Gonarthrosis, or, as it is sometimes incorrectly called, gonoarthrosis (arthrosis of the knee joint) is a chronic disease that has a gradually progressive course, accompanied by degenerative changes in the cartilage tissue of the joint.
As the disease progresses, a person may completely lose the ability to move independently. Timely diagnosis and treatment of gonarthrosis make it possible to stop the pathological process and save a person from pain.
Most often, this pathology is diagnosed in middle-aged and elderly people, but it can also occur in young people. Women are several times more likely than men to experience this disease. In this article, we will consider the clinical signs and treatment tactics of gonarthrosis.
The main clinical signs of gonarthrosis
As we have already said, gonarthrosis has a gradually progressive course. So, in the early stages of a sick person, practically nothing bothers, but over time, the symptoms intensify.
The primary clinical sign is mild knee pain that occurs during prolonged or heavy physical exertion. The patient indicates some feeling of stiffness in the joint, the appearance of an "initial" pain syndrome (occurring at the beginning of the movement, passing after the "scattered" person).
With this disease, there are no external changes in the knee. Sometimes people notice some swelling.
As the disease progresses, the pain becomes more intense. The pain syndrome appears even with little physical activity, it becomes more pronounced with prolonged load on the knee. During rest, the pain subsides and returns again with the resumption of movement.
In the future, the pain syndrome becomes constant, present both during exercise and at rest. Movements in the joint are limited, when the knee is bent, a harsh noise is heard. With pronounced pathological changes, the knee is deformed, which further limits movement.
How is knee osteoarthritis treated?
Treatment of osteoarthritis of the knee joint consists of non-drug and drug methods, surgical intervention if necessary.
Patients with this disease are advised to avoid stress on the knee, try to unload it as much as possible with the help of various orthopedic devices, canes. The most important point is weight loss. In 2017, scientists from the University of Medicine published an article in which it was found that obesity increases the likelihood of developing gonarthrosis by 4 to 10 times and occurs in every third patient.
In addition, a sick person receives special therapeutic exercises, physiotherapy procedures, for example, UHF therapy.
Regarding drug treatment, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs may be recommended to reduce pain. With their ineffectiveness, intra-articular injections of glucocorticosteroids are performed. In addition, the treatment plan is supplemented with chondroprotectors, hyaluronic acid injections.
Please note that any medication can only be used as prescribed by a doctor.
In the more advanced stages of the disease, the main method of treatment is surgical intervention, which involves replacing the joint surfaces with artificial implants.