Osteoarthritis of the knee joint (gonarthrosis) is a disease that causes deformation of the cartilage of the knee joint.This disease occurs very often, especially among the older generation.Knee function deteriorates, and therefore difficulty in movement and pain are the most important signs of the disease.Today, arthrosis of the knee joint is also common among people aged 25-30 years.Which speaks about the flexibility of the cause of the disease and, thus, its treatment.> There are two types of gonarthrosis: unilateral (affects only one knee) and bilateral (affects both knees).More often the disease occurs in bilateral manifestations.
Reason
Gonarthrosis, like coxarthrosis, most often manifests itself in old age.Even today, young people are not exempt from the symptoms of this disease.This shows that the causes of gonarthrosis are different and each can have its own effect on the appearance, exacerbation and treatment of the disease.There is also the possibility of a genetic predisposition of the organism, i.e. knee arthrosis may be more common in certain families than in others.In addition, the disease may not be genetically determined.Therefore, several causes of gonarthrosis can be identified.
- Various physical injuries of the knee (bruises, dislocations, etc.).
- Age-inappropriate weight bearing (5-7% of all cases of gonarthrosis, as well as coxarthrosis).
- Excessive patient weight (10% of all cases of gonarthrosis).
- Accompanying diseases, for example, arthritis (5-7% of all cases of gonarthrosis, polyarthrosis and coxarthrosis).
- Congenital weakness of ligaments (3-5% of cases of gonarthrosis).
- Metabolic syndrome and problems with metabolism in the body.
- Upper thigh muscle spasms (up to 50% of cases of gonarthrosis and coxarthrosis).
symptoms
Symptoms of arthrosis of the knee joint are mostly the same and appear in almost all patients.Patients also note that the pain worsens in spring and autumn and depends on weather changes.The main symptom of this disease is knee pain.Often, it does not appear immediately, but appears only after a long walk and appears in the late afternoon.In the morning there may be stiffness in the knees when moving.If small symptoms are left unattended, the disease can develop, and it can bring very undesirable results for the patient.Despite the main symptoms, there are several other signs of this disease:
- pain at rest, which decreases qualitatively when walking;
- limited movement of the knee joint and difficulty controlling its mobility;
- stiffness of knee movements;
- increased sensitivity in the knee area;
- swelling in the area of the knee joint and swelling of the skin around it;
- knee joint deformity.
The condition of the knee joint is assessed by examination by a doctor and x-ray.Moreover, the disease stage of any arthrosis (including coxathrosis, gonarthrosis, polyarthrosis and others) can only be determined by x-ray and only a doctor can assess such conditions.Therefore, it is very important not to self-diagnose or jump to conclusions.
Stage of gonarthrosis
first degree
The knee joint does not succumb to the deforming influence of the disease, but is shown only by external signs and a slight swelling of the periarticular skin, and the change in its color is noticeable.At the physiological level, it is characterized by small changes in hyaline cartilage.As a result of the accumulation of a large amount of joint fluid in the synovix, a small deformation of the joint occurs, which is accompanied by pain when walking.Other signs such as limited mobility were not observed.Therefore, it is also difficult to detect it on x-rays.At this stage, the disease is difficult to diagnose, but if identified quickly, the treatment will be more effective than with other or third gonarthrosis, as well as other types of arthrosis (coxarthrosis, polyarthrosis).
II degree
The main symptom is unbearable or intense pain even with light effort, which increases when walking and lifting heavy objects.Over time, this will progress to difficulty bending the knee.At the physiological level, this is shown by the fact that the amount of cartilage layers decreases sharply, and in some places is completely absent.Based on x-ray results, this degree can be determined by marginal bone growth and joint space density.When the joints work, especially when walking for a long time, characteristic irritation appears.Gradually, the patient may lose the ability to bend the knee, or it will be very difficult for him to do so.The effect of deformation is obvious at this stage of the development of gonarthrosis, as well as other types of arthrosis (coxarthrosis, polyarthrosis).This can be seen visually, and the surrounding skin becomes rough and discolored.Treatment at this stage is better to start thoroughly and intensively.Both medicine and traditional methods of treatment will be relevant here.
III degree
It is characterized by severe pain, even when the knee joint is inactive or immobile.The effect of deformation is very noticeable and one can visually ensure significant changes in the structure of joints and adjacent tissues.At the physiological level, it is characterized by the absence of cartilage tissue and this is easy to diagnose on x-rays.Treatment of stage III arthrosis of the knee joint and other types of arthrosis (polyarthrosis, coxarthrosis) is an almost irreversible process.Instead, the main goal of such treatment is to reduce pain and eliminate some symptoms of the disease.