Arthritis of the knee joint (also called gonorrhea) is a lesion of the knee joint, which results in destruction of the articular cartilage, deforming the knee and restricting knee movement. This article will help you understand the symptoms and start necessary treatment in time.
Knee joint arthritis
Experts divide gonorrhea into major and minor forms:
- The main form of the cause is congenital defects of the joints. The development of the disease occurs in childhood and adolescence.
- Secondary forms can develop at any age.
Experts say this is the main cause of the disease:
- Bad posture;
- Overweight;
- Various knee injuries; Abnormal mineral metabolism and metabolism
- The existence of endocrine diseases;
- Increase the pressure on the knee joint;
- The calcium metabolism is impaired due to the intake of hormone-containing drugs;
- Meniscus removal operation;
- The presence of arthritis;
- Weak ligament;
- Female menopause and menopause.
Arthritis of the knee joint can be bilateral or unilateral.
Stages and symptoms of arthritis
According to the symptoms and treatment of the disease, experts divide the disease into three stages.
The initial or first stage of arthritis
At this stage, there is mild pain and increased pressure on the knee.The initial stage can last from one to several years.In order to prevent the stage from becoming more serious, many measures should be taken to restore deformed cartilage, strengthen ligaments and restore knee movement.
At this stage, timely treatment will completely get rid of the pathology. But most patients ignore symptoms in the form of mild pain and therefore do not see a doctor. Knee joint disease is treated by an orthopedic doctor, rheumatologist or surgeon.
The middle or second stage of joints
At this stage, the symptoms of the disease seem to be more pronounced, so they cannot be ignored. The doctor pointed out that most patients seek medical help in the second stage. At this stage, an accurate diagnosis can be made. Timely treatment can stop the transition of the disease to level 3.
Serious symptoms include:
- Knee pain due to hypothermia;
- The existence of soft compaction;
- Swelling or swelling in the knee area;
- Severe knee pain when climbing stairs or other forms of increased stress; Calf pain and tingling;
- The stiffness of the knee flexion and extension.
The last or third stage of the joint
At this stage, the consequences of the disease are irreversible and cannot prevent the development of the pathology. But this treatment will temporarily relieve the patient's condition. Under no circumstances should you ignore the symptoms or take medication by yourself, as this may cause changes in gait, walking with crutches, or disability.
In addition to the above, the main symptoms of the third stage are introduced by the doctor:
- Pathology of the endocrine system (thyroid problems, diabetes);
- Genetic and age factors.
Diagnostic method
Experts make recall diagnosis based on the patient's speech and the results of laboratory and instrumental research.
Lab tests include:
- Complete blood count.With the help of research, you can determine the cause of the disease and assess the degree of inflammation.
- General urinalysisallows you to identify or rule out the autoimmune origin of the disease, and to assess whether it is the source of kidney and urinary tract disease.
- Biochemical blood test, divided into many other items, almost all the research indicators are outside the normal range.
Perform laboratory tests during the worsening of the disease, because all indicators during the remission period are within the normal range.
Tool research includes:
- X-rays.It is performed in two projections-front and back and side. Usually, the doctor will take pictures of two knees to compare the affected knee with the healthy knee.
- Arthroscopy.This process should not only be understood as research, but also as micro-operations. The fact is that the doctor inserted a small LED conductor through a small hole in the knee and displayed a complete picture of the internal state of the knee on the computer screen. If cartilage or malignant tumors are suspected, the resulting tissue fragments are sent tolaboratory. Endoscopy can correct the shape of the meniscus and remove polyps and cartilage tissue. In addition to diagnosing arthropathy, because the knee joint is a large organ, other diseases can also be studied and studied, which allows you to fully understand your physical condition.
- Ultrasound(Ultrasound).Compared with X-ray, this inspection method has two important advantages-it is harmless and helps to see the soft tissue of the joint due to its extensive imaging capabilities.
- CT (Computed Tomography).The research is an improved X-ray photography, because in the process, the doctor took several photos and used these photos to create a three-dimensional image of the affected organ on the computer. Due to time cost and large amount of radiation, this form is not often used.
- MRI (magnetic resonance imaging).Unlike the previous method, it is more harmless. In addition, compared with CT, MRI can enable you to obtain better soft tissue images. However, MRI is rarely used like CT because its use requires high material costs and cannot be applied to patients with any metal objects (pins, coronal) on the body. CT and MRI are prohibited for people weighing more than 120 kg.
Flash imaging.An expensive and radiation-related method. Therefore, it is used in situations where cheaper methods are not effective. In this study, a substance is injected into the patient's body, which reacts to the diseased organ and is located around it.- Tomography.This research is based on the heat radiation from the surface of the human body. Usually, the affected organ manifests itself in the form of an elevated temperature lesion. Tomography is a cumbersome instrument and the process is expensive. Therefore, this research is only conducted in large clinics.
Medications used to treat and relieve symptoms
Experts pointed out that if the pain is not relieved and inflammation is eliminated, it is impossible to start treatment.Therefore, doctors prescribe various non-steroidal (non-hormonal) drugs. However, you cannot take them longer than the prescribed time, because this group of drugs cannot cure the disease, but can relieve the symptoms, and the disease will progress during this period.
Joint ointment
Few ointments are available to treat knee arthritis with edema and pain.
Unlike other forms of drug release, this group has obvious advantages:
- Quickly reduce pain and inflammation; The ease of use of
- makes it easy to combine with other treatments (such as physical therapy);
- has no negative effects on the liver.
Years of arthritis treatment experience and positive feedback research to patients show that many effective ointments have a soothing effect on vasodilation. They contain red pepper extract, bee and snake venom.
Joint gymnastics
It helps:
- Improve joint cartilage nutrition and overall health:
- relieve pain;
- Strengthen the muscles and ligaments of the knee joint;
- Increased joint mobility.
In order to see positive results, you should do aexercise every day or every other day, and add up to 30 minutes of load per exercise.
- Warm up. You need to walk on tips or heels for 3-5 minutes.
- Pedal an imaginary bicycle 20-30 times (10-15 times per foot).
- Lie on your stomach, bend and straighten your knees 10-15 times. Hold the leg in this position for 5 seconds each time you bend.
- Stretch your legs when lying on your back. Lift your legs and bend your knees. The heel should be parallel to the floor.
- Lie on your right side, lift your left leg, pull it into your stomach, and then stretch it back as far as possible. Turn to the other side and repeat the exercise. Repeat 5-6 times on each leg.
Exercise should be given up under the following circumstances:
- Hernia in the abdomen or buttocks;
- Cardiovascular disease;
- Infectious diseases;
- Blood diseases;
- Postoperative rehabilitation period.
friction and compression
Various frictions and compresses are widely used in the treatment of arthropathy. Their significant advantages include the availability of ingredients and no side effects.
- garlic.Pour 1 head of vegetable into any vegetable oil (200ml), close the lid, and leave it in a cool place for 7 days. The product was then washed overnight. To eliminate the specific smell, close the knee with a thick gauze bandage and rinse thoroughly with water in the morning.
- Eggs.Mix the vinegar with 1 egg yolk 1: 1, and then immediately rub some product onto the knee. Apply 3 times a week. After rubbing, wrap your knees with something warm.
- dear.Mix 100 grams of honey and 3 grams of mummies, and then rub them into your knees immediately. Wrap the knee.
- Chinese cabbage.Soak a piece of wool material with plant juice and apply it to the knee.
- Oatmeal.Cook 1-2 tablespoons of thinly sliced ordinary porridge in water. Do not boil the flakes for more than 7 minutes! Put the sticky product on a clean cloth and apply it to your knees.
wrapping paper
According to experts, knee osteoarthritis (symptoms and medical treatments have been pointed out above) can be cured with various wraps. The most effective are honey and herbs.
According to research, honey packaging helps:
- To restore the tissues and intra-articular cartilage destroyed by the disease;
- Eliminate pain and inflammation;
- Burn excess cholesterol.
It is worth noting that the combination of honey and cinnamon is the most effective.
As for herbal packaging, the above attributes include:
- Willow, oak, birch, poplar bark;
- Valerian, Cornfrey, the root of cow d;
- Hops, birch, nettle leaves;
- Wild rosemary and St. John's wort juice;
- Chamomile flowers, marigolds.
Hand-foot therapy for knee arthritis
One of the most effective treatments for knee arthritis is hand-foot therapy, which is water therapy. It can be used when symptoms first appear, and it must be performed under the guidance of an attending physician and an expert. Before performing the first step, you should be familiar with contraindications.
Do not use water ches:
- Children and the elderly;
- Patients with reduced blood clotting, low blood pressure, severe physical fatigue, leukemia, anemia, gastrointestinal erosion, gastric ulcer, digestive system problems, cancer, tuberculosis, anemia and hemophilia;
- Women during pregnancy and breastfeeding.
In order for treatment to be effective, 1-2 steps should be performed every 5-6 months.It can be treated more or less-it all depends on the stage of the disease. If the patient feels improved after 1-3 courses of treatment and there is no allergic reaction, you can continue to use water ches treatment.
Otherwise, the patient will be given a 9-month rest. If the allergy recurs or does not improve, the hirudotherapy treatment will be stopped. During the treatment, the expert will treat the knee with an odorless medicine and then check whether the water to be used is suitable.
To do this, put water ches in a container with water. If the water sticks to the wall, it can be used. The expert put 2-6 water lees on the 2 bones.
When sucking, water ches releases many useful enzymes to the human body, which will help:
- Restore and strengthen the immune system;
- Restore blood circulation and metabolic process;
- Eliminate swelling and adhesions.
Sham therapy cannot be used alone. In order to obtain higher efficiency, experts recommend combining it with physical therapy, physical therapy exercises and medication.
Turpentine and pine bath
Balneotherapy, that is, taking various therapeutic effects of bathing, is the last place to not eliminate the symptoms of joint disease.Experts point out that there are many different types of therapeutic baths, but turpentine oil and pine baths have shown special effects. They can be used not only in health resorts, but also at home.
Despite their benefits, they should be discarded:
- Heart disease patients;
- There are tumor diseases, tuberculosis, varicose veins, diabetes, epilepsy, atherosclerosis, arterial hypertension,
- If the patient has a heart attack or stroke;
- There is a skin disease;
- Suitable for pregnant women.
For the turpentine bath, you need to mix 10 g of baby soap and 0. 75 ml of salicylic acid, and then pour the mixture into 500 ml of boiling water. When the mixture cools, you need to fill the bathtub with hot water. When the mixture has cooled to 45 degrees, add turpentine and pour 15-20 ml of the mixture into the bath.
The temperature in the bathroom seems to rise due to the presence of turpentine.Therefore, you should not increase the dose by more than 20 ml. You should take a bath for 10-14 days a day, and gradually increase the dose of the turpentine mixture to 80 ml in one step. After showering, wash the mixture with warm water, put on warm clothes or lie under a blanket.
For a pine wood bath, you need pine needles or branches. Need to cut about 25-30 branches into small pieces to put in the pot. Before preparing the broth, floats and dirt, rinse the branches, pour water and cook for 5-10 minutes. Filter the finished broth and pour it into a hot water bath.
Take a bath for 10-15 minutes.Then let it dry and put on warm clothes. It is recommended not to perform manual labor and to aggravate the knee. The relaxation bath treatment process can include 7-12 procedures, which can be performed every other day or every day. After six months, the process can be repeated. This procedure will extend the remission period and stop the development of the disease.
Use cartilage protector
Without chondroprotectants (a group of drugs designed to restore cartilage tissue and its nutrition), knee joint arthritis cannot be cured (symptoms and treatments using folk remedies are listed below). All drugs in this group are divided into 5 groups. The drugs intended to treat arthritis belong to group 4.
They are based on:
- Glucosamine;
- Chondroitin sulfate;
- Avocado and soybean extract;
- Hyaluronate and hyaluronic acid;
- Synthesis of glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate.
Cartilage protective agents are prescribed by experts together with anesthetics.However, unlike the latter, the former must be taken for life, because only in this case is it possible to slow down the development of arthritis and stop disability. The effect of taking chondroprotective agents is only visible after 2-8 days.
These medicines come in the form of gels, ointments, tablets and injections. Inject the solution into the knee.
Diet: What foods are allowed, nutritional rules and general diet
Being overweight can negatively affect the development of arthritis-the disease progresses faster than normal weight patients. Therefore, it is recommended that overweight people lose excess weight. But at the same time, it is absolutely impossible to go hungry and eat a single diet or diet with dietary restrictions.
Allowed products include:
- Hormone-free pork that can be boiled, roasted, stewed or steamed. If farm meat is not available, ordinary meat can be purchased, but skin and fat should be removed because all harmful substances will accumulate there and be fed or injected into animals or poultry. It is best to limit the consumption of this type of meat to 1-2 times a week, and use vegetables or fish dishes the rest of the time.
- Fruits and vegetables that can be baked or stewed according to your preferences.
- All types of cereals (not including instant cereals).
- Products containing pectin: black currant, fruit jelly;
- Fermented milk products;
- eggs;
- Whole wheat bread and pasta.
It’s important to exclude from your diet:
- Baked goods, sweets and white bread;
- Alcoholic beverages and beer;
- Various types of fast food and snacks;
- Sausages and other types of finished meat products.
Due to arthritis, you need to consume 1200 Kcal per day.You need to eat small amounts, that is, eat small amounts every 2-3 hours.
Folk remedies
Knee osteoarthritis, symptoms and treatment can be easily accomplished with traditional medicine:
- If arthritis is accompanied by edema, a blue clay dressing can be used for rescue. For this, you need to dilute the clay with water to a creamy shape, then place it on a dense fabric folded 4-6 times, and then attach it to the seams. Wrap the knee with gauze or other cloth so that the compress does not slip. Keep it for 2-3 hours, then rinse with warm water. The fabric can be washed and reused.
- Experts recommend that you give up natural tea and coffee and replace them with decoctions and infusions. For example, lingonberry soup. For him, 2 teaspoons. You need to pour 1 liter of berries. Boil with boiling water, let it sit for an hour, and wrap it in a towel. You need to drink 3-4 times a day.
- Massage creams will help get rid of pain and inflammation at any stage of the disease. For this, you need to mix it with 50 grams of petroleum jelly, 10 grams of chopped hops, sweet clover and St. John's wort. You need to stay in a dark place for 2-3 hours. Massage gently to rub. You can wrap your knees.
How long is the recovery period
Since the length of time depends on various factors, it is not clear how long the rehabilitation of joint disease will last. For example, the age and lifestyle of the patient, the degree and severity of the disease.
Usually, the recovery period lasts 1-2 months, during which the patient needs expert help:
- Eliminate inflammation and pain syndrome;
- Learn to exercise and regulate nutrition.
To make the remission period as long as possible, patients should exercise regularly and see a doctor. Eliminating the symptoms of knee arthropathy and proper treatment will keep you from getting rid of the usual rhythm of life.