How do we treat knee arthritis to be effective? It should help your body, reduce stress, normalize your metabolism, improve your bowel function, make it easier for your kidneys and liver. That is, to reduce overweight, start a proper diet, reduce the amount of animal fats, meat, easily digestible carbohydrates. The menu includes dishes made from vegetables, sour milk products, rye, bran bread or wholemeal flour.
Correct diagnosis is the key to treatment. Joint lesions are symptoms of many diseases according to different treatment regimens. Therefore, a diagnostic error and even more so an independent diagnosis may be too expensive for the patient.
The issue of treating knee arthrosis is not new to modern medicine. There are now a variety of methods for treating it, both therapeutic and surgical. Since the use of surgical methods is always a last resort, consider therapeutic methods.
Medications
The effectiveness of the treatment depends on the stage and timeliness of the joint. It usually starts with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.
They have no direct effect on the cause of the disease and do not stop the destruction of the joint, their effect is only to reduce the main symptoms. Signs of inflammation decrease, the swelling subsides, the pain disappears or becomes much less.
Anti-inflammatory drugs relieve severe pain, allowing for a gradual transition to other treatments, such as massage, which would be contraindicated due to pain and inflammation.
But long-term use of these drugs is undesirable as it masks the manifestations of the disease, forming a picture of complete recovery, but in fact the disease may progress. In addition, side effects can further enhance the processes of cartilage destruction. Therefore, if there is a question about the need for long-term use of drugs in this group, preference should be given to selective anti-inflammatory drugs.
If the diagnosis is made - arthrosis of the knee joint, vasodilators are prescribed: strengthening the cartilage feed, the synovial membrane of the joint stops the destruction and enhances the recovery processes. Desensitizing drugs are prescribed to reduce the allergic component.
Chondroprotectors in the treatment of knee arthrosis
How do we treat knee arthrosis if we are not trying to restore the structure of the cartilage damaged by the disease?
A group of drugs called chondroprotectors is used for this.
They not only affect individual symptoms, but also affect the cause of the disease, helping to improve the condition of the cartilage surface, improving the production and lubricating properties of joint fluid.
They improve the production of joint fluid, improve its properties and restore cartilage. Just remember that you can only restore what is still there, but if the cartilage is completely missing, destroyed, there are bone marginal growths, these drugs will not help.
So the best result of using chondroprotectors will be if the knee joints I or II are used early, at the latest. begins to use them in her arthrosis, in addition to long courses, several times a year.
Unfortunately, these tools are far from instant. Sometimes it takes 2-3 courses of treatment to get the result, and it takes six months and a half. And the drugs in this group are completely ineffective in the third stage of the disease, when the cartilage is completely destroyed. However, of all the drugs used for arthrosis, chondroprotectors are the most useful for the patient, and they have almost no contraindications and side effects.
Joint injection
Intravenous injections of drugs have a good effect, but it should be borne in mind that the procedure itself can damage the tissues of the capsule and cause infection of the joint cavity. Corticosteroid drugs are usually injected into the joint. For long-term effects, steroid hormones are used (if necessary to relieve severe inflammation).
This procedure is usually performed to provide emergency care to the patient. This causes rapid pain relief and inflammation. But for a number of reasons, it is not desirable to inject into the same knee as once every two weeks.
If the joint is calmer, there are no obvious signs of inflammation, chondroprotectors can be injected directly into the joint, reach the target quickly, and have a positive effect.
Significantly improves the slippage of the joint ends of the bone relative to each other and reduces the load of hyaluronic acid powder injections. Of course, these drugs are very effective if there is no pronounced cartilage deterioration.
External facilities
Patients often ask how can knee arthrosis be treated with external devices? After all, the first thing you want to start with a sore knee is to grind it and wrap it warm.
Unfortunately, neither ointments, creams, or all kinds of rubbing can cure arthrosis. But as an anti-inflammatory, they can relieve the patient’s condition by reducing pain and not irritating the gastrointestinal tract. Warming ointments are used as well as ointments based on non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. The skin absorbs only 5-7% of the active ingredient, so the effect of these ointments is not as effective as we would like.
But compresses appropriate for knee arthrosis are more effective. Medical bile is recommended for them. Directly in focus, they relieve inflammation and have a dissolving and analgesic effect.
Massage and physiotherapy
Physiotherapy for arthrosis also has a positive effect. Procedures such as ultrasound, laser, magnetotherapy, phonophoresis are used. Thanks to them, the pain sensitivity of the joints decreases, the inflammatory processes in them decrease, the swelling disappears.
You can use radon, salt baths, compresses.
If possible, you can perform a course of manual therapy, traction. In this case, the ends of the bones move away from each other and the load on them is reduced. Only perform manipulations very carefully and by a trained professional. Manual therapy and knee joint massage also bring good results, improving blood circulation in the diseased joint, stopping the development of destructive processes in it, and restoring its function as much as possible.
Massage is especially effective in the early stages of the disease, when it has not yet reached its full destructive effect. It’s good to do it after practicing physiotherapy. A hot shower or a stay in a steam bath is a good preparation step for a massage. After that, the muscles warm up, the massage has a deeper healing effect. Sanatoriums are also beneficial in the treatment of knee arthrosis. Medicinal mud improves the course of cartilage regenerative processes, improves the supply of nutrients to the joints and their blood supply.
If the joint is completely destroyed, only surgical treatment can help - replacing it with an artificial one.
Preventive measures: reduce the process of destruction
Prevention of arthrosis stems from its causes, the most important of which are overweight, trauma, and poor physical activity. Physical education, performing feasible physical exercises strengthens the muscles surrounding the joints. As a result, the load on the cartilage will be less. Useful for morning walks and swimming.
However, it is important to observe the alternation of load and rest, as well as adequate safety during training. Injuries and overload must be avoided in all possible ways. After all, injuries are one of the main causes of arthrosis. The appearance of microcracks determines the presence of initial foci of inflammation. Therefore, athletes and sports enthusiasts should not forget about protective equipment such as knee pads.
Preventing knee arthrosis also involves following a diet. Each extra kilogram of weight puts extra stress on the joints of the legs. You should eat less sweet and flour as well as fruits and vegetables - as much as possible. Studies show that arthrosis is much less common in vegetarians. Coffee and strong tea have a bad effect on the joints, washing out calcium from the bones, but natural dairy products help replenish your reserves.