Gonarthrosis or osteoarthritis of the knee joint is a disease that cannot be completely cured.
However, modern medicine has learned to stop the pathological destruction of the tissues of the human body. Using effective treatments, doctors:
- relieve their patients of pain;
- eliminate discomfort while driving;
- slow down the progression of the disease;
- significantly improve the quality of life of the person who comes to them.
What is knee osteoarthritis?
The disease has several names for knee damage. It is often referred to as gonarthrosis, deforming osteoarthritis (DOA) and even arthritis, although the latter is more commonly used for rheumatoid conditions.
The disease is progressive in nature, therefore, without professional help, it often gives serious complications. As a result of its course, the cartilage tissue that lines the surface layer of the joint is affected. This becomes the reason for the dysfunction of the capsule and the appearance of painful sensations.
According to one theory, osteoarthritis of the knee results from an increase in life expectancy. According to this theory, a person over the age of 50 does not yet feel old and continues to be active at the same level. However, its joints fail, as they exhaust the resources provided by nature.
Why does gonarthrosis develop?
Limited mobility makes it difficult to walk, run and move freely. Not accustomed to this, a person perceives such restrictions as punishment. With the exacerbation of pathologies of the musculoskeletal system, even simple steps are difficult. After 50 years, the disease develops in every second person. The most common causes of the anomaly in addition to age-related disorders:
- leg fractures affecting the knee joint area;
- knee dislocation, sagging or damage to the menisci;
- inflammation of the joint capsules (rheumatoid pathologies, gout, ankylosing spondylitis and others);
- failure of metabolic processes, joint weakness of a congenital nature;
- hereditary factor, genetic predisposition.
Gonarthrosis is equally likely to develop in an older woman who is overweight and in a young man injured during exercise.
Pathology symptoms
The disease does not appear suddenly. Negative symptoms are initially mild and worsen over time. Nearly unnoticeable knee pain while walking becomes more intense with increased activity, climbing stairs. It seems that this is manifested by the discomfort that has arisen due to the long immobility.
The body seems to be numb and at the beginning of the movements tries to adapt independently to the new load. As soon as a person "disperses", the unpleasant symptoms of the disease disappear and the knee regains normal mobility. It is at this time that you need to see a doctor to undergo an examination. By ignoring the diagnosis, a person is putting themselves in grave danger.
Gradually, the symptoms become more pronounced:
- the pain becomes continuous, now it does not go away during physical exertion;
- the range of motion becomes poor, the knee is limited, swells and increases in size.
Doctors say going to the clinic in the early stages opens up good prospects for treatment. The disease can be stopped without using expensive methods and drugs. With each new day of inactivity, the risks grow. In stage III, it becomes nearly impossible to neutralize severe symptoms.
Diagnosis of gonarthrosis
During the initial appointment, the specialist listens to the patient's complaints, clarifies the symptoms, examines the knee and refers the patient for an X-ray. In the early stages of changes, external signs are absent, in stages II and III:
- the contours of the bones become coarser;
- joint capsules undergo deformational changes;
- the axis of the limb is bent and movement becomes limited.
On palpation, a crunch is often heard, it is worth moving the patella in the transverse direction. The pain becomes more pronounced. Thanks to X-ray examination, you can clarify the diagnosis. The images allow to evaluate the degree of change, to differentiate the disorders from other pathologies.
Treatment of osteoarthritis of the knee
When gonarthrosis is detected, an integrated approach to treatment should be used. Only in this case is sustainable improvement possible. Here an individual treatment plan is drawn up for each patient, in which traditional approaches and the author's modern techniques are combined. When drawing up a treatment plan for osteoarthritis of the knee, the patient's age, history, lifestyle, and history of correction of musculoskeletal system disorders in the past are taken into account.
Pharmacological therapy
Preparations for the treatment of arthrosis of the knee joint are selected from the following groups:
- anti-inflammatory drugs;
- pain medications;
- chondroprotective formulas based on hyaluronic acid (the purpose of which is to restore the integrity of the cartilage fibers in the damaged joint capsule).
Pharmaceutical companies manufacture a wide variety of drugs to treat this disease. Among them are creams, ointments, gel formulations, tablets, solutions for injections. Medicines are important when it is necessary to quickly relieve acute pain, reduce the effects of the inflammatory process. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), steroids and vasodilators are particularly popular.
Manual joint therapy
The soft hand techniques allow the natural anatomical relationships between internal structures to be restored in a delicate and physiological way. Since osteoarthritis occurs due to overload of the knee, displacement and abrasion of cartilage, as well as improper projection of the position of the bones relative to each other, it is possible to correct the situation with the help of manual therapy.
The doctor separates the out of place structures to reunite them in the correct relationship. At the same time, the muscular and ligament corset is strengthened. The founder of the clinic uses the experience of Western colleagues and the methods of the author in his work. This allows you to achieve a stable result that lasts for a long time.
Shock wave therapy
UHT is a method that has proven itself successfully in the Russian practice of treating gonarthrosis. The impact on the affected area is carried out by means of special equipment that generate acoustic signals with a pulse frequency of 2-4 thousand per session. Thanks to the hardware technique, it is possible to activate blood circulation, boost metabolism in the tissues and stimulate the regeneration of bone and cartilage fibers.
Di-Tazin therapy
Author's technique based on a combination of photosensitization, multi-component electrophoresis and gentle manual techniques. It aims to restore the damaged joint, relieving pain and discomfort. It is supplemented with kinesiological procedures, taping, physiotherapy, block injections, the introduction of chondroprotectors and hyaluronic acid-based drugs into the joint. All this in one complex allows you to stop the destruction of the knee joint, remove pain and stimulate tissue renewal.
Plasmolifting
Safe and painless procedure. The doctor takes venous blood from the patient, processes it in a special centrifuge and, after separating the plasma, injects it into the damaged joint using a normal needle. It is advisable to follow the sessions in courses to consolidate the result. Plasmolifting helps relieve pain and inflammation, restores the mobility of the joint capsule.
Taping
Application of the tape (self-adhesive tape) in a specially selected direction based on the location of the fibers of the damaged part. In case of illness, a large teip is used. Relieves pain by relieving muscle tension. In case of swelling, a special lymphatic tape is used, the rays of which are directed to the nearest lymph nodes.
Other treatments
In the clinic, specialists select profile orthopedic insoles for patients with osteoarthritis of the knee joint. They help correct functional changes, relieve pain and evenly distribute the load on the legs. Strengthening the ligament system through physical therapy at home allows you to stabilize the position of the knee.