occur when the weather changes, and can haunt at rest, even at night. Patients should resort to pain relievers. At this stage, it is also possible to change the shape of the legs: they bend outwards (legs with a wheel) or inwards. It is not uncommon for people to rub their sore knees, intuitively trying to improve blood flow in them.
Treatment of osteoarthritis: lose weight, movement is life
The diagnosis of osteoarthritis is made by X-ray examination. Typical changes are the narrowing of the joint space, the appearance of osteophytes (salt deposits), the destruction of bones. Many patients turn to their doctor at a time when it becomes problematic to fall asleep at night without anesthesia. Despite the fact that the changes in the joints are irreversible, there are some things you can do to improve the patient's life. Treatment for osteoarthritis begins with weight loss. In addition, it will be necessary to rely on a rational and not too caloric diet, since the possibility of physical activity is limited. This is the first thing any doctor will tell a patient with osteoarthritis of the knee joint.
The second aspect of osteoarthritis treatment is, oddly enough, movement. When the changes in the joints are not yet fatal, not in the last stage, just the movements - but the movements are correct! - can extend their life. There are no blood vessels in the cartilage, nutrition is by diffusion, and for the exchange to proceed, so that the cells are renewed and the cartilage can live, movement is necessary.
But which movements should be considered correct? Of course, those who do not load the knee joint. Let's not torment the reader: the best sport for osteoarthritis is swimming. This is an excellent training of ligaments, cartilage, muscles without vertical load, which is given by walking and standing. It is necessary to avoid running, playing sports, jumping. Yes, joint pain and will not allow you to speed up particularly.
The second method of movement is suitable for those who visit the gym or have bought a simulator called an ellipsoid at home. It looks like a standing bicycle and a cross-country ski at the same time. When we work on this simulator, we avoid shock loads on the knee joints and at the same time train muscles and ligaments. The ellipsoid moves smoothly, but provides a non-weak aerobic load, therefore, by training on it, we also solve the problem of excess weight.
Medical and surgical treatment of the knee joint
As for the medical part of osteoarthritis treatment, it is the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs for pain. Your doctor will help you choose a dose that will remove both pain and inflammation (and will still be present) and swelling. Sometimes analgesics are added, as the pain can be very severe: they interfere with sleep, interfere with eating, and generally interfere with life. In some cases, it involves prescribing antidepressants.
If, despite all efforts, the described treatment of arthrosis does not help and the destruction of the joint continues, leading to complete immobility (and, as you know, the less we move, the faster the fat layer grows), there is a radical remedy - surgical replacement of the diseased joint on the prosthesis. It consists of an imitation of the extremity of the femur (upper) and the menisci, which adapt to the surface of the tibia (lower). The operation is not simple, but consolidated and, one could say, routine. There are many in the world. After surgery, a rehabilitation program was developed that allows a person not only to start moving, but to return to an active and full lifestyle.