Everything you need to know about knee osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis of the knee joint is a disease of the knee area that is accompanied by pain, malfunction of the motor parts and deformation processes in the bone and cartilage tissue of the joints.Most often, this disease affects people who have reached a certain age;In most cases, women who have problems with excess weight suffer.The causes of osteoarthritis of the knee joint are extremely diverse.The disease is usually divided into stages that differ in the severity of the pain symptoms and the treatment options.

Knee pain due to osteoarthritis Photo 1

Osteoarthritis of the knee joints is a pathology that requires appropriate treatment and selection of drugs.> As for the stages of the disease, the first of them is characterized by the fact that such a disease does not manifest itself in everyday life and is difficult to detect for a normal person.The pain syndrome occurs periodically, deformation processes in the joint do not occur.The first phase is generally the longest and can last from a few months to several years.Pain usually occurs after prolonged physical activity and then disappears before new stress.

Osteoarthritis of the knee joints in the first stage can be accompanied by an abnormal accumulation of fluid in the joints of the popliteal fossa.Such a liquid will dissolve when treated by a highly qualified doctor who will prescribe the use of anti-inflammatory drugs.

The second stage is more difficult.Walking is associated with pain, during this process a crunch and clicking is heard and it becomes difficult to bend the leg at the knee.In addition, at this stage a person cannot stand on his own, it becomes difficult to perform various physical exercises, and pain intensifies.In almost all cases, fluid accumulation is observed in the joints.The deformation begins in the bone and cartilage tissue.The third stage, characterized by arthrosis of the knee joints, is the most difficult for the patient.Pain sensations do not leave a person and are constantly present even when at rest.In this case, the knee cannot be bent and the leg cannot be fully extended.In addition, the bones and cartilage are significantly deformed and physical activity is simply no longer possible due to the disability.Walking brings many problems, and the treatment of the disease at this stage is extremely difficult and lengthy, and disability can occur.

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Causes and symptoms of the disease

Osteoarthritis of the knee joints is divided into two main types – primary and secondary arthrosis.The first type is much rarer.It is characterized by the fact that it is an independent disease, the causes of which are independent development without the involvement of damage.It is worth noting that the main reasons for the progression of the disease have not been established, but it is generally accepted that the main reason is disruptions in metabolic processes in the body.

In addition, there is an opinion that arthrosis of the knee joints can arise as a result of damage to the cartilage tissue of the joint, for example, as a result of impaired metabolism, circulatory disorders and other pathologies.When a doctor treats this type of disease, any physical activity is contraindicated and running must be replaced with some form of physical activity such as moderate walking.

The second type of gonarthrosis is secondary.The main reason for its occurrence is improper treatment of various minor joint injuries, which most often occur as a result of:

  • Meniscopathies – miniscus injuries that form after incorrect and sudden movements;
  • genetic predisposition based on a lack of collagen in the body;
  • strong physical stress on the joint, which can last longer without changing position;
  • Problems with excess weight lead to greater stress on the affected joint;
  • Stress on the joint system, for example skiing, jumping, playing.
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Treatment of gonarthrosis

To avoid cases where the development of the disease leads to disability, the doctor, especially a good specialist, prescribes non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.Their use is determined by the fact that it is necessary to relieve pain and suppress inflammation in the lesion, since the pain is constant.Osteoarthritis of the knee joints using non-hormonal agents is very often used before performing massage, therapeutic exercises or special physical exercises.This is due to the fact that various stresses and gymnastic tasks cause increased pain, so pain must be suppressed at an early stage.It is worth noting, and every doctor who treats a disease knows this, that such nonsteroidal drugs do not treat the affected joint itself and do not eliminate the cause of the disease.They only serve to anesthetize the lesion.

Taking chondroprotectors perfectly treats arthrosis of the knee joints and prevents disability.

These drugs not only relieve pain, but also affect the process of cartilage tissue restoration and improve fluid production in the joints.Treatment and prevention of arthrosis of the knee joint with the help of chondroprotectors is the only possible and correct method of treatment.Only these drugs are used to restore damaged joint tissue.

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Another method of treating this disease is injections into the joints.Their advantage is that they eliminate pain immediately.This property has become the reason that the doctor very often prescribes this particular drug for pain relief.However, many experts consider the frequent use of such injections to be unjustified, since the effect of the drug is only pain relief.A very important aspect is that this method of treatment must be used extremely carefully, adhering to all the rules.

Osteoarthritis is a serious pathology that requires careful attention.