Osteoarthritis of the knee is a progressive degenerative lesion, which is based on damage to the cartilage that covers the articular surfaces of the bones. Due to metabolic disorders, cartilage does not receive important nutrients and fluids, resulting in its destruction.
Elderly people usually suffer from this ailment. But because of the wrong lifestyle, every year you can see the disease at an earlier age. The sooner arthrosis is diagnosed, the more effective it will be possible to cope with it at home without resorting to pills or surgery. What pills for arthrosis of the knee joint to take? We will clarify further.
The causes of the disease
The main causes that can trigger a disastrous process are the following conditions and diseases:
- Obesity.
- Pathologies of the development of muscles, ligaments.
- Inflammation in the knee joint.
- Diseases of the nervous system.
- Cartilage gasket injuries.
- Dislocation of the joint.
- Fractures of the bones of the legs.
- Meniscus surgery.
- Sport.
- Cramping of the thigh muscles.
- Varicose veins.
- Vein thrombosis.
Deforming arthrosis of the knee joints is a non-inflammatory disease, accompanied by an increase in degenerative-dystrophic changes in the joint. The disease occurs gradually, as the articular cartilage breaks down, which line the surface of the condyles of the femur and the articular surfaces of the patella and tibia. This ailment is the result of insufficient microcirculation in the knee joint.
Subsequently, the lack of cartilage with the necessary micronutrients leads to its drying out, as well as to delamination and deformation. Bone tissue is thickened during thinning, while compensatory growths around are formed. What are the pills for arthrosis of the knee joint? This question is of interest to all patients.
Signs of Arthrosis
The clinical symptoms of the disease are very diverse and, depending on the stage of joint impairment, can be most or less pronounced. The following signs may indicate that arthrosis of the knee joint has arisen:
- Pain. At the beginning of the disease, the pain syndrome is completely invisible, but intensifies as it develops. The duration of pain depends on what kind of load the mobile joints of the skeleton bones were subjected to.
- Crunch in the joint during movement. Most people do not pay attention to this symptom of a disease for a long time, as a result of which they start the disease. Without therapy, arthrosis progresses, leading to significant deterioration.
- Decreased limb movements. Most often, the patient cannot bend the leg completely or straighten it. This happens for the reason that a person seeks to minimize pain, even in those moments when it is not.
- The stiffness of the movements appears due to the fact that the joint is restrained by the protective films that form around the nerves.
- Knee seizure in any position. With this symptom, the joint lingers in a certain position and all attempts to move it are accompanied by acute pain.
- Persistent displacement of the articular surfaces of the knee. This symptom appears when the disease has gone too far and a dense formation of connective tissue, as well as an articular bag, do not perform their functions.
The patient must clearly understand that the later he began treatment, the more difficult it will be and the more likely it is that surgery will be required to replace the joint.
All drugs to eliminate knee osteoarthritis can be divided into several large groups according to the spectrum of action. What pain relievers for arthrosis of the knee joint are?
Anti-inflammatory drugs
It is anti-inflammatory drugs that are prescribed for osteoarthritis of the knee.
The following drugs belong to this group of drugs:
- "Aspirin".
- "Phenylbutazone".
- Sulindak.
- Ibuprofen
- Piroxicam.
- "Aceclofenac".
- Tenoxicam.
- Indomethacin.
- Diclofenac.
- Rofecoxib.
- Ketoprofen.
- Nimesulide.
- "Flurbiprofen".
- Celecoxib.
Anesthetics tablets for arthrosis of the knee joint differ both in the strength of the effect and in the likelihood of adverse reactions.
These medicines do not contain anti-inflammatory hormones, but nevertheless they are able to cope well with pain in the joints and reduce the inflammatory process in them.
Therefore, the following drugs usually have the greatest analgesic effect:
- Ketoprofen.
- Indomethacin.
While Acetylsalicylic Acid, Ibuprofen, Amidopyrine eliminate pain much worse. But since most patients may have individual intolerance to various drugs, then their effectiveness of these drugs may differ significantly from the standard - both in the negative and in the positive direction.
The following anti-inflammatory drugs have the greatest anti-inflammatory effect:
- Diclofenac.
- "Flurbiprofen".
But "Ibuprofen", "Acetylsalicylic acid" and "Naproxen", on the contrary, relieve the inflammatory process worse.
Side effects
Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, as a rule, help to eliminate pain during osteoarthritis and other diseases, they are far from harmless to health and have quite powerful adverse reactions. That is why medical specialists usually prescribe them in not very long courses and, if possible, in small dosages.
What is the danger of using non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs?
Firstly, there are problems from the stomach and intestines, as a rule, the effect on the gastric mucosa.
The use of non-steroidal agents dramatically increases the risk of erosion and even ulcerative formation of the gastrointestinal mucosa. This is especially true for patients who have previously had the following diseases:
- Gastritis (a disease that is characterized by inflammation of the gastric mucosa, proceeds with a violation of recovery).
- Stomach ulcer.
- Duodenal ulcer.
But recently, new generation anti-inflammatory drugs have appeared, in which the harmful effects on the stomach and intestines are significantly reduced. This group of drugs is called selective COX-2 inhibitors, and it includes Nimesulide and Celecoxib.
Secondly, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs reduce the speed of renal blood flow, and also retain water and sodium in the body, which can contribute to high blood pressure, as well as the occurrence of acute heart failure and kidney disease.
Thirdly, anti-inflammatory drugs, among other things, affect blood coagulation. If used improperly, people may develop vascular thrombosis, as well as stroke and myocardial infarction. Medicines for which such an effect is characteristic include, as a rule, COX-2 inhibitors, which reduce the likelihood of gastric complications.
Things to remember when using non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs
These drugs are not at all as harmless as it seems at first glance. That’s why you can’t self-medicate and prescribe yourself such therapy yourself, but you need to contact a medical specialist who will choose the right medication and dosage for you.
If there is a need for the use of an analgesic drug for arthrosis of the knee for a longer period, it is better to use medicines of other groups, which with prolonged use do not give such negative reactions and have a large selective effect, without exerting a harmful effect on the stomach, kidneys or heart and blood vessels .
For these purposes, drugs like Movalis are most suitable, which should be taken in longer courses - from several weeks to several months, or even more, but, of course, also only under the supervision of a medical specialist.
In addition, the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs is fraught with the fact that they only mask the signs of arthrosis.
As everyone knows, pain is a signal from the body that something is wrong with it. If the pain with these agents completely disappears, then there is a high risk that a patient with such an ailment gives up on the disease, forgets about the disease and does nothing to recover, except for the use of pain medication.
This approach is very detrimental to health, because, despite the absence of unpleasant sensations, the disease continues to develop, the cartilage tissue is still deformed, and the patient may think that he is in good health and has nothing to worry about.
In fact, the correct therapy for the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs should be as follows:
- You should take these drugs strictly as prescribed by the doctor, but not in order to forget about the disease, but in order to create the opportunity to carry out treatment without pain in the joints.
- Use other medicines that are needed to eliminate osteoarthritis, carry out the necessary physiotherapeutic measures, massage courses and other therapeutic therapies that could not be carried out if there was a pain syndrome.
Chondroprotectors
These are drugs that help protect cartilage and help strengthen its formation in the joints.
Unlike anti-inflammatory drugs, chondroprotectors not only eliminate the signs of knee arthrosis, but also affect the very source of osteoarthritis - they help improve the nutrition of cartilage and its regeneration. Chondroprotectors are one of the most necessary and main drugs for the treatment of this ailment.
This group of medicines includes such active components as chondroitin sulfate and glucosamine. They can be included in the structure of various drugs in different variations, for example:
- "Don."
- "Teraflex".
- Chondroxide.
- Arthra.
- "Elbona".
- Chondrolone.
- Structum.
- Zinaxin.
- "Arthrin".
Next, the most effective chondroprotectors for treating the knee joint will be considered.
Arthra
According to the instructions, tablets with arthrosis of the knee joint of the 2nd degree activate the restoration of cartilage surfaces. A combined medication that contains the same concentration of glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate (five hundred milligrams each in one tablet).
Chondroitin takes an active part in the process of regeneration of joint tissues and provides its protection through the following actions:
- It accelerates the metabolism of calcium and phosphorus, leads to a stable state of metabolic processes in cartilage.
- Blocks free radicals that deform cartilage.
- Increases synovial fluid production, maintains its density.
- It slows down the destruction of bone, the phenomenon of osteoporosis and activates the regeneration of bone tissue.
Teraflex
This is a combination drug. One capsule contains five hundred milligrams of glucosamine and four hundred milligrams of chondroitin sulfate. In addition, the medicine is also available in the form of an ointment.
The drug helps to reduce inflammation, and also helps to connect the intercellular matrix of cartilage.
After using the tablets, the orally active substances instantly and absolutely completely penetrate the general bloodstream from the intestine. They are uniformly distributed throughout all tissues, better accumulate in the structures of the musculoskeletal system. The active substances are excreted unchanged with urine.
"Don"
This drug contains only glucosamine. The medicine is produced in the form of powder, tablets, as well as ampoules for injections. To get the best effect, manufacturers recommend reimbursing its oral use with intramuscular injections.
The drug has anti-inflammatory and pronounced analgesic effect. With the constant use of Dona, the supply of glucosamine is replenished, the activation of the process of combining hyaluronic acid in the intraarticular fluid increases, the permeability of the joint capsule increases, and physiological metabolism in the cartilage tissue of the joint is restored.
People in their reviews note that when using the drug, the normal functioning of the affected joint is restored and pain is reduced.
Structum
The main active ingredient of the drug is chondroitin, which regulates the metabolism in the tissues of hyaline and fibrous cartilage. It activates chemical processes, in particular the formation of glycosaminoglycans, which are considered the main structural trace element of the intercellular substance of cartilage. Due to this, the drug reduces the intensity of degenerative processes. The best pills for treating arthrosis are considered Structum.
Chondroitin has a minimal effect on metabolic processes in bone tissue, it helps its speedy regeneration, and also reduces the severity of leaching of calcium salts, which give strength to the mineral matrix. Due to these positive effects, Structum has a protective effect on cartilage, and also reduces the severity of inflammation.
After taking the tablets, the orally active substance is instantly and seventy percent absorbed into the general bloodstream from the intestine. Chondroitin is evenly distributed throughout all tissues with subsequent accumulation. Partially, it is excreted with urine by the kidneys.
Chondroxide
This medicine has in its composition only one active substance - chondroitin sulfate, but is available not only in the form of capsules for oral administration, but also in the form of an ointment. Chondroxide is produced by the domestic pharmaceutical company Nizhpharm.
The drug stimulates the process of restoration of cartilage, has an analgesic and anti-inflammatory effect. The treatment of knee arthrosis with Chondroxide tablets compensates for the lack of glucosamine, activates the synthesis of hyaluronic acid and synovial fluid proteoglycans.
The drug has a number of pharmacological effects, which include:
- Reducing the destruction of connective tissue.
- A positive effect on the metabolism in the cells and intercellular substance of cartilage.
- Reduction of pathological destruction of cartilage, as well as leaching of calcium.
- Inhibition of the activity of enzymatic systems that are responsible for the breakdown of cartilage tissue.
- Anti-inflammatory effect, which has a positive effect in the chronic course of disorders in the cartilage tissue.
Opinions
As a rule, chondroprotective drugs are delayed-action medicines. This means that the positive effect of therapy appears very slowly and can be observed only after three to five months, and the course of treatment with these drugs is from six months to one year or longer.
Chondroprotectors help only in the early stages of arthrosis - in the first or second. With the third degree of this disease, these preparations no longer make sense, since all the cartilage tissue of the joint is already deformed and there is nothing to regenerate there.
According to reviews, experts disagreed on whether to use glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate together or separately. There are studies that suggest that with the simultaneous use of these two components, they can weaken the effect of each other.
Thus, we examined the treatment of knee arthrosis with pills. It is important to consult a doctor in time for the correct diagnosis and prescription of a specific therapy.