In this article, we will consider the treatment of arthritis and arthrosis of the knee joint. These are pathologies of the joints, which are based on the inflammatory process. Often they pass in a chronic form and can bother for years.
Arthritis of the knee joint is a widespread problem worldwide. In particular, many of his cases are recorded in European countries and in the USA and also in Russia. This ailment can often lead to disability. Therefore, if a person has already been diagnosed with this, he must undergo comprehensive treatment. It is important to start acting as soon as possible. So, how is the treatment for arthritis of the knee?
Types and forms of the disease
The reasons for which this disease occurs are not yet fully understood. Arthritis in humans can develop as an independent pathology or be a symptom of other diseases, for example rheumatism. The primary and secondary forms of this disease are distinguished. Primary arthritis is the presence of a pathology that occurs on its own. The secondary type occurs in the form of a manifestation or complication of other diseases. The following types of disease are attributed to the primary form:
- Septic form. Within this species, inflammation is caused by purulent microbes.
- Rheumatoid arthritis is a lesion of various groups of joints. For example, knee and so on.
- Post-traumatic form.
- An idiopathic species whose origin is not clear.
Methods of treating knee arthritis are improving every year.
Provoking factors of the disease
As a manifestation or complication of other diseases, knee arthritis is possible in the following cases:
- In the presence of osteoarthrosis. Inflammation of the joint cavity occurs as a result of its deforming lesion, and in addition, the destruction of cartilage.
- With the development of rheumatism. This is a common disease of the whole organism, which most often negatively affects large joints, as well as the heart.
- In the presence of psoriasis, which is a disease of the skin and connective tissues.
- With the development of lupus erythematosus (damage to the immune system).
With arthritis of the knee joint, the symptomatology can be intense, bright or sluggish. Arthritis can be acute. In this case, it begins suddenly, proceeding quite intensively. Or the disease may have a chronic form, when the first signs of the initial stage of the disease are invisible, and for a long time it proceeds with periodic exacerbations. In addition, inflammation can be one-sided or symmetrical. With rheumatism, the process, as a rule, is always bilateral. The treatment of knee arthritis should be timely and comprehensive.
How the disease manifests itself
How can I determine inflammation of the knee? The diagnostic phase, first of all, is the task of the attending physician. Regardless of various reasons for the development of various forms of arthritis, there are common signs, for example:
- The presence of pain, which intensifies during movement.
- The appearance of edema or swelling in the area of the affected knee.
- The presence of local temperature increase.
- The appearance of redness of the skin in the area of inflammation.
- Reduced range of motion in a sore joint.
Symptoms and treatment of rheumatoid arthritis of the knee joint are often interrelated.
Rheumatoid arthritis is a systemic disease with an unknown etiology, and the connective tissue in the joints is affected. Also, erosive changes are often observed in them. The disease has a chronic, often recurring and progressive course. Trigger mechanism - infection, trauma, cold.
The disease is also characterized by such symptoms:
- Pain in the joints (aching, gnawing) with different intensities (strong, moderate, weak) and duration (periodic, constant) associated with movement.
- Morning stiffness in the joints, its duration.
- The appearance of the joints (swelling, redness, deformation).
- Persistent restriction of joint mobility.
Symptoms of arthritis of the knee joint may vary, which depends on the degree of the disease. The first degree is characterized by the presence of minor pain mainly in the morning. In addition, it is possible to limit the overall mobility of the knee, as a rule, after a certain period of time this symptom passes. The treatment of arthritis of the knee joint is not very different from the treatment of the pathology of other joints.
The second degree is marked by more serious symptoms. The feeling of pain becomes more intense, swelling of the knee is clearly visible along with its redness and swelling. Difficulties during movement become even more pronounced.
The third degree of arthritis is called deforming. At this stage, the presence of severe pain can cause a persistent spasm of the muscles, because of this, as a rule, the knee is deformed.
What is the treatment for arthritis of the knee?
Self-harm
Everyone knows firsthand the dangers of self-medication, and as regards a problem such as arthritis, this is especially true. Therefore, in order to successfully cure this disease, it is necessary to consult an experienced doctor. Immediately after the examination, the patient will be given an individual therapy regimen, which will depend on the type of ailment, its stage and various characteristics of the body. Traditional medicine uses pills along with injections and exercise therapy to treat knee arthritis. Each type of this disease requires a special approach, since the development mechanism, causes and symptoms of pathology in each case will be individual.
Pathology diagnostics
Arthritis is an internal inflammation in the periarticular region of one or both knees. In another way, this disease is also called gonitis or gonarthrosis.
According to statistics, the incidence of arthritis of the knee joint is very common. About half, that is, up to fifty-two percent of people who suffer from joint diseases, suffer from knee arthritis. Moreover, in twenty-three percent of all cases, the main cause of this ailment is osteoarthrosis.
Most patients who suffer from knee arthritis are women over the age of thirty. True, for the development of secondary pathologies, this observation is not always true. For example, gonorrheal arthritis is especially characteristic of males.
A high percentage probability of the development of pathology is caused, as a rule, by a high load, which is regularly kneeling. Each knee can withstand half the weight of a person, but due to the limited range of motion in the knees, this load only increases. Feet are more mobile, and besides, they are difficult to arrange, so they more evenly distribute the load. The treatment of rheumatoid arthritis of the knee joint is discussed below.
Diagnosis of the described pathology is carried out using radiography. The most common method is arthrography. In the presence of pseudogout, it is additionally required to conduct polarization microscopy of the synovial fluid, which is obtained by puncture. The microflora of punctate checks the effect of various drugs on infectious agents. The treatment of arthritis of the knee joint will depend on this. In rare cases, patients are prescribed additional diagnostic measures, for example:
- Conducting magnetic resonance introscopy.
- A biopsy of the cartilage and synovial membrane.
- Thermography, and in addition, arthropneumography.
- Conducting Wright's reaction tests along with Burnet's tests.
- Performing computed tomography, in which they achieve the visualization of sequestered bone tissue. Sequestration refers to a dead area of bone tissue.
- Conducting magnetic resonance imaging.
- Performing ultrasound and radionuclide studies.
Treatment of knee arthritis in children
In therapy, the most important is the elimination of inflammation, pain, improving the well-being of the child. It is also necessary to prevent further progression of the pathology.
Treatment should be comprehensive and systematic. Modern methods of dealing with the disease are very effective.
In drug therapy, non-steroidal drugs with anti-inflammatory effects, glucocorticosteroids, antipyretic and analgesic drugs are used. In case of infection, antibiotics are prescribed for the child. Their doctor selects individually. He determines the dosage and duration of the course depending on body weight and age.
Using traditional therapy
Among the medications anti-inflammatory drugs help cure arthritis, and in addition, hormone-containing drugs along with acetylsalicylic acid. In the event that the cause of inflammation is an infectious process, antibiotics are prescribed. With general pathology of the body, appropriate therapy is prescribed depending on the disease.
Among topical drugs, ointments are used along with creams and compresses, the purpose of which is to eliminate pain, relieve swelling, improve blood circulation in the knee and warm it. What medications are used to treat knee arthritis?
In severe cases, when the disease is in the second or third stage, the treatment of arthritis is indicated with medications that are injected directly into the joint cavity, making injections. This is most often hormonal drugs with anti-inflammatory effect. In addition, chondroprotectors, which contribute to the restoration of the normal structure of the articular structure, as well as some other drugs.
Knee arthritis is usually treated at home.
During periods of exacerbation in the presence of pathology of the affected joints, rest and warmth are required. Sometimes patients are prescribed bed rest. It is very important, among other things, to follow a diet.
The following foods should be eaten:
- Fresh fruits with vegetables.
- Fatty fish that are rich in omega-3 acids. Such an acid is very beneficial for articular cartilage.
- Seafood that contains chondroitin, a natural component that nourishes cartilage. These are squids along with shrimps and mussels.
Salt and spicy foods should be limited to patients with arthritis. In addition, in order to cure arthritis of the knee joint, it will be useful to massage and use manual therapy. It is important to keep in mind that in order to completely cure a disease such as arthritis, the patient needs to use an integrated approach.
Therapeutic Techniques
Some therapeutic methods are used exclusively on condition of getting rid of pain, including inflammation. Among them are methods borrowed in Tibetan medicine:
- Conducting physiotherapeutic procedures.
- Performing massage and self-massage in order to achieve relaxation of the muscular frame of the knees and increase blood circulation.
- The use of pharmacopuncture, in which the patient is injected with drugs in biologically active areas of the back in minimal dosages. Acupuncture is also advisable.
- Auriculotherapy, in which needles are inserted into active points on the ears.
- The implementation of the physiotherapy complex.
- Conducting sanatorium-resort rehabilitation.
Depending on the stage of arthritis of the knee, the symptoms and treatment vary. In addition, the following physiotherapeutic procedures can be prescribed:
- The passage of phonophoresis with hydrocortisone.
- Performance of paraffin baths.
- Use of magnet, quartz and laser.
- UHF therapy.
- Reception of radon or hydrogen sulfide baths.
Rheumatoid arthritis treatment
With rheumatoid arthritis, inflammation is persistent, joints hurt and swell for years. It differs from arthrosis in that the pain does not intensify after exercise, but, on the contrary, becomes less after activity.
As already noted, the symptoms and treatment of rheumatoid arthritis of the knee are closely related.
If an accurate diagnosis has been carried out, then the use of:
- non-steroidal anti-inflammatory substances;
- base preparations;
- hormonal substances (glucocorticoids);
- biological agents.
Gymnastic exercises
Therapeutic gymnastics can be easily performed by a person at home. But at the same time, it is extremely important to do without making any sudden movements, avoiding excessive loads. They should be excluded in everyday life as well. Exercises that are performed on smooth stretching very well help to cure arthritis. As practice shows, they are very useful.
Consider a series of elementary and effective exercises that can help stop arthritis of the knee joint and can serve as a preventive measure for this disease.
- Warm up. To do the workout, a person must stand up straight and put his legs together. Next, you need to put your hands on your knees. Then the knees should perform several rotational movements in one direction, and then in the other. Against the background of such rotations, a slight feeling of pain may occur, which is considered normal. If the pain turns out to be sharp or gradually intensifies, then it is undesirable for the patient to do gymnastics.
- You need to sit on a chair and put your legs at some distance from each other. Next, you should raise one leg, taking it to the side and holding it in this position for about ten seconds. Then return to starting position. Perform the described exercise should be with the other leg.
- Lie on the floor, on your back. Next, you need to pull the knee of one leg to your chest, staying in this position for several seconds. Then you need to straighten this leg vertically up, after which it should be lowered to the floor. Do the described exercise and the other foot.
The number of repetitions of each of the above exercises at the very beginning of training should not exceed five. In the event that even a smaller number of such approaches causes discomfort, you should reduce the load to a minimum. In the future, as you train, the number of gymnastic approaches can be increased to ten.
Effectively treat folk remedies for arthritis of the knee joint.
ethnoscience
An excellent addition to the traditional methods of treatment are traditional medicine that has been successfully used at home. In order to treat knee arthritis at home, anti-inflammatory decoctions, which are prepared from medicinal herbs, are used.
Consider the most popular folk methods for treating knee arthritis.
Often used to prepare tinctures, compresses and home ointments, which with proven effectiveness relieve pain, helping to reduce acute inflammation and being an excellent prevention of certain complications.
A remedy from fresh cabbage, coltsfoot or burdock, as well as honey, helps a lot. A large sheet is washed with hot water and slightly heated in the oven. Then, cuts are made on it with a knife. Over the entire surface you need to apply honey. After this, the sheet is applied to the knee. Top required to wear a warming bandage. Conduct before bedtime daily. It relieves swelling and inflammation.
Treatment of arthritis of the knee with folk remedies is most often a long process.
We also give one more recipe. The potato is washed, finely chopped, poured with boiling water and warmed up to 39 ° C. The resulting slurry is applied to cotton fabric 2 cm thick. Then it is applied to the inflamed joint.
Very effective tincture of chestnut and lilac as an anesthetic. Dry or fresh raw materials and vodka are used. It is infused in a warm dark place for three weeks. Joints are rubbed with infusion.
Symptoms of arthritis of the knee joint with arthrosis are very similar. The treatment for these diseases is also not very different.
What can be taken orally?
- Elderberry (dry flowers) in a proportion of 1 tbsp. l per 1 liter of water. Warm up on fire for 15 minutes. Insist 45 minutes, then strain. Dilute with boiled water to the initial volume. Reception: 1 glass 3 times a day.
- Effective birch sap. It is going in the spring. . 1 .
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- You should always increase your immunity, leading a healthy lifestyle, performing hardening and taking vitamins.
- It is extremely important to overcome bad habits.
The doctor must decide exactly how to cure arthritis of the knee joint in each specific situation. But the recovery process itself largely depends on the patient himself. If a person strictly observes the recommendations that the doctor gave him and carefully considers his health, then he will have every chance of a full recovery. At the same time, the possibility of completely curing this disease is not excluded.
We examined the symptoms of arthritis of the knee joint and treatment with folk remedies, as well as the traditional therapy for this disease.