Knee osteoarthritis (knee joint disease) is a disease that causes deformation of the cartilage in the knee joint.This disease occurs frequently, especially among the older generation.The function of the knee is deteriorating, so difficulty in moving and pain are the most important symptoms of the disease.Today, knee arthritis is also common among people aged 25-30 years.This illustrates the diversity of causes of the disease and its treatments.> There are two types of knee arthrosis: unilateral (affecting only one knee) and bilateral (affecting both knees).More commonly, the disease occurs in its bilateral manifestations.
reason
Knee joint disease, like hip joint disease, most commonly occurs in older age.Although young people today are no exception to the symptoms of this disease.This suggests that there are different causes of knee arthropathy, each of which has a different impact on the onset, progression, and treatment of the disease.It is also possible that there is a genetic predisposition in the organism, meaning that knee joint disease may be more common in some families than others.Additionally, the disease may not be genetically determined.Therefore, multiple causes of knee joint disease can be identified.
- Various physical injuries to the knee (bruises, dislocations, etc.).
- Age-inappropriate heavy loading (5-7% of all cases of knee and hip arthropathy).
- Patients are overweight (10% of all cases of knee arthrosis).
- Concomitant diseases such as arthritis (5-7% of all cases of knee, polyarthrosis and hip arthrosis).
- Congenital ligament weakness (3-5% of cases of knee arthrosis).
- Metabolic syndrome and metabolic problems in the body.
- Spasm of the upper thigh muscles (up to 50% of cases of knee and hip arthrosis).
symptom
The symptoms of knee arthritis are mostly the same and occur in almost all patients.Patients also noted that the pain worsened in the spring and fall and was dependent on weather changes.The main symptom of the disease is knee joint pain.Most of the time it doesn't appear immediately but becomes apparent after a long walk and appears in the late afternoon.Your knees may feel stiff during morning activities.If mild symptoms are left untreated, the disease can progress and can lead to extremely poor outcomes for the patient.Despite the main symptoms, there are several other signs of the disease:
- Pain in a calm state and lessened when walking;
- Limited knee joint movement and difficulty controlling its range of motion;
- Stiffness in knee movement;
- increased sensitivity in the knee area;
- Swelling in the knee joint area and surrounding skin;
- Knee deformity.
The condition of your knee joint is evaluated through a doctor's examination and X-rays.Additionally, the stage of the disease of any joint disease (including hip arthrosis, knee arthrosis, polyarthrosis, etc.) can only be determined by X-ray, and only a doctor can evaluate such conditions.Therefore, it is extremely important not to self-diagnose or jump to conclusions.
Degree of knee joint disease
Level 1
The knee joint did not succumb to the deforming effects of the disease and showed only external signs and a slight swelling of the skin around the joint, as well as a noticeable change in color.On a physiological level, it is characterized by subtle changes in hyaline cartilage.Due to the accumulation of large amounts of synovial fluid in the synovial fluid, the joints may become slightly deformed, accompanied by pain when walking.No other signs of restricted movement were observed.Therefore, it is also difficult to trace them via X-rays.At this level, the disease is difficult to diagnose, but if diagnosed quickly, its treatment is more effective than other or third-degree knee arthropathy, as well as other types of arthropathy (coxarthrosis, polyarthrosis).
Level 2
The main symptom is excruciating or severe pain with even slight exertion, which is worsened by walking and lifting heavy objects.Over time, this can lead to difficulty bending the knee.On a physiological level, this manifests itself as a dramatic reduction in volume of the cartilage layer and, in some places, complete disappearance.The extent can be determined by marginal bone growth and density of the joint space based on X-ray results.When the joints work, especially when walking for long periods of time, a characteristic creaking sound occurs.Gradually, the patient may lose the ability to bend the knee or have difficulty bending the knee.Already in the development stage of knee arthrosis, as well as other types of joint diseases (coxarthrosis, polyarthrosis), deforming effects are evident.This is visually noticeable as the surrounding skin becomes roughened and discolored.Treatment at this stage is best started with a comprehensive, intensive approach.Both medications and traditional treatments are relevant.
Level three
It is characterized by severe pain even when the knee joint is not moving or moving.The deformation effect is very obvious, and significant changes in the joint and adjacent tissue structures can be visually seen.At a physiological level, it is characterized by a lack of cartilaginous tissue, which is easily diagnosed by X-ray.Treatment of stage III knee arthritis and other types of joint disease (polyarthrosis, coxarthrosis) is a virtually irreversible process.Instead, the main goal of this treatment is to reduce pain and eliminate certain symptoms of the disease.