Gonarthrosis of the knee joint 1 degree - when the disease can still be stopped

Gonarthrosis is a chronic non-inflammatory disease that affects the knee joints, the consequence of which is a violation of their functions and destruction of the articular cartilage.

The mechanical factor is the main cause of the disease. After microtraumatization of the articular cartilage, its degeneration begins and the metabolism in the tissues is disturbed.

Between the articular surfaces is a multi-layered hyaline cartilage, which reduces friction and improves glide. Its structure allows to withstand loads and maintain elasticity. When the disease cartilage is stratified, cracked and thinned.

stage of the disease

Gonoartroz is primary, arisinginitially, and secondary, developing against the background of other joint diseases.

Gonarthrosis has three degrees of severity:

1. of the first degree .This is the initial stage of the disease, which is expressed in periodic pain, which is exacerbated after physical exertion and small swelling in the knee joint area.
2. of the second degree .Duration and intensity of pain increases. There is deformation of the joint, difficulty in flexion and
3. of the third degree .The pain becomes quite strong and occurs not only with physical exertion, but also at rest. There is a meteorological dependence, the gait changes and the mobility of the joint is limited.

What is the peculiarity of gonarthrosis of the knee joint of the 2nd degree

Under gonarthrosis is meant the damage to the cartilage and bony growths that appear on the joint, xytosis irritation of the articular tissue. Osteoarthritis of the knee - deg. ..

Is it possible to treat gonarthrosis of the knee joint of the third degree and why does the disability occur

Gonarthrosis of the third degree of the knee joint is the heaviest. The disease significantly complicates the life of patients, severely limits work capacity....

Stop the disease before it's too late

Grade 1 is the most favorable for the patient, as his progress at this stage can be stopped.

The disease develops gradually and unnoticed and can last a long time.

Often the patient can not remember exactly when he started to feel heaviness and discomfort in the joints. Usually, this is attributed to the resulting injuries, physical activity or fatigue. But at this point the structure of the joint has already begun to change.

Then there is pain in the knee. It is not very intense, and in most cases it is also left without attention. Symptoms can completely disappear for a while, lulling the patient's vigilance.

Causes of the disease

There are many reasons for the occurrence of gonarthrosis of the first degree, but the most frequent are:

1. Chronic stress.
2. Disturbance of nutrition and blood supply of articular tissues, resulting in dystrophic changes.
3. Overweight, in which the knee joints experience a constant load.
4. Violation of the local circulation in case of varicose veins and venous stasis.
5. The loads are not age appropriate. When a person over forty is trying to play sports too intensively.
6. Congenital weakness of the ligament apparatus.
7. Metabolic disorders.

In half of cases, the cause of the disease is spasm of the muscles of the anterior surface of the thigh. It is found in the vast majority of people suffering from the disease.

The patient does not notice a spasm, he can feel fatigue in the legs and aching pain in the lower back. If the muscles are too long in the spasmodic state, then gradually the knees "tighten", and their movement is limited. The most common cause of this pathology is chronic stress.

At home, a predisposition to the disease can be easily determined. Lying on the stomach, you need to tighten the heel to the buttock.

A healthy person will be able to do, with tension on the front of the thigh. With spasm of muscles in this place there will be very strong painful sensations that will prevent the exercise.

Symptoms of the disease in the first stage

The main symptoms of gonarthrosis:

1. Severity and discomfort in the joints of , in the absence of physical exertion.
2. Pain .Usually appears in the morning after waking up. During the day, when the joint is being developed, it disappears. In the future such a symptom is manifested after a day's rest or prolonged sitting. Also, knees hurt during the ascent or descent of the stairs. It is caused by the fact that the whole weight of the body rests on the leg bent at the knee and the articular cartilage contracts, resting against each other. Pain worries after a long walk or playing sports, but it completely disappears after a person sits down for a rest.
3. Weakness of muscles .This symptom appears quite rarely.

Diagnostic techniques

If you have any of the symptoms, you need to see a doctor for an examination and an X-ray examination. This will determine the stage of the disease and track the dynamics of its development.

Even in the early stages of the development of the disease, the pictures show a narrowing of the joint space or the presence of small growths on the bones.

Treatment - the sooner, the better.

Even if the patient's quality of life has not worsened, treatment of gonarthrosis of the knee joint of 1 degree should be started immediately.

The goal is to stop the disease and reverse the dystrophic processes of .

Although the disease can not be completely cured, its progression can be significantly slowed down. The most effective is a comprehensive treatment method, which includes:

1. Weight correction .It is usually the first stage of treatment in obese patients. While the body mass index will not go off scale, other methods will be powerless. Since even with little physical activity, the load on the knee joints is much higher than normal.
2. Exercises for stretching and strengthening of muscles .With the developed muscles of the legs and the absence of spasms, the load on the knees decreases. A sparing exercise should be prescribed by a doctor. In this case, squats, jumps and runs are excluded. You can take yoga, cycling or swimming.
3. Choosing the right shoe .Women suffering from the initial stage of gonarthrosis should give up shoes with a very high heel, the optimal height in this case is three to five centimeters. Flats with flat soles are also contraindicated. Those who spend a lot of time on their feet are best able to buy orthopedic shoes or insoles.
4. Select knee joints that fix the joints and ligaments of the .They are used when a person has to exercise.
5. Balanced power supply .Doctors recommend, as often as possible to eat a cold, a broth, cooked on bones or jelly. These products contain a large number of chondroprotectors and collagen. Useful are meat and vegetable protein foods, dairy products, nuts and fruits. From the menu you need to completely exclude fatty meat and alcoholic beverages.
6. Physiotherapy, massage and therapeutic gymnastics .

Medical treatment

In most cases, at this stage of the disease a person does not need pain medication. If necessary, drugs from the group of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs based on ibuprofen, paracetamol or nimesulide are prescribed.

They can be in the form of injections, tablets, creams and gels. If the medicine has to be used for more than seven days, you should definitely consult a doctor.

For the restoration of cartilaginous tissue I use preparations from the group of chondroprotectors. Most often they contain chondroitin sulfate and glucosamine, which stop the destruction of cartilaginous tissue, restore its structure and the production of joint lubrication.

The products are manufactured in different dosage forms:

1. Capsules, powders and tablets for oral administration : Teraflex, Chondroitin-Acos, Arthron Complex, Dona, Structum.
2. Solutions for injections : Mukosat, Alflutop, Elbona.
3. Ointments and Gels : Chondroxide, Chondrasil.

Cartilage tissue is restored very slowly, so do not wait for rapid results when using drugs. A prolonged course reception is important for cartilage regeneration.

If the course is interrupted, if it is not fed, it will start to break up again. The course of treatment lasts from six to eighteen months, the dosage and form of the drug is prescribed by the attending physician.

Complications of

If you do not start treating the disease in time, it will pass to subsequent stages, in which pain and stiffness in the knee joints becomes a constant companion.

Biomechanics of the body can be disturbed, which will lead to intervertebral hernias and arthrosis of other joints. For successful treatment, the doctor's recommendations must be fully implemented.

Prevention of

In order to avoid gonarthrosis, you need to eat properly and balanced, avoiding overeating.

Correctly determine the level of physical activity, and compare them with age. When practicing active sports, people after the age of forty should not be equal to those who are not thirty.

It is necessary to choose the right shoes, and when using varicose veins, use special stockings.

Do not ignore the symptoms, because timely, conservative complex treatment can stop the disease and preserve the function of the knee joints.

Gonarthrosis of the first degree is the initial stage of a fairly serious disease, which can significantly worsen the quality of life.

For the diagnosis of the disease and the appointment of a complex of medical measures, you need to see a doctor for a rheumatologist, arthrologist or orthopedist.