Arthrosis 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, so movement difficulties and pain are the most important signs of the disease.Today, arthrosis of the knee joint is also common among 25-30 year olds.Which speaks of the versatility of the causes of the disease and its treatment accordingly.> There are two types of gonarthrosis: unilateral (affects only one knee) and bilateral (affects both knees).It occurs more often in the bilateral manifestation of the disease.
Reasons
Gonarthrosis, like coxathrosis, is most often manifested in old age.Although today it is no exception that young people also experience the symptoms of this disease.This suggests that the causes of gonarthrosis are different and each may have its own effect on the onset, exacerbation and treatment of the disease.There is also the possibility of a genetic predisposition of the body, i.e. knee joints may be more common in certain families than in others.Also, this disease may not be genetically determined.Therefore, many causes of gonarthrosis can 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 gonarthrosis).
- Accompanying diseases, such as arthritis (5-7% of all cases of gonarthrosis, polyarthrosis and coxarthrosis).
- Congenital weakness of ligaments (3-5% of cases of gonarthrosis).
- Metabolic syndrome and metabolic problems 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 mostly the same and appear in almost all patients.Patients also note that the pain worsens in spring and autumn and depends on changes in the weather.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.Knees may be stiff when moving in the morning.If minor symptoms are ignored, the disease can progress and have extremely undesirable consequences for the patient.Despite the main symptoms, the disease has many other signs:
- pain at rest, which qualitatively decreases when walking;
- difficulties in controlling limited movement and mobility of the knee joint;
- 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 evaluated based on a medical examination and X-rays.In addition, the disease stage of any arthrosis (including coxarthrosis, gonarthrosis, polyarthrosis and others) can only be determined by X-ray, and only a doctor can evaluate such conditions.Therefore, it is extremely important not to self-diagnose and not to jump to conclusions.
Grades of gonarthrosis
Grade 1
The knee joints did not succumb to the deforming effect of the disease, they are only manifested by external signs and a slight swelling of the periarticular skin, and its color change is also noticeable.At the physiological level, it is characterized by minor changes in the hyaline cartilage.As a result of the accumulation of a significant amount of synovial fluid in the synovium, minor deformations of the joint occur, which are accompanied by pain when walking.Other signs, such as limited mobility, are not observed.That is why it is difficult to track them on X-rays.At this stage, the disease is difficult to diagnose, but if it is identified quickly, its treatment will be more effective than in the case of the second or third degree of gonarthrosis, as well as other types of arthrosis (coxarthrosis, polyarthrosis).
Grade II
The main symptom is unbearable or intense pain even with light exertion, which intensifies when walking and lifting heavy objects.Over time, this turns into difficulty bending the knee.At the physiological level, this manifests itself in the fact that the volume of the cartilage layer is sharply reduced, and in some places it is completely absent.Based on the results of the X-rays, this measure can be determined by the density of the marginal bone growths and the joint space.When the joint is working, especially during a long walk, a characteristic crunch appears.Gradually, the patient may lose the ability to bend the knee or find it very difficult to do so.The deforming effect is already evident in the development stage of gonarthrosis and other types of arthrosis (coxarthrosis, polyarthrosis).This is visually noticeable and the skin around it becomes rough and discolored.It is better to start the treatment comprehensively and intensively at this stage.Both drug treatment and traditional treatment methods will be relevant here.
Grade III
It is characterized by severe pain, even when the knee joint is inactive or immobilized.The deforming effect is very noticeable, and significant changes in the structure of the joint and adjacent tissues can be visually determined.On a physiological level, it is characterized by a lack of cartilage tissue, and this is easy to diagnose on an X-ray.The knee joint III.treatment of stage arthrosis and other types of arthrosis (polyarthrosis, coxarthrosis) is a practically irreversible process.The main goal of such treatment will be to reduce pain and eliminate some symptoms of the disease.