How to treat knee arthrosis so that it is effective?You need to help your body reduce the load, normalize metabolism, improve the functioning of the intestine and facilitate the task of the kidneys and liver.That is, reduce excess weight, start eating properly, reducing the amount of animal fats, meat, is easily absorbed by carbohydrates.Include dishes of vegetables, dairy products, rye, bran bread or coarse flour in the menu.
The key to treatment is the correct diagnosis.Joint lesions are a symptom of many diseases that have a different treatment regimen.Therefore, the diagnostic error and even more independent diagnosis can be too expensive for the patient.
The question of how to treat knee arthrosis is not new to modern medicine.There are already different methods for his treatment, both therapeutic and surgical.Since the attractiveness of surgical methods is always a last resort, we look at therapeutic methods.
Medication
The effectiveness of treatment depends on the stage of destruction of the joint, its timeliness.They usually start 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 effects are exclusively to reduce the main symptoms.The signs of inflammation are reduced, the swelling disappears, the pain disappears or becomes much less pain.
With the help of anti -inflammatory drugs, severe pain is eliminated, which allows to gradually switch to other treatments, such as massage, which would be contraindicated due to pain and inflammation.
But prolonged use of these agents is undesirable, as it masks the manifestations of the disease, creating a picture of a complete cure, in fact the disease can progress.In addition, side effects can further enhance the processes of cartilage destruction.Therefore, if the issue is the need for prolonged use of medicines in this group, preference should be given to selective anti -inflammatory drugs.
It is obligatory, with the diagnosis - arthrosis of the knee joint, are prescribed vasodilators: enhancing cartilage nutrition, synovial shell of the destruction of the joints of the suspensions and increases the recovery processes.To reduce the allergic component, desensitization drugs are prescribed.
Chondroprotectors in the treatment of arthrosis knee
How to treat knee arthrosis if you are not trying to restore the structure of the cartilage damaged by the disease?
To do this, use a group of medicines called chondroprotectors.
They do not only affect the individual symptoms, but affect the cause of the disease, helping to improve the condition of the cartilage surface, improving the production of joint fluid and its lubricants.
They improve the production of synovial fluid, improve its properties, restore cartilage substance.The only thing you need to remember that you can restore what is still, if there is a completely absent, destroyed, there are bone margins, these drugs will not help.
So, the best result of using chondroprotectors will be if you start using them early, no later than I or II degree of arthrosis of the knee joints, in addition, long -term courses, several times a year.
Unfortunately, the action of these funds is far from instant.Sometimes the result requires 2-3 courses of treatment and it takes six months to a year and a half.And the drugs of this group are completely ineffective in the third stage of the disease, when cartilage is already completely destroyed.However, of all chondroprotectors used for arthrosis, it is most useful for the patient for arthrosis, in addition, they have almost no contraindications and side effects.
Injection in the joint
Intracelicular injections of drugs have a good effect, but it should be borne in mind that the procedure itself can injure the tissue of the capsule and cause the joint infection.As a rule, corticosteroid drugs are introduced into the joint.Steroid hormones are used for long -term action (if you need to remove severe inflammation).
This procedure is usually performed to provide emergency care to the patient.In this case, the rapid elimination of pain and inflammation is achieved.But at the same time, it is undesirable for a number of reasons to be injected into the same knee more than 1 time in 2 weeks.
If the joint is more relaxed, there are no obvious signs of inflammation, you can enter chondroprotectors directly into the joint, they quickly achieve the goal and have a positive effect.
It significantly improves the sliding of the joint ends of the bone relative to one another and reduces the load on the cartilage of the injection of hyaluronic acid.Of course, these drugs are highly effective if there is no pronounced destruction of cartilage.
External funds
Patients often ask the question of how to treat knee arthrosis with external drugs?After all, the first thing you want to do with knee pain is to grind it and wrap it warm.
Unfortunately, neither ointments, no creams, nor all kinds of garbage can cure arthrosis.But they can alleviate the patient's condition, reduce pain without affecting the irritation of the gastrointestinal tract, as anti-inflammatory drugs.Warming ointments are used as well as ointments based on non -steroidal anti -inflammatory drugs.The skin absorbs only 5-7% of the active substance, so the action of these ointments is not as effective as we would like.
But compresses for knee arthrosis are more effective.You can recommend medical bile for them.They relieve inflammation directly in its hearth, have absorption and painkillers.
Massage and physiotherapy
Physiotherapy for arthrosis also has a positive effect.Such procedures such as ultrasound, laser, magnetotherapy, phonophoresis are used.Thanks to them, the sensitivity of joint pain decreases, the inflammatory processes in them are reduced, the swelling is removed.
You can use Radon, salt baths, apply bile compresses.
If possible, you can take a course of manual therapy, grip.At the same time, the ends of the bones are pushed from each other and the load on them is reduced.Only manipulations should be performed very carefully and necessarily qualified specialist.Manual therapy and knee massage also produce good results, improving blood circulation in the patient's joint, stopping the development of destructive processes in it and restoring to a possible extent its function.
Massage is especially effective in the initial stages of the disease when it has not yet had its full destructive effect.It is a good idea to perform yourself after exercise of therapeutic exercises.A good preparatory stage for massage will be the acceptance of a hot shower or in a steam room.The muscles are then heated and the massage has a deeper therapeutic effect.In the treatment of arthrosis, the knee joint of the sanatorium also has a beneficial effect.Therapeutic mud improves the course of cartilage recovery processes, improving joint supply with useful substances and blood supply to them.
If the joint is completely destroyed, only surgical treatment can help - replacing it with artificial.
Preventive Measures: Reduce the destruction process
The prevention of arthrosis stems from the causes of its occurrence, the main one is excess weight, injuries, poor physical activity.Physical education classes, the performance of practicable exercise enhance the surrounding joints of the muscles.Thanks to this, the cartilage load becomes less.Morning walks, swimming are useful.
At the same time, it is important to monitor alternating loads and rest and appropriate safety when performing exercises.It is necessary to avoid injuries and overload in any possible way.In the end, it is the injuries that serve as one of the main causes of arthrosis.The appearance of micro -cracks determines the presence of initial foci of inflammation.Therefore, for athletes and sports lovers, you should not forget about such protective equipment as knee pads.
Preventing knee arthrosis also involves adherence to the diet.Each extra kilogram of weight is an additional load on the joints of the legs.You should eat less sweet and flour, fruits and vegetables - as much as possible.Studies show that it is much less likely that vegetarians suffer from arthrosis.Coffee and strong tea are poorly affected, they are washed by calcium bones, but natural dairy products contribute to the filling of its reserves.