Our joints are very healthy. The ends of the bones fit exactly together and are covered with cartilage from above for better glide. The joint itself is protected by the joint capsule, and the ligaments and muscles strengthen it in front, behind and to the sides. Inside the joint capsule is a special fluid that provides smooth movement without jerking, cracking, or cracking. This is how healthy joints work. And what about osteoarthritis?
How and why osteoarthritis occurs: obesity, trauma, arthritis
To begin with, how is osteoarthritis different from arthritis? Arthritis is an inflammation of the joints and can be treated and treated until complete recovery. With osteoarthritis, the cartilage on the articular surfaces of the bones is deformed, thinned, lost elasticity, covered with cracks and formed in layers, the amount of synovial fluid decreases. And these changes are already, unfortunately, irreversible. Therefore, this disease is called degenerative, that is, destructive. Joint destruction is affected by age - cartilage wears down over time, but at the heart of it all is our upright posture, so a great 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 exacerbated by obesity and venous disease. Many older people suffer from osteoarthritis, which is explained by age-related joint changes. At an early age, osteoarthritis can occur with joint injuries during sports or with high physical effort. In addition, the development of osteoarthritis is influenced by weakness of the ligaments and muscles in the knee area, sedentary lifestyle, arthritis, stress and metabolic disorders, and in everyday life - high-heeled shoes and weight loads (for example, shopping pants). The defeat of the joints is bilateral, but it can also develop on one leg.
Manifestations of osteoarthritis: pain, cracking, stiffness.
Knee pain, crunching, stiffness during flexion and extension of the joint, particularly when a person stands up and sits down, all of these are signs of osteoarthritis of the knee joint. However, the pain does not come suddenly. At the beginning of the disease, it is more of a discomfort in the knee, which turns into pain with intense exertion, running and exercising. If the pain is acute, it may be associated with dislocation, sprains, damage to the menisci (elastic cartilage pads in the joint).
With second-degree osteoarthritis, knee pain becomes a frequent companion, it is especially noticeable after long walks, lifting weights. If you rest the joint, the pain goes away, but returns again when loading is resumed. An additional 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 occurs, and then limited mobility in the knee. The patient cannot 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 sharp pain that often occurs when the weather changes and can torment at rest, even at night. Patients must 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: weight loss, movement is life
Diagnosis of osteoarthritis is made by X-ray examination. Typical changes are narrowing of the joint space, the appearance of osteophytes (salt deposits), destruction of bones. Many patients go to the doctor at the stage where it becomes problematic to fall asleep at night without anesthesia. Even though joint changes are irreversible, there are some things you can do to improve the patient's life. Treatment of osteoarthritis begins with weight loss. In addition, it will be necessary to depend on a rational diet and not too high in calories, 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, curiously, movement. When the joint changes are not fatal yet, not in the last stage, just the movements, but the movements are correct! - can prolong your life. There are no blood vessels in the cartilage, nutrition is by diffusion, and for exchange to occur, so that the cells are renewed and the cartilage can live, movement is necessary.
But what movements should be considered correct? Of course, those that do not load the knee joint. Let's not torment the reader: the best sport for osteoarthritis is swimming. This is an excellent training for ligaments, cartilage, muscles without vertical load, given by walking and standing. It is necessary to avoid running, playing sports, jumping. Yes, joint pain and it will not allow you to accelerate especially.
The second method of movement is suitable for those who visit the gym or have bought a simulator at home called an ellipsoid. It looks like a standing bike and at the same time it is a cross-country ski. By working in 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 not 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 eliminate both pain and inflammation (and will continue to be present) and swelling. Pain relievers are sometimes 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 osteoarthritis 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 problem. Radical remedy: surgical replacement of the diseased joint of the prosthesis. It consists of an imitation of the end of the femur (upper) and the menisci, which fit on the surface of the tibia (lower). The operation is not simple, but it is well established and, one might say, routine. There are many of them in the world. After surgery, a rehabilitation program has been developed that allows a person not only to begin to move, but to return to a full and active lifestyle.