Knee osteoarthritis is a common disease of the musculoskeletal system, which is the complete destruction or deformation of the cartilage. According to statistics, it affects up to 22% of the world's population. Most often this disease occurs in the elderly or athletes. Everyone who encountered this unpleasant disease, the question arises: how to deal with osteoarthritis of the knee?
Osteoarthritis causes
Before you start immediately in the treatment of arthritis, you need to figure out why it was born. The reasons are very different:
- heavy load. Active exercise should be age appropriate. So after 40 years it is recommended to use moderate ranges, and a lot of. Not coping with a serious challenge, which is taken before older people, the joints can suffer damage. Sometimes there may appear microcracks, which is clearly not visible, and the damage they can cause enormous joint;
- injuries. This is the source of osteoarthritis in young people. Any fracture, dislocation or damage to the meniscus can cause of the disease. After all, in order to improve the damage, you need to fix the knee. The deterioration of blood circulation and lead to osteoarthritis;
- obesity and being overweight. The whole body weight down on the knee joint cartilage is destroyed with this load, which leads to disease. If, in addition to obesity, there is also the varicose veins, it can develop into a serious form of arthritis;
- violation of the metabolism. In such a situation is often the lack of calcium, which adversely affects the condition of the bone and cartilage tissue in General;
- the stressful situation. Anything emotional tension, stress negatively affect the health of people in the joints. To avoid this, it is more likely to relax, do not overwork, and constantly alternating mental work with physical.
Symptoms of osteoarthritis of the knee
Symptoms of osteoarthritis of the knee is quite diverse, but very specific:
- pain. The initial stage of the disease is quite weak and felt a strong physical exertion. Take this condition maybe a couple of years, until the disease does not weaken. When will the knee-joint 2 degrees, the pain becomes more intense. The knee may hurt even at rest after a long walk or lift heavy things;
- crunch. It is characterized by severe pain. Looks like 2-3 stages of osteoarthritis;
- the shape change. The initial stage of the knee is a bit swollen and then it began to change shape;
- limited mobility. It occurs in the later stages of the disease. All attempts to bend and straighten the knee causes a sharp pain. Movement is only possible with bent legs;
- a Baker's cyst. The so-called flexible seal behind the knee. It happens because of the accumulation of a large amount of synovial fluid. Easily treated without surgery.
The degree of osteoarthritis
- 1 the degree of osteoarthritis of the knee joint occurs almost asymptomatic. May be characterized by fatigue in the legs and short-term disruption of movement, which occurs after sleep. The pain may be minimal. Detect abnormalities possible only with the help of x-rays.
- 2 the degree of osteoarthritis of the knee pain becomes tangible. Occurs when long-term stress of the joint and disappears after a long rest. It added a crunch when walking, the progression of synovitis (Baker's cyst), change in bone joints, difficulty bending the knee.
- 3. the degree of osteoarthritis of the knee joint pain has a strong out loads. Another feature is the inability of man to bend the knee to their own. The pain was very disturbed during sleep, the affected area actively react to the changing weather. Deformation of the knee can lead to disability.
Diagnosis of the disease
For starters the attending physician to question the patient and examine him. When you have defined the study of radiography. In addition, the doctor may order MRI and CT. Such a set of procedures, you can find out the exact causes of the disease and understand that it is osteoarthritis and not another disease.
Ways to improve osteoarthritis of the knee
Once diagnosed, you can begin to control treatment. It includes several methods:
- Medication.
- Treatment of massage, physiotherapy.
- Surgery.
- Recovery.
Very important are physical therapy, massage and diet. Comprehensive treatment should be to remove pain, strengthen motor skills common, it is possible to restore the cartilage.
Treatment using drugs
Medicine is more focused on get rid of the pain, because it interferes with self start immediate treatment. You can do this, the doctor will prescribe painkillers and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, creams, gels.
When all of the above does not help, prescribe treatment. This can cause a lot of side effects. Therefore appoint only short courses of their application.
- Cream can relieve pain and relieve inflammation.
- Hyaluronic acid is very effective in the early stages of osteoarthritis. The drug is injected directly into the joint. This procedure should be performed only by a highly qualified expert. Indeed, in this case, the penetration of acid in the blood can be more complications.
- Symptomatic medication a slowdown can affect the very cause of osteoarthritis, especially in the early stages. The drugs, which restore the production of fluid in the joints and damaged cartilage.
Physiotherapy
This treatment is very effective in the early stages of osteoarthritis of the knee joint: relieve pain, help restore function to the joint, remove the spasm of the muscle. An individual exercise program will select the Doctor based on the survey results.
Surgery
Surgical treatment is different. It depends on the extent to which the intervention:
- arthroscopy. This procedure is performed by introducing the endoscope and tools, which is specially made holes in the joint. So out of the fabric, which became the source of the pain. The action is gentle and can be repeated several times. Is made up of the first stage of the disease;
- osteotomy. An artificial fracture of the bone tissue healed properly. Perform the same procedure to the deformation of the knee joint;
- internal prosthesis. This operation is to perform a complete replacement of the affected knee joint implants.
Proper nutrition
Very often the reason for the development of osteoarthritis can be simple failure of metabolism. Because it leads to weight gain and obesity, which becomes a cause of osteoarthritis. Therefore, during treatment, you need to follow a special diet.
The patient should eat foods rich in vitamins and trace elements, as well as counting calories. Eat often and in small portions, which speeds up the metabolism. Breakfast should be full and abundant store of energy throughout the day. Your daily diet must be present cereals, vegetables, vegetables, fruits and vegetables.
Shut out from getting needed fatty and spicy foods, sodas, processed foods. It is not recommended to use bananas, grapes, cabbage, tomatoes, peppers, all kinds of sweets and chocolate. Don't forget that this season more than ever need protein. Therefore, the use of cheese, yogurt, and cheese should be mandatory.
Dinner should be no later than two hours before bedtime. During the day it is recommended to drink up to two liters of water. Except, of course, if the patient does not suffer from kidney disease.
Traditional medicine
Cure for osteoarthritis of the knee joint can be cooked with his own hands. It can be all kinds of lotions, compresses, rubbing, lotion. But you need to use them only in combination with other drugs and only after consultation with your doctor.
- Dandelion. Its flowers are washed and eat up to 6 pieces a day. Again, the cooking broth. This dried dandelion fill in with boiled water. When it has cooled, drink 1/3 Cup three times a day. Also prepare a tincture of dandelion. For its preparation it is necessary to take a dark bottle, fill it with flowers and fill with alcohol. After a month of steeping can be used for rubbing the patient's joint.
- Aloe. Cleaned the disk can be fit to the knee all night. This helps to reduce the pain and remove the swelling. This plant is possible to prepare a tool for grinding. This coffee grinder ground a dozen leaves. When you squeeze the juice through cheesecloth and mix it with half a Cup of honey. Add 150 ml of wine and mix everything, put in a dark place. You need to use per month.
- Effectively compress can take the salt, mustard and sand. Mix all ingredients, heat the pan and fold the bag. Applied to the affected area. This method of treatment helps to activate the recovery process, improve blood circulation and relieve pain.