The disease arthrosis has many varieties.For example, the disease of the hip joint is called coxarthrosis, and the disease of the knee is called gonarthrosis.
The treatment method for all subtypes is usually the same.However, many people do not know the difference between arthrosis and gonarthrosis of the knee joint.
On this basis, many erroneous uses of these terms have arisen among patients with this problem.
reasons
Gonarthrosis is a disease of the knee joint with damage to cartilage tissue.Many people mistakenly believe that the disease is characteristic only of the elderly, as it is degenerative.But, as practice shows, gonarthrosis occurs more often in young people.
This is confirmed by the causes of the disease:
- knee injuries (fractures, dislocations, cracks);
- weight lifting, intense physical activity without proper preparation;
- inflammation of the joints due to exposure to various factors, including hypothermia;
- overweight, as it leads to a high load on the joints and their subsequent degeneration;
- genetic predisposition.
As you can see, all the factors for the appearance of gonarthrosis are more characteristic of young people, since they lead an active lifestyle.
Although due to excess weight, the disease can also occur in pensioners.According to statistics, after 50 years, gonarthrosis occurs more often in women.This is due to the restructuring of the body, changes in metabolic processes.
Principles and types of treatment
Arthritis is generally a chronic disease, so their treatment takes a long time.Therapy can be surgical or conservative.
With both the first and the second method, doctors try to somehow influence the cause of the disease, as well as eliminate the pathological symptoms.
It should be noted that surgical intervention is more typical for 3-4 stages of arthrosis.Fourthly, it is inevitable, and thirdly, you can still try to overcome the disease using conservative methods.
In addition, it is recommended to use special sets of gymnastic exercises, for example, the Bubnovsky technique.
In addition to cartilage destruction from gonarthrosis, muscle fibers and ligaments are susceptible to destruction.The goal of treatment is:
- pain relief;
- elimination of inflammation;
- removal of edema of the periarticular area;
- stopping the destruction of cartilage, its complete or partial restoration;
- return to a full life and freedom of movement.
Even in cases where a person cannot completely cure arthrosis of the knee joint, he can partially return to a normal lifestyle thanks to therapy and prevention.The condition persists until the next relapse.
Conservative method
This method of therapy is used in most cases and is the main one.As a rule, patients are treated in this way in the initial and middle stages of gonarthrosis.All actions involve the use of drugs (tablets, capsules, injections) with chemically active substances.
The following may be prescribed for treatment:
- analgin;
- chondroprotectors;
- non-steroidal drugs;
- synovial prostheses;
- glucocorticosteroids.
Other conservative methods include treatment with various ointments, mud baths, etc.
Recently, gymnastics and light physical exercises have become very popular to stop the course of the disease or possibly recover the patient.
The body reacts strongly to non-steroidal drugs.However, they are widely used in the treatment of arthrosis due to their multifunctional action:
- removing swelling in the joint;
- pain relief;
- treatment of inflammatory processes.
Because of these properties, doctors are increasingly choosing these drugs over traditional analgesics.
Glucocorticosteroids are synthetic drugs that can replace the natural hormones produced by the adrenal glands.If we compare them with non-steroidal drugs, glucocorticosteroids are much stronger.In addition, they have an anti-allergic effect.
Chondroprotectors act directly on the cartilage and are completely safe means for the treatment of arthrosis of the knee (gonarthrosis).They are obtained from the bone structure of animals, fish cartilage and shells of crustaceans.Medicines are a building material for cartilage, improve metabolic processes and proper nutrition of the joint.
In addition to the use of drugs, during treatment, recovery and prevention are prescribed:
- physical therapy;
- physical therapy;
- various massages;
- visiting sanatoriums and resorts.
All this allows the patient to return to normal life and fixes the result obtained with conservative treatment.
Also, the classes are easy.A very useful exercise for the knee joint with gonarthrosis is to roll a ball placed on the floor or another cylindrical object, for example a rolling pin, with your foot.
Surgical intervention
If it is not possible to cure the disease with the help of drugs or therapeutic exercises, then it is necessary to undergo surgery.It can be done on both open and closed joints.At the same time, surgical methods are improved every day, and new methods are added to the previous ones, performed using modern equipment.
New methods of conducting operations include:
- microsurgical intervention to restore damaged cartilage tissue;
- processing with a laser beam with the necessary characteristics - thickness, power, etc.;
- creating an electrolytic plasma field with a thickness of 1 mm;
- arthroscopy;
- endoprosthetics - replacement of parts of the joint with artificial prostheses.
Modern surgical methods are low-traumatic and allow a huge number of different manipulations with the joint.
Recipes from traditional medicine
Conservative treatment methods cannot always give the maximum result in the treatment of gonarthrosis.Recipes of traditional medicine can be used as additional means.
To get rid of knee pain and crunch, you can use the following recipe:
- 150 g of garlic;
- 4 lemons with the peel;
- 250 g of celery roots.
Grind all the components in a meat grinder, mix and pour boiling water.Then put it in a saucepan, cover tightly with a lid and refrigerate.Take 60-70 g 3 times a day for one month.If pain occurs, you can repeat the course or conduct it every six months for prevention.
You can also use this recipe:
- beat two eggs and mix with 4 tablespoons of salt;
- Apply the mixture to a bandage and apply to the sore spot.
The procedure should be repeated twice in a row.Do not remove the bandage until the mixture dries.
To make a healing ointment, you will need the following ingredients:
- 200 g of alcohol;
- 4 proteins;
- 50 g of camphor;
- 50 g of mustard powder.
Add mustard and camphor alternately to the alcohol.Beat the egg whites in another bowl and then mix together.The ointment is smeared on the sore spot.
Of course, heavy physical exertion in athletes is as common a cause of gonarthrosis as the aging of the joints over time.
But recently, the cases when the disease manifests itself without such basic reasons have become more frequent.People, on the contrary, lead a sedentary lifestyle, which is why they accumulate extra pounds.
The load on the joints increases and does not allow them to remain healthy for a long time.
The difference between arthrosis and gonarthrosis
Not everyone understands the difference between gonarthrosis and arthrosis of the knee joint.Gonarthrosis is characterized only by damage to the knee, while arthrosis itself is the name of a group of joint diseases that can affect any joint.
In the theory of medicine, there are many diseases whose names contain the part "arthrosis" - osteoarthrosis, polyarthrosis, coxarthrosis, gonarthrosis.In this regard, ignorant people do not always correctly understand the meaning of each of them, thinking that they are all synonyms.
Gonarthrosis can easily be confused with the following diseases:
- arthritis;
- vascular pain in the knees;
- periarthritis - inflammation of the knee tendons;
- meniscus damage.
But it is still possible to distinguish gonarthrosis from these diseases.For example, damage to the meniscus (meniscopathy) is a disease that begins with sharp and unexpected pain in the knees after a failed movement, and gonarthrosis develops and progresses over the years.If meniscopathy is left untreated, pain will occur from time to time, but no bone deformity will occur.
With coxarthrosis (disease of the hip joint), reflex pain is often felt in the knees, but the two diseases can be distinguished from each other in the following ways:
- with gonarthrosis, a person can safely move his legs in the hip joint, spread them apart;
- with coxarthrosis, on the contrary, the patient can freely bend and straighten the knee;
- if pain is felt in both joints, then we can assume that it is polyarthrosis.
Arthritis is characterized by inflammation of the joints and a sudden onset, but the pain does not affect the mobility of the joints (as in periarthritis) and is eliminated thanks to warming ointments.In this disease, swelling, high fever and increased pain occur at night.
Vascular pain occurs due to circulatory disorders - this often affects young people under 20 years of age.This is due to the rapid growth of the whole organism.
Thus, arthrosis is the general name of the disease, and gonarthrosis is a name that indicates the localization (knee).That is why it is correct to say either "arthrosis of the knee joint" or "gonarthrosis", but not "gonarthrosis of the knee joint".And it is quite possible to determine an accurate diagnosis through careful examination and personal observations.
Arthrosis of the knee joint (gonarthrosis): diagnosis and treatment
The knee joint is a wonderful flexion-extension mechanism that nature has provided us with.At rest, it is only found in disabled and morbidly obese people who have lost the ability to move.
Count how many times a day it moves and you will come to the conclusion that the knee is the most mobile part of the joint.No wonder diseases often choose it as their target.
One of them is gonarthrosis or arthrosis of the knee joint.
Causes of arthrosis of the knee joint
It is difficult to say what causes early cartilage deficiency in some people.It is generally believed that the cause is a metabolic disorder in which the metabolism of amino acids and important trace elements proceeds slowly or incorrectly.
Here, in turn, the following reasons are to blame:
- Certain diseases related to the immune system (for example, rheumatoid arthritis)
- Self-neglect: Sports and movement, a nutritious diet containing a full range of vitamins, amino acids and minerals, are often pushed by people somewhere far away for "later" ("I'll start on Monday, of course")
- From birth, the natural balance is disturbed - so-called hereditary reasons.It's quite easy to check your genetic predisposition: see what your grandparents were sick with and ask them what their ancestors were sick with
- Disturbed hormonal balance: such disturbances especially affect the female body during a period of estrogen deficiency, an important hormone necessary for osteosynthesis.It is not for nothing that most of the victims of arthrosis are women at a wonderful mature age, when they are not yet old, but already wise, that is, the "over 50" mark.
- Vascular diseases: Arthrosis is often combined with venous insufficiency, venous thrombosis and other diseases
- State of mind: If you think stress just puts you in a bad mood, you're wrong—stress can slow your metabolism down to a state of suspended animation
- A risk factor for arthrosis is excess weight
What symptoms allow to suspect this bad pathology?
Symptoms of gonarthrosis by stage
Each stage has its own distinctive features, but they are united by the gradual development of the disease:
You can't suddenly stop walking because of pain: a sharp, sudden symptom of knee pain most likely indicates an injury.
First stage.At the first stage, the following symptoms appear:
- Slight pain after long walking, climbing stairs, etc.
- Stiffness after rest
- There is no deformity of the knee, but it may be slightly swollen due to accumulated fluid: this phenomenon is called synovitis.Fluid can collect even in the back - the popliteal fossa, forming a cyst that is often mistaken by frightened patients for a cancerous tumor.The cyst usually dissolves easily after treatment with injections of NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) or glucocorticosteroids
Second stage
In the second stage, the following signs are noticed:
- Increased pain after exercise and movement and the appearance of a characteristic coarse crisis
- Increase in morning stiffness
- The movement to the end or even to 90 degrees is accompanied by a symptom of pain, sometimes so strong that it becomes impossible to complete it
- Due to the appearance of deformation, the bones thicken and become rough - this can be determined by palpation
- Synovitis can get worse
Third stage
At the third stage, which is already defined as late deforming arthrosis of the knee joint, symptoms appear:
- Constant pain that does not go away even at night: The knee hurts and twists, especially in cold wet weather
- Abrupt reduction in range of motion: no more than 90 degrees or even less
- Changes in gait: the patient begins to limp, walks slowly on half-bent legs, wobbles, it is especially difficult to climb the steps
- Visible severe deformation with mixing of joint axes - therefore the legs take the shape of the letter "X" or "O" (such signs are called hallux valgus).
- At this stage, the cartilage, as a rule, is already completely destroyed and ossification (ossification) occurs in the ligaments.
- Subsequently, the surface of the joint grows with calcium deposits, due to which the knee acquires a lumpy, uneven appearance.
- Due to severe deformation and lack of synovial fluid, movements in the knee become extremely painful
- Gradually, almost complete immobility of the knee occurs - late deforming arthrosis of the knee joint
Treatment of gonarthrosis
The treatment of this disease is complex and lengthy, effective only in the first stages.In the latter case, conservative treatment only plays a role in alleviating the patient's condition.
Diagnosis.An important preliminary stage is the diagnosis.
- The best way to diagnose and determine if the pain is caused by an injury or osteoarthritis is through an X-ray or MRI of the knee joint.
- Osteoarthritis is diagnosed if: degeneration or absence of cartilage tissue and a small gap between the joint and the capsule is observed
Conservative treatment
During exacerbations, the most important condition for treatment is:
- Maintaining rest and light exercise
- Taking painkillers (for severe pain - in the form of intra-articular injections)
- In the third and fourth stages of arthrosis, injections with fluid to lubricate the joints are also prescribed.
The following types of physiotherapy are effective for gonarthrosis:
- SWT (Shock Wave Therapy)
- electromyostimulation
- acupuncture
- magnetotherapy
- radiofrequency therapy, etc.
Rehabilitation treatment
To avoid contractures and even greater immobility, knee exercises should be started immediately after acute pain subsides - for this, exercise therapy is prescribed under the supervision of a rehabilitation specialist.Long-term cyclic administration of substitutes for the natural components of cartilage - chondroprotective drugs - is also carried out.
attention: In the third degree, arthrosis of the knee joint cannot be cured with the help of chondroprotectors.
Surgical treatment
Effective treatment of late arthrosis is only surgical - replacement of a joint that has lost its function with an endoprosthesis.
However, we must remember:
- in old age, the healing of the prosthesis is slower
- After surgery, there may be pain for a year
- long-term rehabilitation with mechanotherapy and comprehensive exercise therapy is necessary
If the patient refuses surgery, then conservative supportive treatment is prescribed, the purpose of which is to fight pain and preserve the motor function of the knee.
What is arthrosis of the knee joint often confused with - gonarthrosis?
- When diagnosing gonarthrosiserrors occur as often, if not more, than in the diagnosis of hip diseases.
- Below is a list of diseases that are most often confused with arthrosis of the knee joint (gonarthrosis).
- From the practice of Dr. Evdokimenko,Most often, arthrosis of the knee joint is confused with the following diseases:
Damage to the menisci (meniscopathy) and blockage of the knee joint
Meniscus injuries and knee blockages occur in people of all ages, young and old.Men and women get sick equally often.Usually one knee joint is damaged.
Unlike gonarthrosis, the disease develops quickly.As a rule, after an unsuccessful movement when walking, running or jumping, a person hears a crunch in the knee and feels a sharp pain in the joint.After 10-15 minutes, the sharp pain subsides slightly and the person can move.But the next day or the day after, the knee swells and the pain increases again.
Without proper treatment, the disease lasts for years - the pain either subsides or reappears.But compared to gonarthrosis, meniscopathy rarely causes deformity of the bones of the knee joint - unless damage to the meniscus causes the development of knee arthrosis.And this, it should be noted, also happens quite often.
Osteoarthritis of the hip joint (coxarthrosis)
The diagnosis "gonarthrosis" is often mistaken for "referred" pain, which often occurs with arthrosis of the hip joint and extends from the hip joint to the knee.
But these conditions are very easy to distinguish - with arthrosis of the hip joint, the mobility of the knee does not decrease at all, the knee bends and straightens easily and painlessly.
But the ability of a person suffering from arthrosis of the hip joint to rotate the leg "from the hip" and spread the legs to the side sharply decreases.
A person suffering from gonarthrosis, on the contrary, easily rotates his leg from the hip and easily spreads his legs to the side.But with difficulty he bends his knee and squats in pain.
Arthritis
The knee joints are the most vulnerable joints of the human body.In addition to arthrosis and meniscopathy, the knee joints can be affected by any of the arthritis described in the second part of the book - reactive, rheumatoid, psoriatic, gouty, ankylosing spondylitis and joint rheumatism.
Arthritis affects people of any age, but most often the disease occurs in young people.
With arthritis, one or both knees can become inflamed.
A characteristic feature of arthritic inflammation of the knee joint is the rapid onset (within 1-3 days), with obvious swelling and swelling of the knee, as well as increased pain in the affected joint at night (around 3-4 in the morning).That is, the pain at night, at rest, may be stronger than when walking.In arthrosis, as you remember, the pain decreases at night.
In addition, almost every arthritis leads to inflammation of not one, but several joints at once: in addition to the knees, the joints of the fingers and toes, elbow joints, ankle joints and heel tendons become inflamed and swollen in any combination.
Vascular pain in the knees
These pains, which occur due to poor blood circulation in the knee joints, are familiar to many people.They usually begin during adolescence, a period of active growth—because vascular development in fast-growing adolescents often does not keep pace with accelerated bone growth.
Once it occurs, vascular pain in the knees can accompany a person almost throughout his life.But their intensity usually decreases after 18-20 years (and does not increase with age, as happens with arthrosis).And unlike the pain of arthrosis, vascular pain in the knees is not accompanied by a decrease in the mobility of the knee joints.
Pain sensations are usually symmetrical, i.e.they are equally expressed in the right and left knee;occur when the weather changes, in the cold, during colds and after physical activity.At such times, sufferers complain that their knees "buckle".
In most cases, vascular pain in the knees is easily eliminated by rubbing warm ointments, massage and self-massage (vigorous rubbing of the knees) or taking vasodilating drugs.No special therapy is needed for this condition.
Inflammation of the tendons of the knee (bursa anserina periarthritis)
They mostly affect women, most often over 40 years of age.The pain usually occurs when going down stairs or when carrying heavy objects or heavy bags.When calmly walking on a flat surface, pain is extremely rare.
The pain caused by periarthritis does not involve the entire knee.It focuses exclusively on the inside of the knees, about 3- below the point where the knees would touch when you bring your feet together.And unlike arthrosis, in periarthritis there is no limitation of knee mobility;the leg flexes and extends at the knee as expected, fully.