The most common disease of bones and joints, osteoarthritis, is the gradual thinning of the articular cartilage that protects the articulated surfaces of the bones. Causing severe pain, this ailment can lead to disability. First of all, the most stressed joints suffer. This happens especially often with the knees. However, it is possible to alleviate suffering, increase flexibility and avoid disability.
ICD-10 classification
There is an international classification of diseases, injuries and conditions that affect human health, called the ICD-10. According to her, all diseases are indicated by an abbreviated code for the convenience of doctors and statistics instead of a long name consisting of several words. For example, the ICD-10 code for osteoarthrosis of the knee joint, or gonarthrosis, is M17. This is a very common disease in which deformation occurs.
In old age, osteoarthritis of the knee joint is detected in the vast majority. Radiography shows signs of it in 80% of people over 65, but only 30% of them have characteristic symptoms. Then ostearthrosis is more severe and progresses faster. Almost asymptomatic periods alternate with attacks of painful swelling of the joints. In any medical institution, the doctor will understand the code provided in the patient’s hospital documents. Osteoarthritis of the knee according to ICD-10 has its own designation, as well as other ailments. After 65 years, women suffer from this disease more often than men, usually it occurs in a more severe form. The articular cartilage forms a smooth and elastic coating that reduces friction and pressure on the surface of the bones. With osteoarthritis, it becomes thinner, becomes rough, in places it is completely wiped. The pressure and friction on the bone tissue increase, and it responds to this by proliferation in the form of bone spurs, or osteophytes. They impede movement in the affected joint. Sometimes crystalline calcium salts are deposited in the cartilage.
Causes of osteoarthrosis
It has not yet been established why some people are struck by this ailment, while others are not. To establish the specific causes of osteoarthritis of the knee joint is not so simple. But predisposing factors to this disease are known.
- Age.
- Genes.
- Floor.
- Hormones.
- Obesity.
- Injuries.
- Sport.
- Congenital pathology.
- The disease.
- Profession.
It is necessary to dwell in more detail on each risk factor.
The likelihood of osteoarthritis increases over the years. Usually, its development begins after 40 years, which is what age cartilage wear has to do with.
Heredity also matters: if one of the parents suffered from this ailment, the likelihood of developing the disease will be considerable, although so far no genes associated with arthrosis have been found.
Osteoarthrosis of the knee is more common in the fair sex. The disease most often affects women of postmenopausal age: it is believed that this is due to a decrease in the level of estrogen in the body.
Obesity is one of the age-related risk factors and the first enemy of the knee joints, as knees in this case have a huge load.
Serious damage to the joints, especially dislocations and fractures, most likely increases the risk of arthrosis, although it can develop many years after the injury. The joint operations performed earlier have the same effect .
To osteoarthritis of the knee joint, sports involving regular increased stress on the joints, especially shock, are predisposed. For example, professional footballers and rugby players have a high risk of developing this pathology after 30 years. The profession also has an impact. If daily work is associated with increased load on the knee joints, this provokes the development of osteoarthritis.
Some joint defects observed at birth in the future can trigger the development of osteoarthrosis. The risk of the disease increases with inflammatory joint pathologies, such as rheumatoid arthritis.
Signs of illness
Often the symptoms of this disease depend on the weather and often increase with high humidity. Nevertheless, the diagnosis of "osteoarthritis of the knee joint" is common in all climatic zones of the world, even in hot deserts.
A degree of knee arthrosis affects about 40% of people older than 75 years. In women, it develops more often and is usually bilateral. Usually pain is felt in front and on the sides of the knee. Sometimes it is deformed. With the development of the disease, direct contact of the femur and tibia occurs. At the same time, such signs of osteoarthritis of the knee joint are characteristic, such as:
- pain aggravated by pressure,
- joint stiffness,
- limited range of motion
- accumulation of fluid in the joint capsule in the form of edema.
Typically, stiffness increases at rest and decreases with movement. Pain, on the contrary, during movement intensifies and subsides when the joint is allowed to rest.
Diagnosis Methods
Typical symptoms and an external examination are usually sufficient for diagnosis. The doctor diagnoses the disease by pain in osteoarthritis of the knee joint, limited mobility, instability and swelling of the joint. Radiography shows bone abnormalities only with an advanced stage of the disease. Nuclear magnetic resonance scanning using a magnetic field and radio waves creates a three-dimensional image of the internal structures of the body. This method allows you to detect the initial degree of osteoarthritis of the knee joint and the earliest cartilage damage. Arthroscopy, which consists in examining a joint by introducing a thin fiber optic tube into its cavity, giving an image on the monitor, also detects its changes.
How to relieve joint pain?
There are many ways to slow the progression of osteoarthrosis and ease its symptoms. These include reducing the load on the diseased joint and maintaining its activity. According to statistics, every kilogram of excess weight increases the risk of developing the disease by 9-13%. Losing weight, the patient significantly reduces the load on the knee joints. Therefore, it is so important to reduce weight gradually, combining a healthy diet with increased physical activity. With especially painful knee joints, you can unload them, leaning on a stick. You also need to try not to stand long in one place.
To relieve joint pain on the knees, you can act with heat, such as a heating pad. Heat relieves pain in the knee and increases its mobility. It is very useful to engage in swimming, this sport boosts muscles, improves joint mobility, and often reduces pain.
Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs ("Diclofenac", "Nimesulide") can be used in the form of gels and ointments for osteoarthritis of the knee joint. Rubbing them regularly, they achieve a reduction in pain and improved mobility. An anesthetic effect is given by massage with rubbing of a warming cream into the joint.
Gymnastics for osteoarthritis of the knee
To improve metabolism in the body and eliminate toxins, you need to move. Aerobic exercises are perfect for this: simple walking and swimming. Experts recommend doing them 3-4 times a week for 20-30 minutes.
In addition to them, you can perform exercises that increase flexibility. They will help to increase the elasticity of muscles, reduce stiffness, and prevent the appearance of spasms.
These exercises strengthen the muscles that are responsible for the mobility and stability of the affected joints. It is advisable to do 5 repetitions of each exercise twice a day:
- Sit on the edge of a chair or bed and cross your ankles. With your legs straight, raise your feet above the floor. Now you should try to move your left foot down, and your right foot up so that they press against each other. In this case, the muscle tension of the anterior thigh should be felt. Count to 10 and relax. Repeat the exercise, changing the position of the legs.
- The next stretching exercise is done twice a day for 5 repetitions.
- Lying on your back, slowly raise one knee to your chest. The second leg at the same time stretch as much as possible. Repeat, changing legs.
- Sit on the floor, holding the body upright, connect the soles of the feet so that the bent knees diverge to the sides. Gently push them, trying to breed as wide as possible.
Traditional treatment
In the treatment of deforming osteoarthritis of the knee, symptomatic agents are used to relieve knee pain. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are available in the form of ointments, creams or gels. Rubbing them into the affected joints alleviates the symptoms of osteoarthrosis. Side effects are unlikely, because too little active substance penetrates the skin. A burning cream with capsaicin is also used as an analgesic.
Analgesics in the form of tablets based on paracetamol well relieve acute pain. Pills such as Ibuprofen, Naproxen and Diclofenac effectively reduce not only pain, but also swelling. They are usually used for a limited time. Since these drugs can cause side effects, it is necessary to take the active substances in the form of rectal suppositories, which is more effective and safe.
For severe pain caused by osteoarthritis of the knee, the doctor will prescribe a course of injection. For this, corticosteroids that act as anesthetics ("Diprospan") are used. They do not inhibit degeneration of the joint and do not restore cartilage.
Hyaluronic acid is injected directly into the knee joint to replenish its natural reserves in the synovial fluid. This improves the lubrication of articulated surfaces and as a result can reduce the symptoms of the disease by six months.
Surgery
This method is used if the patient is facing disability, joint mobility is severely limited, and excruciating pain is not removed by any means. Now, for prosthetics of the knee joint, arthroplasty is used, that is, replacing damaged cartilage with an artificial coating. This relieves pain and improves joint mobility. The worn ends of the femur and tibia jointed in the knee joint are replaced with metal and plastic.
With full arthroplasty, both joint surfaces are prosthetized, with partial - only one of them. The success of the operation is very individual - in some patients normal mobility is restored, while others continue to walk with difficulty, although almost painlessly. Most of these knee prostheses last over 10 years. It should be remembered that any option for surgical intervention is associated with risk, especially in old age. Therefore, before the operation, it is necessary to discuss all the pros and cons with your doctor.
Nutrition for osteoarthritis
The ability of foods to cause or exacerbate osteoarthritis has not been confirmed, but some foods may increase the symptoms of the disease. These include cheese, tomatoes, wine, meat.
Perhaps the development of osteoarthritis contributes to solanine - a substance found in potatoes, eggplant, tomatoes, peppers. The diet for osteoarthritis of the knee is the limited use of these products.
Essential omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids are vital to the body. They are not synthesized in it, so it is so important to get them with food, since they are very useful for the joints and the body as a whole. These acids turn into molecules that suppress the inflammatory process.
Flaxseed oil is an excellent source of omega-3 acids, which slow down the destruction of cartilage. They are also present in oily fish such as mackerel, herring, sardines, salmon. It can be replaced with fish oil, rich not only in essential fatty acids, but also in vitamin D, which is needed for the absorption of calcium and vitamins. You must include nuts and seeds in the diet. Plants effectively cope with many diseases. They are also used to treat diseased joints, since they restore the disturbed balance of vital processes in the body, destroy pathogenic microorganisms and remove toxins. Medicines in the form of plants should be present in daily nutrition for osteoarthritis of the knee joint.
For knee joints will be useful:
- Any greens: parsley, fennel, salad, dill, celery.
- Spices such as ginger and turmeric reduce pain sensitivity and eliminate swelling in patients with osteoarthritis. They can be used as an additive in tea and food.
- Red pepper tends to reduce pain due to capsaicin, a compound in its composition. With this substance, many ointments and creams have been created that are used for joint diseases.
- Broccoli, cauliflower are also able to relieve inflammation.
- Products that contain B vitamins - liver, eggs, bran - are required to improve metabolic processes in the body.
The use of folk remedies
It is possible to treat with deforming osteoarthritis of the knee joint and even restore cartilage with decoctions and infusions of medicinal plants recommended by traditional medicine. They are easy to cook on their own. The following remedies give a good result:
- Pour 1 tbsp. l St. John's wort 200 ml of boiling water, soak in a water bath (or in a thermos) for 25-30 minutes. Take 1 tbsp. l thrice a day. Damaged joints are rubbed with the same infusion.
- Pour 1 tbsp. l dried herbs wormwood bitter 200 ml of boiling water, wrap and insist in a warm place for 2-3 hours. Apply to compresses.
- Mix 6 tsp. tricolor violet herbs, 5 tsp burdock root, 4 tsp each. herbs of a succession and Veronica and wheatgrass root. Then 1 tbsp. l pour 200 ml of water into the mixture, steam in a water bath for 15 minutes. Strained infusion to drink 200 ml per day.
- Knee joints are also treated with compresses from fresh burdock leaves, fresh dandelion grass, and raw potatoes are tied according to the ancient Indian method of treatment.
- Onion stew. Passer finely chopped onion in oil and pour 500 ml of hot water. Boil over low heat until the onion is completely boiled. Add a glass of vegetable broth. Use it warm before eating.
- 1 tbsp. l Birch leaves brew 200 ml of boiling water, stand for 1 hour, then strain. To use infusion after food.
Recipes for compresses and rubbing for the treatment of osteoarthritis of the knee joint folk remedies:
- Tincture of burdock root in the form of a warming compress is used to eliminate pain in the knee joint. To do this, burdock root should be cleaned, washed and chopped in a blender. Put the mass in a glass jar so that the product occupies half of it. Vodka is filled to the top of the jar. Insist for a week. The finished tincture is impregnated with a piece of tissue, imposed on a sore knee and wrapped overnight.
- To relieve inflammation, use burdock leaves with honey. Smear the inside of the leaf with honey and apply it on the knee. Wrap polyethylene on top, then fix with a bandage and leave overnight.
- Nettle, used as a compress on the knee, removes pain and swelling.
- An effective home remedy that has an anti-inflammatory effect is cold cabbage leaf. The pain subsides if it is applied to a sore knee joint.
Supplements and other treatments
The use of substances such as glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate as dietary supplements is also useful for arthrosis. They are freely sold in pharmacies. Glucosamine from chitin (crustacean shells) alleviates the symptoms of the disease and even stimulates the restoration of cartilage. Honroitin sulfate from cartilage of animals increases the porosity and elasticity of cartilage, contributing to the absorption of water. Acupuncture today is carried out to alleviate the symptoms of osteoarthritis of the knee. Many medical centers offer acupuncture painkillers. The patient receives a course of treatment sessions. After which it can go once a month to supportive sessions.
Many phytotherapeutic drugs are used to treat osteoarthritis. Among them are anti-inflammatory extracts of meadowsweet, birch leaves, willow bark. They contain salicylates - substances similar to aspirin. Algae patches are also applied to inflamed painful joints. For mild symptoms, creams and lotions with menthol, lavender and rosemary oil are used.
Today, there are many ways to control the progress of the disease. Many patients with osteoarthritis do not need constant medical care. They alleviate symptoms on their own and relieve pain by losing weight, exercising, taking medications and dietary supplements. Operation is an extreme option, which is resorted to only in the most difficult cases, when no other methods help.