Knee arthrosis, or gonarthrosis, is a chronic and gradually progressive disease that often causes disability. At the moment, gonarthrosis occupies one of the first positions in frequency of occurrence among all arthrosis. Most of the time, this pathological process is found by middle-aged and elderly people, mainly female representatives.
General information and classification
Arthrosis of the knee joint is a disease characterized by progressive degenerative-dystrophic damage to the cartilaginous tissue and, subsequently, to other structures in the area of the knee joint. As we have already said, it is the cartilage that changes mainly in this disease. However, pathological changes spread to the synovial membrane, joint capsule, adjacent bones and ligaments.
As statistics show, arthrosis of the knee joint occurs in about 13% of people over 45 years of age. About 15 percent of people who have suffered an injury to the knee joint later face this disease. More than 60 percent of patients indicate a decrease in quality of life due to the presence of this pathology. The disability rate ranges from 10 to 21 percent.
In 2011, a team of scientists analyzed the treatment of 300 outpatients with knee arthrosis. At the same time, it was found that among people who seek medical care, women predominate 2, 3 times. The average age of the patients was 51 years. It was possible to identify concomitant pathology in 27, 3 percent of patients. Men who signed up for the first time had shorter disease duration and less severity of arthrosis than female representatives.
As we have already said, arthrosis of the knee joint, which has not been treated, often leads to the patient's disability. This is due to the fact that in the most advanced stages of the disease, the joint is deformed, limiting its motor activity. The patient has difficulty getting around, he is obliged to use auxiliary items, for example, crutches.
Arthrosis of the knee joint is divided into two forms: primary and secondary. The primary form develops when changes in the cartilage tissue of the joint have not been preceded by trauma. According to statistics, it accounts for about 38%. The secondary form occurs if there is a history of trauma, inflammatory pathologies and so on.
In addition, there are three degrees of severity of such a pathological process. In the first degree, the clinical manifestations have a minimal degree of severity, there are no deformities. The second degree is characterized by increased symptoms, moderate limitation of movement in the joint. In the third degree, a noticeable deformation of the joint is determined.
Reasons for the development of osteoarthritis of the knee joint
The main cause of osteoarthritis of the knee joint is injury. Most of the time, the formation of pathological changes in the joint takes three to five years from the moment of the injury, but sometimes an earlier development of osteoarthritis is also observed. Another common cause is increased joint stress. At risk are people who overload the knee joint while playing sports and who are overweight.
The risk of developing osteoarthritis with previous arthritis, metabolic disorders and genetic predisposition increases significantly.
Symptoms of knee joint arthrosis
The symptoms of this disease gradually increase. At first, the person pays attention to mild pain in the joints, which increase during physical exertion. A characteristic clinical sign is the appearance of pain during the first movements after a long sitting position.
Sometimes, in the area of the joint, a slight swelling is detected, but most of the time there are no external signs of the disease.
Osteoarthritis of the knee joint, which is not treated, continues to progress. With the second degree, the pain becomes more intense, it appears even with little physical effort. The pain syndrome disappears at rest, but when the movements begin, it returns again. In the future, the range of motion in the joint is limited, sometimes a rough crack is noticed.
In the third degree, the pain becomes almost constant, sometimes even at night. A sick person cannot bend or fully stretch his leg, an external deformation of the joint is found. The patient's gait becomes unstable; in severe cases, he can only move with support.
Principles for the diagnosis of osteoarthritis
As a rule, arthrosis of the knee joint does not cause difficulties in diagnosis. The exam plan includes an external exam and an X-ray exam. At the moment, radiography is the main diagnostic method for this disease. However, it is important to note that in the early stages, radiological signs may be absent, but this does not exclude the diagnosis. If a more detailed study is required, in addition to radiography, computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging is used.
Knee arthrosis: treatment and prevention
With degenerative-dystrophic joint damage, treatment can be conservative and surgical. It is important to note that the effectiveness of the therapy will depend directly on how timely it was started. Of the drugs, non-steroidal and chondroprotective anti-inflammatory drugs are used. Sometimes, it becomes necessary to perform intra-articular administration of glucocorticosteroids. The treatment plan is complemented by physical therapy and therapeutic exercises.
However, with advanced osteoarthritis of the knee joint, treatment is done by surgical methods. Most of the time, joint arthroplasty is used, followed by rehabilitation measures.
In 2013, scientists published an article that brings data on the study of the quality of life of patients undergoing knee arthroplasty compared to the quality of life of patients undergoing conservative therapy for gonarthrosis. Research was carried out, during which it was discovered that three months after the stent, people's quality of life was higher than with only conservative therapy.
The main method of prevention is to avoid injury and excessive physical effort in the knee joint.