Knee arthrosis(gonarthrosis, osteoarthritis of the knee joint, deformity of the knee joint arthrosis) is a degenerative disease of the knee joint, characterized by destruction of the cartilage of the articular surface, deformity of the joint and disruption of its function.
It is believed that early changes of knee joint arthrosis are formed in cartilage tissue at the molecular level. Over time, these changes lead to a violation of the physicochemical properties of cartilage. When examining the preparation of cartilage, it can be seen that in places it begins to grow cloudy, thinner, stratified and cracked in various directions.
Eventually, the pathological process ends with complete loss of cartilage to a lesser or greater degree, leading to exposure of the underlying bone. Knee arthrosis most often occurs in people over 50 years of age.
More often women experience arthrosis of the knee joint. Knee arthrosis can be unilateral and bilateral. The most common form of arthrosis is medial.
Causes of the development of arthrosis of the knee joint
The exact cause of arthrosis is not known by science, but there are a number of factors that usually contribute to the onset of the disease:
- Previous knee joint injuries - increased risk of osteoarthritis;
- Heredity - in some cases in patients with arthrosis, defects in genes responsible for the expansion of cartilage tissue are detected, which leads to the fact that these people have an increased tendency to the development of arthrosis, due to low resistance of cartilage tissue to damage;
- Weight gain - according to observations, most often arthrosis of large joints in the lower leg (knee, arthrosis of the hip joint) develops in patients with weight gain and occurs as a result of excessive load on these joints. It can also lead to faster disease progression;
- Excessive pressure on the joints;
- Intra-articular crystal deposition-occurs in some diseases associated with metabolic disorders, in particular uric acid, and others that can lead to cartilage destruction.
Symptoms of knee arthrosis
Symptoms of knee joint arthrosis are known to develop slowly over several years.
The most common symptoms of knee arthrosis are:
- Pain in the inside of the knee joint, which appears mainly when moving and walking;
- Swelling of the knee;
- Morning stiffness in the morning, after a few seconds during movement, the patient states that they need to "disperse", after which relief comes and movement at the knee joint improves;
- Crunching (crepitus) in the joints during movement.
Treatment of knee arthrosis
At present, it is not possible to completely cure arthrosis of the knee joint. However, by starting treatment in the early stages of the disease, it is possible to stop the progression of cartilage tissue destruction of the joints for a long time.
The treatment center conducts modern treatment of knee joint arthrosis based on a comprehensive multilateral approach and includes:
- The use of knee braces to relieve the middle part of the joint;
- Take non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, which allow you to stop inflammation in the joints and reduce pain;
- Increased weight loss - can be believed to cause a slowing of the progression of arthrosis;
- Physiotherapy exercises, excluding axial loads on the joints, allow you to restore muscle tone, prevent its wastage and restore range of motion on the joints;
- Receipt of small doses of muscle relaxation - causes a decrease in periarticular muscle spasm, which also reduces the pain syndrome;
- Physiotherapy courses;
- Introduction of hyaluronic acid preparations into the joints - which is a synovial fluid prosthesis;
- Taking drugs of the chondroprotective group;
- Taking medications that improve blood rheology and blood supply to the bones;
- In some cases, knee arthroscopy;
- Knee replacement - knee arthroplasty if conservative treatment is ineffective.
Surgery for arthrosis of the knee joint is performed free of charge in VMP.
If there are medical indications and there is a quota in the referral, our center conducts operations at the expense of funds allocated under the program for the provision of high -tech medical treatment (HMP).
Details on high -tech medical treatment programs.
Treatment of knee arthrosis with PRP method
Along with the above -mentioned classic methods of conservative treatment of arthrosis deformities of the knee joint, our clinic has a unique opportunity to receive treatment using unique techniques based on the introduction in the affected joints of biologically active substances isolated from the patient's own blood - enriched autologous platelet plasma (PRP therapy), which allows you to influence the main link in the pathogenesis of arthrosis - regeneration - recovery of cartilage tissue.
As a result of treatment with the use of enriched autologous platelet plasma, patients do not use "chemical" pharmaceuticals, do not require daily visits to a physiotherapist, etc. Therefore, there is no effect of the drug on the body as a whole, the burden on vital organs such as the liver and kidneys is reduced.