Osteoarthritis of the knee(gonarthrosis, osteoarthritis of the knee joint, deforming osteoarthritis of the knee joint) is a degenerative disease of the knee joint characterized by destruction of the cartilage of the joint surfaces, deformation of the joint and impairmentof its function.
The initial changes in osteoarthritis of the knee joint are thought to form in the cartilage tissue at the molecular level. Over time, these changes lead to a violation of the physicochemical properties of cartilage. When examining cartilage preparations, it can be revealed that in some places it begins to cloud, thin, stratify and crack in various directions.
In the end, the pathological process ends with the complete disappearance of the cartilage to a greater or lesser degree, which leads to the exposure of the underlying bone. Osteoarthritis of the knee is more common in people over the age of 50.
Most often, women suffer from osteoarthritis of the knee joint. Osteoarthritis of the knee can be unilateral and bilateral. The most common arthritis is medial.
Reasons for the development of osteoarthritis of the knee joint
The exact cause of osteoarthritis is unknown to science, but there are a number of factors that typically contribute to the onset of this disease:
- Previous knee joint injuries - increase the risk of developing osteoarthritis;
- Heredity - in some cases, in patients with osteoarthritis, a defect in the gene responsible for the development of cartilage tissue is detected, which leads to the fact that such people have an increased predisposition to the development of osteoarthritis, due to thelow resistance of cartilage tissue to damage;
- Increased body weight - according to observations, most often osteoarthritis of the large joints of the lower extremities (knee, osteoarthritis of the hip) develops in patients with increased body weight and results from an excessive load on these joints. It can also lead to more rapid progression of the disease;
- Excessive stress on the joint;
- Intra-articular crystal deposition - occurs in some diseases associated with metabolic disorders, especially uric acid, etc. , which can lead to the destruction of cartilage.
Symptoms of osteoarthritis of the knee
Symptoms of osteoarthritis of the knee joint are known to develop slowly over several years.
The most common symptoms of osteoarthritis of the knee are:
- Pain in the depths of the knee joint, which appears especially during movement and walking;
- Swelling of the knee;
- Morning stiffness in the morning, passing after some time during movements, patients note that they need to "disperse", after which relief comes and the movements of the knee joint improve;
- Cracking (crepitus) in the joint during movement.
Treatment of osteoarthritis of the knee
Currently, it is not possible to completely cure osteoarthritis of the knee joint. However, by starting treatment in the early stages of the disease, it is possible to permanently stop the progression of the destruction of cartilage tissue in the joint.
The treatment center provides modern treatment for osteoarthritis of the knee based on a comprehensive multilateral approach and includes:
- The use of knee pads to relieve the medial parts of the joint;
- Take nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, which stop inflammation in the joint and reduce pain;
- Decreased increase in body weight - reliably leads to a slowing of the progression of osteoarthritis;
- Physiotherapy exercises, excluding axial loads on the joint, allow you to restore muscle tone, prevent their atrophy and restore the range of motion of the joint;
- Reception of small doses of muscle relaxants - leads to a decrease in the spasm of the periarticular muscles, which also significantly reduces the pain syndrome;
- Physiotherapy course;
- Introduction of preparations of hyaluronic acid into the joint - which is a prosthesis of synovial fluid;
- Take drugs of the chondroprotective group;
- Take drugs that improve the rheology of the blood and the blood supply to the bones;
- In some cases, knee arthroscopy;
- Knee prosthesis - knee replacement if conservative treatment is ineffective.
The operation for osteoarthritis of the knee is performed free of charge within the VMP.
In the event of medical indications and the presence of quotas in the reference, our center carries out operations at the expense of funds allocated within the framework of the program for the provision of high-tech medical care (HMP).
Details on the high-tech medical care program.
Treatment of osteoarthritis of the knee with the PRP method
Besides the classic methods of conservative treatment mentioned above of deforming osteoarthritis of the knee joint, our clinic has a unique opportunity to receive treatment using a unique technique based on the introduction into the affected joint of abiologically active substance isolated from that of the patient. blood - enriched autologous platelet plasma (PRP therapy), which allows you to influence the key link in the pathogenesis of osteoarthritis - regeneration - restoration of cartilage tissue.
Following treatment using autologous enriched platelet plasma, the patient does not use "chemical" pharmaceuticals, does not require a daily visit to a physiotherapist, etc. Thus, the drugs have no effect on the body as a whole, the load on such important organs as the liver and kidneys is reduced.