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.The function of the knee deteriorates, and therefore difficulties in its mobility and pain are the most important symptoms of the disease.Today, arthrosis of the knee joint is also common among people aged 25-30.Which speaks about the versatility of the causes of the disease and, accordingly, its treatment.> There are two types of gonarthrosis: unilateral (affects only one knee) and bilateral (affects both knees).More often, the disease occurs in its bilateral manifestation.
Reasons
Gonarthrosis, like coxarthrosis, is most often manifested in old age.Although today it is not excluded that young people also have symptoms of this disease.This shows that the causes of gonarthrosis are diverse and each of them can have its own effect on the appearance, exacerbation and treatment of the disease.There are also possibilities of the genetic predisposition of the organism, i.e.Knee osteoarthritis may run more in some families than others.In addition, this disease may not be genetically determined.Therefore, several causes of gonarthrosis can be identified.
- Various physical injuries of the knee (bruise, sprain, etc.).
- Heavy loads inappropriate for age (5-7% of all cases of gonarthrosis, as well as coxarthrosis).
- Excessive body weight of the patient (10% of all gonarthrosis cases).
- Accompanying diseases, for example, arthritis (5-7% of all cases of gonarthrosis, polyarthrosis and coxarthrosis).
- Congenital weakness of ligaments (3-5% of gonarthrosis cases).
- Metabolic syndrome and problems with metabolism in the body.
- Muscle spasm of the upper part of the thigh (up to 50% of cases of gonarthrosis and coxarthrosis).
Symptoms
The symptoms of arthrosis of the knee joint are basically the same and appear in almost all patients.Patients also note that the pain intensifies in spring and autumn and depends on weather changes.The main symptom of the disease is knee pain.Often it is not immediately visible, but it is noticeable after a long walk and appears in the afternoon.There may be stiffness in the knee when moving in the morning.If minor symptoms are neglected, the disease can progress and this can lead to extremely undesirable consequences for the patient.Despite the main symptoms, the disease has a number of other symptoms:
- pain in a quiet state, which qualitatively decreases during walking;
- limited movement of the knee joint and difficulty in controlling its mobility;
- stiffness of knee movement;
- increased sensitivity in the knee area;
- swelling in the area of the knee joint and swelling of the surrounding skin;
- deformity of the knee joint.
The condition of the knee joint is assessed by the doctor through examination and X-rays.Moreover, the stage of the disease of any arthrosis (including coxarthrosis, gonarthrosis, polyarthrosis and others) can be determined only by radiography, and only a doctor can evaluate such conditions.Therefore, it is extremely important not to self-diagnose and not make hasty conclusions.
Degrees of gonarthrosis
1st degree
Knee joints have not succumbed to the deforming effect of the disease, but they are manifested by external signs and slight swelling of the periarticular skin, and changes in color are noticeable.At the physiological level, hyaline cartilage is characterized by small changes.As a result of the accumulation of a significant amount of joint fluid in the synovium, small deformations of the joint occur, which is accompanied by pain when walking.Other signs such as limited mobility are not observed.And that's why it's hard to track them on an X-ray.It is difficult to diagnose the disease at this level, but if it is identified quickly, its treatment will be more effective compared to the second or third degree of gonarthrosis, as well as other types of arthrosis (coxarthrosis, polyarthrosis).
II degree
The main symptom is unbearable or severe pain even with light exertion, which is aggravated when walking and lifting heavy objects.Over time, this will lead to difficulty bending the knee.At the physiological level, this is manifested by a sharp decrease in the volume of the cartilage layer, and in some places it disappears completely.Based on the results of X-rays, this degree can be determined by the marginal bone growths and the density of the joint space.When working together, especially when walking for a long time, a characteristic crisis appears.Gradually, the patient may lose the ability to bend the knee or it will be very difficult for him to do so.The deforming effect is already manifested at this stage of the development of gonarthrosis, as well as other types of arthrosis (coxarthrosis, polyarthrosis).This is visually noticeable and the skin around it becomes rough and changes color.At this stage, it is better to start the treatment comprehensively and intensively.Both medicine and traditional methods of treatment will be relevant here.
III degree
The knee joint is characterized by severe pain even when it is stationary or inactive.The deformation effect is very noticeable and significant changes in the structure of joints and adjacent tissues can be determined visually.At the physiological level, it is marked by the absence of cartilage tissue, and it is easy to diagnose on an X-ray.Treatment of stage III arthrosis of the knee joint and other types of arthrosis (polyarthrosis, coxarthrosis) is practically an irreversible process.On the contrary, the main goal of such treatment will be to reduce pain and eliminate some symptoms of the disease.