Arthritis of the knee joint

Arthritis is an inflammatory process of the knee joint. The disease proceeds slowly, constantly progressing and is accompanied by pain and discomfort during movement.

This disease can lead to disability, it affects people aged 25 to 35 years, after 40 years of arthritis the knee joint is affected by one in five women, and after 60 years this disease affects every second person.

It is important to know the symptoms of arthritis of the knee joint in order to be able to diagnose this insidious disease in time and start treatment with medications and folk remedies.

Causes

Most often arthritis of the knee arises from the entry of pathogenic microorganisms into the joint, where the development of the inflammatory process begins. This reaction is accompanied by redness of the skin on the diseased knee, an increase in its volume and impaired mobility. In most cases, puncture of the knee joint produces purulent contents.

Depending on how the pathological process developed, arthritis can be primary and secondary.

1. Primary- begins for no apparent reason. Symptoms of arthritis in the knee joint appear due to injuries, rheumatoid abnormalities and pus-forming microbes and infections.
2. Secondary- appears due to the development of an adjacent disease: psoriasis, rheumatism, immune pathologies, osteoarthrosis.

The primary form implies the following types:

1. Rheumatoid, the causes of which have not yet been clarified;
2. Post-traumatic, whose name indicates the development of inflammation due to the injury;
3. Septic, which is an inflammatory disease, provoked by pus-forming microbes;
4. Idiopathic, the causes of which are not clear.

Secondary arthritis can be a consequence of other knee joint diseases. For example, reactive arthritis is a complication of infectious diseases of the organs of the genitourinary system or gastrointestinal tract, and rheumatoid - a severe autoimmune pathology, the causes of development of which have not been fully studied.

The mainrisk factorsdevelopment of the disease are:

• belonging to the female sex;
• age over 45;
• chronic infectious - viral or bacterial - diseases;
• congenital defects of the musculoskeletal system;
• hereditary predisposition.

Symptoms

Regardless of the causes of development in the manifestations of different forms of arthritis, there are common symptoms:

• pain, aggravated by movement;
• swelling and swelling of the affected joint;
• increased temperature and redness of the skin in the area of ​​inflammation;
• reduction in the volume of movements in the joint.

Symptomatology can vary depending on the degree of the disease.

Symptoms

Arthritis of the knee joint symptoms are largely dependent on the immediate cause that caused them. Thus, acute knee arthritis begins suddenly and, unlike chronic arthritis, is characterized by severe intoxication. However, there are similar non-specific signs characteristic of arthritis of any etiology.

A clear symptom of knee arthritis is the presence of pain. At first it can be weak, appear only when loaded and disappear at rest. Then discomfort in the knee becomes regular, painful sensations arise more and more often.

There may be a small swelling of the tissues and a restriction of mobility in the joint. In the acute phase, the body temperature increases, the skin becomes redder over the affected joint, symptoms of intoxication appear: fatigue, lethargy, muscle pain.

One can single out3 degrees of joint damage, we will consider the symptomatology in more detail.

1. At this degree, the involvement of the articular cartilage is insignificant. Clinically manifested by pain in the joint with active movements, with their decrease at rest. There are no restrictions of mobility, walking with minor lameness. Edema of the joint is mild, the skin is not changed. Body temperature is 37.3-37.5C.
2. Pathological changes in the joints are more noticeable, pain and swelling are expressed, leg mobility is limited. On the tissues of the joint, radiographic diagnosis shows erosion, syhaniya hyaline cartilage with a simultaneous thickening of the capsule, narrowing its lumen. It is possible to raise the body temperature to 38.5C.
3. For this stage, deforming changes in joints and bone tissue are characteristic. As the disease develops, the pain syndrome leads to a sustained spasm of muscle tissue and its atrophy. X-ray of the joint shows a narrowing of the joint gap and the growth of osteophytes (growths on the conjugated bones). The patient begins to suffer from meteorological dependence. Changes in the weather are reflected in pain.. Body temperature rises to high figures of 39.0 ° C or higher.

Arthritis of the knee joint in children also has its own peculiarities: the knee mostly hurts in the morning hours, and during the day the child practically does not complain about anything. It often occurs after a cold or SARS. It should be remembered that children can also develop juvenile rheumatoid arthritis with characteristic lesions of articular surfaces and permanent deformity of the joints.

Treatment of arthritis of the knee joint

With diagnosed knee arthritis, treatment is conservative at the initial stages.

The choice of medicines depends on the cause of the disease. There are several types of inflammatory changes in the joints.

Complex of therapeutic measuresincludes:

1. NSAIDs (ketonal, ibuprofen, diclofenac, meloxicam, naproxen, ketoprofen) - to relieve inflammation and pain;
2. Restoration of metabolic processes (reception of chondroprotectors, vitamins and immunostimulants);
3. Glucocorticosteroids (methylprednisolone, diprospan, celeston, flosteron) - for relief of acute pain in the form of an injection in the joint cavity or splitting around the inflamed zone.
4. Normalization of the nutrition of the joint tissues;
5. Getting rid of excess weight (auriculotherapy, diet, phytotherapy to improve metabolic processes and the splitting of body fat to reduce the burden on the knees);
6. Restoration of normal motor activity, ability to lower limbs, renewal of the full amplitude of movements;
7. External therapy - treatment with ointment virapine, capsoderma, ketonal, vipratox, dolgite, reymon-gel, elacour, indomethacin, menovazine.
8. Preventative measures to prevent recurrence of the disease.

Painful sensations will help to reduce not only medicines, but also such supporting means as cane or crutches.

Medication

The use of drugs for arthritis is carried out in two ways:

• withdrawal of pain syndrome;
• restoration of cartilage tissue.

To reduce the pain syndrome, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as nimesulide, butadione, diclofenac, piroxicam, ibuprofen are used. For emergency removal of pain syndrome, corticosteroids are used.

Etiotropic treatment of arthritis of the knee joint is to restore the substance of the cartilaginous tissue. To this end, chondroprotectors such as structum, arthra, teraflex, chondrolon and others are used. These substances improve the trophism of the cartilaginous tissue, normalize metabolic processes and promote the restoration of articular cartilage.

Also effective are injections of hyaluronic acid preparations. Penetrating into the cartilaginous tissue, these drugs increase its elasticity, improving the biomechanics of the damaged joint.

If the cause of inflammation with arthritis is an infection, then you can not do without an antibiotic.

Operation

If the arthritis has gone far enough, it turns into arthrosis. The disease is associated with a degenerative lesion of bones and cartilage. Against the background of pathology, cracks develop in the meniscus and synovial membranes. Over time, tissues are destroyed and degenerated.

To exclude the transformation of arthrosis into arthritis, surgeons perform arthroscopy. This intervention is conducted to review the state of anatomical structures. Through a small incision into the joint cavity, zones are introduced to view the condition of the ligaments and cartilages. With the help of the instrument, pus and inflammatory fluid can be removed. To prevent bacterial inflammation, antibiotics are injected into the joint cavity.

Diet

Nutrition plays a very important role in the treatment of joint arthritis. Diet completely eliminates the intake of spicy and salty foods. It is necessary to consume more fiber, which is found in fresh vegetables and fruits.

For joint cartilages, seafood, which has natural chondroitin, is a useful ingredient. And fatty amino acids in marine fish must necessarily be the main component of a diet for arthritis of the knee joint.

Gymnastics

In the chronic course of arthritis, as well as after the removal of an acute condition, it is necessary to perform simple physical exercises:

Sit on a chair, then shake legs (in turn) back and forth to a state of easy fatigue.

1. From the same position, keep the foot parallel to the floor for 5 seconds. The number of repetitions is 10 times for each leg.
2. Lying on his back, it is necessary to lift a straight leg to a height of 25-30 cm. and hold it for a few seconds. Repeat the exercise 6 times for each leg.
3. An exercise simulating a bike ride is performed lying on the floor for 1 minute.
4. Lie on your stomach and lift your leg up, bending it in the knee. At the same time, it is necessary to stretch the heel as close as possible to the buttock.
5. Sitting on the floor, the body is tilted forward, trying to reach the toes.

The attending physician, individually, taking into account the course of the disease, can recommend other exercises that will be of a health-giving nature.

Ointments

At the initial stages of the disease, local treatment with ointments with anti-inflammatory effect may be used.

1. Diclofenac- one of the most effective anti-inflammatory drugs of the first generation. The most famous medicines containing this active substance are Voltaren, Orthofen, Diclonak-P and others.
2. Bystrumgel- a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug for external use, a derivative of propionic acid
3. Dolgite cream- in 100 g of cream contains 5 g of ibuprofen. Ibuprofen has an analgesic and anti-inflammatory effect
4. Nyz- a synthetic drug used in the treatment of joint diseases and pain relief of various etiologies
5. KetonalIs an anti-inflammatory drug with a pronounced analgesic effect. The main active substance of Ketonal is ketoprofen - a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID).

How to treat arthritis of the knee joint folk remedies

Traditional medicine has many recipes for treating arthritis. For the treatment of the knee joint, herbal preparations, mummies, clay-based preparations, medicinal baths, rubbers and creams are used. Let's consider some recipes in more detail.

1. Mix in equal proportionsThe root of valerian with chamomile flowers and the flowers of black elderberry. Blend the mixture with boiling water, bring to a boil, cool, squeeze, put between two layers of gauze, pribintovat to the painful joint, from above to cover with polyethylene or a compress paper, leave a compress for the night. Compress has a pronounced analgesic effect.
2. You can prepare a tincture with symptoms of knee arthritis from20 grams of birch buds and 100 ml of 70-degree alcohol. The solution is infused for 2 weeks, wrung out, filtered and taken 15-30 drops 3 times a day, mixing with a tablespoon of water. Keep the tincture in a cool dark place. It can be used for external rubbing with rheumatism and arthritis for the treatment of symptoms.
3. A good analgesic and anti-inflammatory effect possesscompresses from broths of thistles, dream-grass, calendula flowers, cones of hops and juniper berries, thyme, water mistletoe, white.
4. Two teaspoons of cowberry leavespour a glass of water and boil for 15 minutes. Cool, filter and discharge during the day in small sips. This remedy is used to treat salt deposits, spondylosis, articular rheumatism, arthritis, gout and swelling.
5. With pain in the jointshelps garlic that is always in the house. Take 5 heads, peel and finely chop, pour 0.5 liters of vodka and insist 10 days in the dark. Before each meal, drink a teaspoon of tincture. If it is too strong, then the dose is diluted 3 tablespoons. boiled water. Or take 3 heads of garlic, clearing wipe on a grater, add to it juice, squeezed out of ten lemons, and 1 tsp. shredded horse-radish. Stir the mixture in a dark and warm place for 3 weeks. On a glass of water, add a spoon of cooked elixir and drink in the morning and evening until the end of the tincture.
6. Pretty good for arthritisdecoction from bay leaf.To do this, take a pack of bay leaf and put half of it into a saucepan. Pour 300 ml of boiling water and boil for 5 minutes. After wrap it up better and let it brew for three hours. After 3 hours filter and drink before bed. And so 3 days in a row. Do not drink yesterday's broth, do not be lazy and prepare a new one every day. In a week it is necessary to repeat the course. From the very beginning, we repeat the course in a year.

Timely treatment of arthritis stops the pathological process, and this is due not only to medicines, but also folk, physiotherapeutic methods of treatment, as well as diet.

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