Knee osteoarthritis(gonarthrosis, osteoarthritis of the knee joint, deforming osteoarthritis of the knee joint) is a degenerative disease of the knee joint, characterized by the destruction of the cartilage of the joint surfaces, joint deformation and impairment of its function.
The initial changes in osteoarthritis of the knee joint are believed to form in cartilage tissue at the molecular level. Over time, these changes lead to a violation of the physicochemical properties of cartilage. When examining the 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 lesser or greater extent, which leads to the exposure of the underlying bone. Knee osteoarthritis is more common in people over 50 years of age.
Most often, women suffer from osteoarthritis of the knee joint. Knee osteoarthritis can be unilateral and bilateral. The most common forms of osteoarthritis are medial.
Reasons for the development of osteoarthritis of the knee joint.
Science does not know the exact cause of osteoarthritis, but there are several factors that usually contribute to the appearance of this disease:
- Previous knee joint injuries: increase the risk of developing osteoarthritis;
- Heredity: in some cases in patients with osteoarthritis, a defect is detected in the gene responsible for the development of cartilage tissue, which leads to the fact that these people have a greater predisposition to the development of osteoarthritis, due to the low resistance of the tissue of the cartilage to be damaged;
- Increased body weight: According to observations, osteoarthritis of the large joints of the lower extremities (knee, hip osteoarthritis) develops more frequently in patients with increased body weight and occurs as a result of excessive load on these joints. It can also lead to a more rapid progression of the disease;
- Excessive strain on the joint;
- Intra-articular crystal deposition: occurs in some diseases associated with metabolic disorders, in particular uric acid, etc. , which can lead to cartilage destruction.
Symptoms of knee osteoarthritis
Symptoms of osteoarthritis of the knee joint are known to develop slowly over several years.
The most common symptoms of knee osteoarthritis are:
- Pain in the depth of the knee joint, which appears especially when moving and walking;
- Swelling of the knee;
- Morning stiffness in the morning, which passes after a while during movements, patients note that they need to "disperse", after which relief comes, and movements in the knee joint improve;
- Crackles (crackles) in the joint during movement.
Treatment of knee osteoarthritis
Currently, it is not possible to completely cure osteoarthritis of the knee joint. However, starting treatment in the early stages of the disease, it is possible to stop the progression of the destruction of the cartilage tissue of the joint for a long time.
The treatment center carries out modern treatment of osteoarthritis of the knee joint based on a comprehensive multilateral approach and includes:
- The use of knee braces to relieve the medial part of the joint;
- Taking non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, which allow you to stop inflammation in the joint and reduce pain;
- Decreased body weight gain - reliably leads to a slowdown in the progression of osteoarthritis;
- Physiotherapy exercises, which exclude axial loads on the joint, allow you to restore muscle tone, prevent its wear and tear, and restore the range of motion in the joint;
- Reception of small doses of muscle relaxants - leads to a decrease in spasm of the periarticular muscles, which also significantly reduces the pain syndrome;
- Physiotherapy courses;
- Introduction of hyaluronic acid preparations into the joint, which is a synovial fluid prosthesis;
- Taking drugs from the chondroprotective group;
- Taking medicines that improve blood rheology and blood supply to the bones;
- In some cases, knee arthroscopy;
- Knee replacement: knee replacement if conservative treatment is ineffective.
The operation for osteoarthritis of the knee joint is performed free of charge within the VMP.
In the case of medical indications and the presence of referral quotas, our center conducts operations at the expense of funds allocated under the program for the provision of high-tech medical care (HMP).
Details about the high-tech healthcare program.
Treatment of knee osteoarthritis with the PRP method.
Together with the aforementioned classical methods of conservative treatment 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 a biologically active substance isolated from the knee joint. the patient's own. autologous platelet plasma enriched in blood (PRP therapy), which allows it to influence the key link in the pathogenesis of osteoarthritis - regeneration - restoration of cartilage tissue.
As a result of treatment with the use of enriched autologous platelet plasma, the patient does not use "chemical" pharmaceuticals, does not require a daily visit to a physiotherapist, and so on. Therefore, there is no effect of drugs on the body in general, the load on such important organs as the liver and kidneys is reduced.