Osteoarthritis of the knee: symptoms and treatment, exercises, drugs

Osteoarthritis of the knee joint (also called knee osteoarthritis) is an injury to the knee joint, as a result of which the articular cartilage is destroyed, the knee is deformed, and movement of the knee is restricted. The article will help you learn more about the symptoms and start the necessary treatment in a timely manner.

Osteoarthritis of the knee joint

Specialists subdivide knee osteoarthritis into primary and secondary forms:

1. The cause of the primary form is a congenital anomaly of the joint, and the period of development of the disease occurs in childhood and adolescence.
2. The secondary form can develop at any age.

Experts call the main causes of the disease:

• bad posture;
• being overweight;
• various types of knee injuries;
• metabolism and mineral metabolism disorders;
• the presence of endocrine diseases;
• increased stress on the knee joints;
• impaired calcium metabolism due to the use of drugs containing hormones;
• meniscus removal operations;
• presence of arthritis;
• weak ligamentous apparatus;
• menopause and menopause in women.

Osteoarthritis of the knee joints can be bilateral or unilateral.

Stages of osteoarthritis and their symptoms

Depending on the symptoms and the approach to the disease, specialists divide the disease into 3 stages.

Initial stage or 1st stage of osteoarthritis

At this point, a slight pain appears with increased stress on the knee.The initial phase can last from 1 year to several years.In order to prevent the stage from getting worse, a number of steps should be taken to restore the deformed cartilage, strengthen the ligaments and restore movement to the knee.

At this point, prompt treatment will completely eliminate the pathology. But most of the patients ignore the symptom in the form of mild pain and therefore do not go to the doctor. Osteoarthritis of the knee is treated by an orthopedist, rheumatologist or surgeon.

Middle or 2nd stage of osteoarthritis

At this point, the symptoms of the disease are more pronounced and therefore it is impossible to ignore them. Doctors note that it is in stage 2 that most patients seek medical help. At this point, an accurate diagnosis can be made. Timely treatment allows you to stop the transition of the disease to the 3rd degree.

Serious symptoms include:

• painful knees with hypothermia;
• the presence of a slight crunch;
• swelling or swelling in the knee area;
• severe knee pain when climbing stairs or other forms of increased stress;
• pain and tingling in the calves;
• Stiffness in flexion and extension of the knee.

Last or third stage of osteoarthritis

At this stage, the consequences of the disease are irreversible, it is impossible to stop the development of the pathology. But the treatment will relieve the patient's condition for some time. In any case, you should not ignore the symptoms or treat yourself, as this can lead to a change in gait, walking with a stick or a handicap.

The main symptoms of stage 3, in addition to the above, are mentioned by doctors:

• pathology of the endocrine system (problems with the thyroid gland, diabetes);
• hereditary and age factors.

Diagnostic methods

The specialist makes a diagnosis on the basis of the anamnesis from the words of the patient and the results of laboratory and instrumental studies.

Laboratory tests include:

• complete blood count.With the help of research, you can identify the causative agent of the disease and assess the degree of inflammation.
• general urinalysisallows you to identify or exclude the autoimmune origin of the disease and assess whether the source of the pathology of the kidneys and urinary tract.
• biochemical blood test, which is divided into many others, the indicators of almost all studies are outside the normal range.

Laboratory tests are carried out during an exacerbation of the disease, since during remission all indicators are within normal limits.

Instrumental studies include:

• Radiography.It is performed in two projections - posterior-anterior and lateral. Usually, the doctor takes a photo of both knees to compare the affected and healthy knees.
• arthroscopy.This procedure should be understood not only as a search, but also as a mini-operation. The fact is that through a small hole in the knee, the doctor inserts a small LED driver inside, and a complete picture of the internal condition of the knee is displayed on the computer screen, the fragments ofresulting tissue is sent to the laboratory if a cartilage or malignant tumor is suspected. endoscopically, it is possible to correct the shape of the menisci, remove polyps and chondrophytes. In addition to the diagnosis of osteoarthritis, other diseases can be carried out and studied, since the knee joint is a large organ and allows you to get a complete picture of the state of the body.
• Ultrasound(ultrasound).This examination method has 2 important advantages over X-rays: it is harmless and helps to see the soft tissues of the joint thanks to its wide imaging capabilities.
• CT (computed tomography).The study is a form of x-ray of an improved form, because during this procedure the doctor takes several photos and thanks to them a three-dimensional image of the affected organ is created on thecomputer. This form is used less often than others due to the cost of time and a large amount of radiation.
• MRI (magnetic resonance imaging).Unlike the previous method, it is more harmless. In addition, MRI allows you to get a better image of soft tissue compared to CT scan. But MRI is as rarely used as computed tomography, since its use requires high material costs and cannot be applied to patients in whose body there are metal objects (pins, crowns). CT and MRI are contraindicated in people weighing more than 120 kg.
• scintigraphy.An expensive and radiation related method. Therefore, it is used in cases where less expensive methods are ineffective. In this study, a substance is injected into the patient's body which reacts to the diseased organ and is localized around it.
Tomography
• .The study is based on thermal radiation from the surface of the body. Usually, the affected organ manifests itself in the form of foci with increased temperature. The tomograph is a bulky instrument and the procedure is expensive, so this study is carried out only in large clinics.

Drugs to treat and relieve symptoms

Experts note that it is impossible to start treatment without relieving pain and eliminating inflammation.Therefore, doctors prescribe various non-steroidal (i. e. non-hormonal) drugs. But you cannot take them longer than the prescribed period, because this group of drugs does not cure the disease, but alleviates the symptoms and the disease progresses in the meantime.

Ointments for osteoarthritis

Treatment of osteoarthritis of the knee joint with symptoms of edema and pain is rarely done without ointments.

Unlike other forms of drug release, this group has obvious advantages:

• quickly reduces pain and inflammation;
• ease of use makes it easy to combine with other treatments such as physiotherapy;
• there is no negative effect on the liver.

Years of experience in the treatment of osteoarthritis and finding positive feedback in patients has revealed a number of effective ointments that have a warming vasodilator effect. They contain red pepper extract, bee and snake venom.

Gymnastics for osteoarthritis

Gymnastics is one of the important methods of treating osteoarthritis of the knee joint, which should be used during the period of remission after the symptoms of pain have been eliminated.

It contributes to:

• improve joint cartilage nutrition and overall health:
• pain relief;
• strengthen the muscles and ligaments of the knee joint;
• increased joint mobility.

In order to see a positive effect,should be exercised every day or every other day, increasing the load up to 30 minutes per workout.

1. Warm up. You should walk on tiptoes or heels for 3-5 minutes.
2. Pedal an imaginary bike 20-30 times (10-15 times with each foot).
3. Lying on your stomach, bend and straighten your knees 10 to 15 times. At each turn, hold the leg in this position for 5 seconds.
4. Extend your legs while lying on your back. Lift your leg and bend the knee. The heel should be parallel to the ground.
5. Lying on your right side, lift your left leg, pull it towards your stomach, then stretch it as far as possible. Go to the other side and repeat the exercise. Repeat 5-6 times for each leg.

The exercise must be canceled if:

• hernia of the abdomen or hips;
• cardiovascular disease;
• infectious diseases;
• blood diseases;
• rehabilitation period after operations.

Rub and compress

Various rubs and compresses are widely used in the treatment of osteoarthritis. Their significant advantages include the availability of ingredients and the absence of side effects.

• Garlic.Pour 1 head of vegetable with any vegetable oil (200 ml), cover and leave in a dark and cool place for 7 days. Then wash off the product overnight. To eliminate the specific smell, close the knee with a thick gauze bandage and rinse thoroughly in the morning with water.
• Egg.Mix the vinegar with 1 egg yolk 1: 1 and immediately rub some of the product into the knee. Apply 3 per week. After rubbing, wrap the knee with something warm.
• Honey.Mix 100 grams of honey and 3 grams of mummy and immediately rub the knee. Wrap the knee.
• Cabbage.Soak a piece of wool with the juice of a vegetable and apply to the knee.
• Oatmeal.Boil a regular porridge of 1 to 2 tablespoons of flakes in water. Do not boil the flakes for more than 7 minutes! Put the viscous product on a clean cloth and place it on the knee.

Wraps

Osteoarthritis of the knee joint (symptoms and drug treatment are shown above) can, according to experts, be cured by different types of wraps. The most effective are honey and herbs.

According to research, honey wraps help:

• to restore tissue and intra-articular cartilage destroyed by disease;
• eliminate pain and inflammation;
• burn excess cholesterol.

It should be noted that honey is most effective when combined with cinnamon.

Regarding herbal wraps, the above properties have:

• bark of willow, oak, birch, aspen;
• roots of valerian, comfrey, burdock;
• hops, birch, nettle leaves;
• wild rosemary and St. John's wort herbs;
• chamomile flowers, calendula.

Treatment of osteoarthritis of the knee by hirudotherapy

One of the most effective methods of treating osteoarthritis of the knee joint is hirudotherapy, that is, treatment with leeches. It can be used at the first symptoms and should be directed by the attending physician and under the supervision of specialists. Before the first procedure, you need to familiarize yourself with the contraindications.

Do not use leeches:

• children and the elderly;
• patients with decreased blood clotting, hypotension, severe exhaustion of the body, leukemia, anemia, gastrointestinal erosion, stomach ulcers, digestive system problems, cancer, tuberculosis, anemia and hemophilia;
• women during pregnancy and lactation.

For treatment to be effective, 1-2 procedures should be performed every 5-6 months.Treatment can be carried out more or less often - it all depends on the stage of the disease. If after 1 to 3 sessions the patient feels improvement and does not have allergic reactions, the treatment with leeches can be continued.

Otherwise the patient is given a 9 month break and if the allergy reappears or does not improve, then the hirudotherapy sessions are stopped. During treatment, the specialist treats the knee with an odorless agent, then checks the leeches that will be used for their suitability.

For this, the leeches are placed in a container filled with water. If the leeches stick to the walls, they can be used. The specialist places 2 to 6 leeches on the kneecap.

During sucking, leeches release a number of useful enzymes in the human body which will help:

• restore and strengthen the immune system;
• restoration of blood circulation and metabolic processes;
• eliminates swelling and sticking.

Hirudotherapy cannot be used as a separate treatment. For more effectiveness, experts recommend combining it with physiotherapy, physiotherapy exercises and taking medication.

Take turpentine and pine baths

Balneotherapy, that is to say the taking of various baths with therapeutic effect, is not the last place in the elimination of the symptoms of osteoarthritis.Experts note that there are many types of therapeutic baths, but turpentine and pine baths have shown special effectiveness. They can be taken not only at resorts, but also at home.

But despite their advantages, they should be removed:

• patients with heart disease;
• in the presence of oncological diseases, tuberculosis, varicose veins, diabetes mellitus, epilepsy, atherosclerosis, arterial hypertension,
• if the patient has had a heart attack or stroke;
• in the presence of skin diseases;
• for pregnant women.

For a turpentine bath, you need to mix 10 grams of baby soap, 0. 75 ml of salicylic acid and pour the mixture with 500 ml of boiling water. While the mixture is cooling, you need to fill the tub with hot water. When the mixture has cooled to 45 degrees, add turpentine and pour 15-20 ml of the mixture into the bath.

Due to the presence of turpentine, the temperature in the bathroom may appear high.Therefore, you should not increase the dose once more than 20 ml. Baths should be taken daily for 10-14 days, gradually increasing the dose of turpentine mixture to 80 ml in one procedure. After taking a bath, wash off the mixture in lukewarm water and put on warm clothes or lie down under a blanket.

For pine baths you need needles or pine branches. About 25 to 30 branches should be broken into small pieces to fit in the pot. Rinse the branches before preparing the broth, float and salt, pour water and cook for 5 to 10 minutes. Filter the finished broth and pour it into a bath of hot water.

Take a bath for 10 to 15 minutes.Then wipe dry and put on warm clothes. It is not recommended to perform physical labor and load the knees. The course of pine bath treatment can include 7-12 procedures, which can be taken every other day or every day. After six months, the course can be repeated. Such a procedure will prolong the period of remission and stop the development of the disease.

Use of chondroprotectors

Osteoarthritis of the knee joint (symptoms and treatment with folk remedies are listed below) cannot be cured without chondroprotectors - a group of drugs aimed at restoring cartilage tissue and its nutrition. All drugs in this group are divided into 5 groups. Medicines for the treatment of osteoarthritis belong to group 4.

They are made on the basis of:

• glucosamine;
• chondroitin sulfate;
• avocado and soy extracts;
• hyaluronate and hyaluronic acid;
• synthesis of glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate.

Chondroprotectors are prescribed by specialists in combination with anesthetic drugs.But, unlike the latter, the first should be taken throughout life, since only in this case it is possible to slow down the development of osteoarthritis and stop the'disability. The effect of taking chondroprotectors is not visible until after 2-8 days.

Preparations are available as gels, ointments, tablets and injections. An injection with a solution is given to the knee.

Diet: what foods are allowed, diet rules and rough diet

Excess weight negatively affects the development of osteoarthritis - the disease progresses faster than in patients of normal weight. Hence, overweight people are advised to shed those extra pounds. But at the same time, it is categorically impossible to starve and sit on mono-diets or diets with dietary restrictions.

Authorized products include:

• Hormone-free farm meat that can be boiled, baked, baked or steamed. If there is no access to farm meat, you can buy the usual meat, but you need to get rid of the skin and fat, because all harmful substances accumulate in it, which are fed orinjected into animals or poultry. It is better to limit the consumption of this meat to 1-2 times a week, and the rest of the time there are vegetable or fish dishes.
• fruits and vegetables that can be baked or simmered to your liking.
• all types of cereals (except instant cereals).
• products with pectin: currants, jelly on fructose;
• fermented dairy products;
• eggs;
• wholemeal bread and pasta.

Important to exclude from the plan:

• baked goods, sweets and white bread;
• alcoholic drinks and beer;
• various types of fast food and snacks;
• sausages and other types of finished meat products.

With osteoarthritis, 1200 Kcal should be consumed daily.You need to eat in portions, that is, every 2-3 hours in small portions.

Folk remedies

Osteoarthritis of the knee, symptoms and treatment can be easily achieved with traditional medicine:

• If osteoarthritis is accompanied by edema, a compress of blue clay will come to the rescue. For this, you need to dilute the clay with water to a cream state and put it on a dense fabric folded 4-6 times and fix it to the joint. Wrap the knee with gauze or other cloth so that the compress does not slip. Keep 2-3 hours and rinse with lukewarm water. The fabric can be washed and reused.
• Experts recommend to abandon natural tea and coffee and replace them with decoctions and infusions. For example, a decoction of lingonberries. For him, 2 tbsp. berries need to pour 1 liter. boiling water and let stand for an hour, wrapped in a towel. You need to drink 3-4 times a day.
• Massage ointment will help get rid of pain and inflammation at any stage of the disease. For it you need to mix with 50 grams of petroleum jelly, 10 grams of chopped hops, sweet clover and St. John's wort. You need to insist on the product for 2-3 hours in a dark place. Rub with light massaging movements. You can wrap your knee.

How long is the rehabilitation period

It is impossible to say unequivocally how long the rehabilitation of osteoarthritis will last, because the timing depends on various factors. For example, the patient's age and lifestyle, the degree and severity of the disease.

In general, the recovery period lasts 1-2 months, during which the patient with the help of specialists:

• suppresses inflammatory and pain syndromes;
• learns to exercise and adjusts nutrition.

In order for the period of remission to last as long as possible, the patient should exercise regularly and consult a doctor. Osteoarthritis of the knee joint with the elimination of symptoms and the right approach to treatment will keep you from going out of your usual rhythm of life.