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 mobility difficulties and pain are the most important signs of the disease.Today, osteoarthritis of the knee joint is also common among people aged 25-30 years.Which testifies to the versatility of the causes of the disease and, consequently, its treatment.> There are two types of knee osteoarthritis: unilateral (affects only one knee) and bilateral (affects both knees).Most often, the disease occurs in its bilateral manifestation.
Reasons
Gonarthrosis, like coxarthrosis, occurs most often in the elderly.Although today, young people also show symptoms of this disease.This suggests that the causes of knee OA are different and each may have its own impact on the onset, exacerbation and treatment of the disease.There are also possibilities of genetic predisposition of the body, that is, knee osteoarthritis may be more common in some families than others.Additionally, this disease may not be genetically determined.Several causes of knee osteoarthritis can therefore be identified.
- Various physical injuries to the knee (bruise, dislocation, etc.).
- Heavy loads that do not correspond to age (5-7% of all cases of gonarthrosis, as well as coxarthrosis).
- Excessive body weight of the patient (10% of all cases of knee osteoarthritis).
- Accompanying diseases, for example arthritis (5-7% of all cases of gonarthrosis, polyarthrosis and coxarthrosis).
- Congenital weakness of the ligaments (3 to 5% of cases of knee osteoarthritis).
- Metabolic syndrome and metabolism problems in the body.
- Muscle spasms of the upper thigh (up to 50% of cases of knee and coxarthrosis).
Symptoms
The symptoms of osteoarthritis 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 the disease is knee pain.Most often it does not appear immediately, but is noticeable only after a long walk and appears in the late afternoon.In the morning, there may be stiffness in the knee when moving.If minor symptoms are ignored, the disease can progress and lead to extremely undesirable outcomes for the patient.Despite the main symptoms, there are several other signs of the disease:
- pain in a calm state, which qualitatively decreases when walking;
- limited movement of the knee joint and difficulty controlling its mobility;
- stiffness of knee movement;
- increased sensitivity in the knee area;
- swelling at the knee joint and swelling of the surrounding skin;
- deformation of the knee joint.
The condition of the knee joint is assessed by a medical examination and x-rays.In addition, the stage of the disease of any osteoarthritis (including coxarthrosis, gonarthrosis, polyarthrosis and others) can only be determined with an x-ray and only a doctor can assess these conditions.It is therefore extremely important not to self-diagnose or draw hasty conclusions.
Degrees of knee osteoarthritis
1st degree
The knee joints have not succumbed to the deforming influence of the disease, but are manifested only by external signs and slight swelling of the periarticular skin, and color changes are noticeable.At the physiological level, it is characterized by minor modifications of hyaline cartilage.Due to the accumulation of a significant amount of joint fluid in the synovix, minor deformations of the joint occur, accompanied by pain when walking.Other signs such as limited mobility are not observed.It is therefore also difficult to trace them on an x-ray.At this degree, the disease is difficult to diagnose, but if it is quickly identified, its treatment will be more effective than with the other or third degree of gonarthrosis, as well as other types of osteoarthritis (coxarthrosis, polyarthrosis).
IInd degree
The main symptom is unbearable or severe pain even with light exertion, which intensifies when walking and lifting heavy objects.Over time, this will develop into difficulty bending the knee.At the physiological level, this is manifested by the fact that the volume of the cartilaginous layer decreases sharply and is completely absent in some places.Based on the results of the x-rays, this degree can be determined by the marginal bone growths and the density of the joint space.When the joint works, especially during prolonged walking, a characteristic crunch 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 evident at this stage of development of gonarthrosis, as well as other types of osteoarthritis (coxarthrosis, polyarthrosis).This is visually noticeable and the skin around it becomes rough and changes color.It is best to begin treatment at this stage comprehensive and intensive.Medicines and traditional methods of treatment will be relevant here.
IIIrd degree
It is characterized by intense pain, even when the knee joint is inactive or immobilized.The deformation effect is very visible and significant changes in the structure of the joint and adjacent tissues can be visually seen.Physiologically, it is marked by the absence of cartilaginous tissue and this is easy to diagnose on an x-ray.Treatment of stage III osteoarthritis of the knee joint and other types of osteoarthritis (polyarthrosis, coxarthrosis) is a practically irreversible process.The main objective of such treatment will rather be to reduce pain and eliminate certain symptoms of the disease.