Knee joint treatment is not a quick process and it is not always possible to eliminate the pain right away. Most often, they occur due to destruction and deformation of cartilage tissue, but there may be other reasons. It is impossible to delay therapy because joint diseases develop rapidly and can lead to serious consequences, even disability.
Causes of knee pain
The knee is an organ in which the knee cap is connected by two bones. The cup, located in front of the knee, connects to the tendons of the quadriceps muscle, which continue with ligaments. The bones are covered with cartilage, and between them are the lunar cartilage - meniscus. Also, the knee has several synovial sacs for fluid, which acts as a lubricant for the knee.
This whole complex mechanism is designed to bend, stretch and absorb shocks during movement. Any violation in his work leads to embarrassment and pain. The treatment of the knees should be determined by a traumatologist after diagnosis.
The causes of pain can be very different, from fatigue and excessive exertion to serious illness, and they are divided as follows:
- Knee Injuries - All mechanical damage can be attributed to such reasons. Bruising, ligament rupture, bleeding into the ankle cavity with intra-articular fractures, meniscus injury and rupture, patella dislocation. Such causes are usually characterized by acute localized pain, severe swelling, bruising, and difficulty or inability to move the joint.
- Inflammatory and degenerative joint diseases are the most common cause of knee pain in older and elderly people. Arthritis, osteoarthritis, chondropathy, bursitis, Schlatter disease and other diseases. It is characterized by increasing pain or simply discomfort during movement, clicking during bending / extension of the knee, pathological flexibility of the joint and chronic instability of the knee.
- Various infectious and viral systemic diseases also lead to inflammation and pain. These include osteoporosis, bone tuberculosis, syphilis, osteomyelitis and many more. Such pain can be of a different nature, depending on the inflammation of the body damaged by viruses and infections.
- Diseases in which pain radiates to the knees. Sciatic nerve injury, arthrosis of the hip joints, fibromyalgia. Such pains are a side effect, hence they are periodic pains or shooting character. Knee joint treatment in such cases will not bring relief.
Diagnosing and finding the cause of the pain will determine how to treat the knee joint. When symptoms of unknown origin occur, it is best not to self-medicate.
knee treatment
Treatment for knee pain can be conservative or surgical. Surgical methods are an operation to eliminate the cause of the pain. Conservative therapy is a set of techniques aimed at eliminating symptoms and pathologies. So what is the treatment for knee pain?
Surgical methods
Such methods can be prescribed for severe injuries and inflammatory and degenerative diseases. Acute joint pain may indicate severe injury or complete cartilage wear. Therefore, several types of operations are used.
Arthroscopy
Such an operation can be performed both for the purpose of diagnosing and treating severe joint injuries. Arthroscopes are inserted into the knee through micro-incisions, one is equipped with a camera and displays a "picture" on the screen, the other is intended for manipulations inside the ankle, mainly for treatment.
Such an operation significantly reduces the postoperative and rehabilitative period, moreover, practically leaves no scars. The ruptured ligaments and menisci are operated with the help of an arthroscope. It is sometimes used to treat osteoarthritis, but its effectiveness in this case is still questionable.
Osteotomy
The most radical methodWith such an operation, the knee joint is fully opened, the patella is removed with the help of incisions, which allows manipulations directly into the cavity. This method is also called open. Usually, braces are applied to the bones, which help a lot in reducing the load on the joints.
A major disadvantage of such an operation is a long rehabilitation period. The patient will be able to walk after 1-2 months and lead an active lifestyle only after one year. But such an operation usually guarantees a long apology.
You should know that osteotomy is used in case of severe damage or deformation of connective tissue, when partial removal of the diseased element is required.
Endoprosthetics
It is performed when all other treatment methods are exhausted, and the joint continues to collapse and completely ceases to perform its functions. After complete removal of the element affected by the osteotomy, an implant is placed in the knee. It can be transplanted from a donor, or it can be replaced with an artificial prosthesis. They are made of plastic, ceramic or metal alloys.
In this way the disease disappears completely and the patient achieves permanent remission. However, it is worth noting that the prosthesis can be rejected and other side effects are also possible. Israel remains the leader in arthroplasty.
For reference! In most cases, knee pain is treated in milder ways. And such therapy is very effective, and most importantly, allows you to maintain an active lifestyle during the rehabilitation period.
Conservative treatments
Such methods are a set of techniques aimed at regenerating, healing and rehabilitating joints. It includes medication treatment, physiotherapy exercises and gymnastics, physiotherapy. In some cases, it may involve popular methods. At the first manifestations of knee pain, it is worth choosing a knee orthosis or a brace that will slow down the tissue destruction before starting the main treatment and reduce the symptoms of the disease.
Drug treatment
What is the first thing to do with knee pain? Of course, use sedatives and analgesics. Such funds may be in various pharmacological forms. Ointments, tablets are recommended for dull and painful aches. For acute and shooting, it is better to resort to injections that will immediately relieve the pain.
Once the diagnosis is made, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs can be prescribed. With injuries, severe osteoarthritis and other degenerative diseases, the knee is often swollen. For this are these drugs. They improve blood circulation, reduce inflammation and relieve pain.
The final stage of drug treatment will be taking chondroprotectors. They are prescribed for absolutely any damage and change in cartilage tissue. This is the basis of conservative treatment.
Fact! Chondroprotectors, like bricks, restore cartilage. They have properties to regenerate and restore elasticity.
But it is worth preparing for the fact that treatment with chondroprotectors will be very long. The course lasts from three months to a year. The pharmacological form can be in tablets, ointments and injections. By the way, such substances can also be found in food, so for knee pain, doctors recommend eating jellies, meat juices, avocados and jellies.
In some cases, intramuscular injections of hyaluronic acid may be prescribed. It is this substance that is part of the synovial fluid that fills the joint cavity. It will help in the regeneration of the connective tissue and the recovery will happen much faster.
Exercise therapy and gymnastics
This is the most important stage both after surgical treatment and after treatment. Physical therapy should also be done to prevent pain. It should be done under the supervision of a rehabilitation specialist in a special center or sanatorium for the correct implementation of a set of exercises. It usually takes 2-3 months.
With its help, the knee joint gradually returns to active life increasing the range of motion. Swimming will be the most important element. It will not only allow the joint to move smoothly, but will also improve blood circulation and metabolism, which has a positive effect on tissue repair.
Physiotherapy
Such procedures are intended for safe healing and treatment. These methods achieve the best result with the least load. These include the following methods:
- ultrasound therapy;
- electrophoresis;
- infrared therapy;
- different heaters.
How else can you cure your feet if your knee hurts a lot? A good physiotherapy procedure is also massage, which increases blood circulation and speeds up the recovery process. Massage relieves pain well, and also has an overall toning effect.
Topical preparations can be used without a doctor's prescription, such treatment is acceptable when the knees ache. But most likely, this will only relieve the symptoms, and the cause will remain, and sooner or later, it will cause discomfort again.
Popular methods of treatment
How to treat knee pain with popular methods, for sure, every patient who has ever encountered this disease knows:
- The first way will be to warm the wrist. This can be done with the help of special compresses of vodka and honey at home.
- You can visit a bath or sauna, which has a good effect on the whole body as a whole.
- A very modern method of heating would be a heating orthosis in a coil. It is convenient, comfortable and does not require much effort. A session can relieve pain in just 20-30 minutes.
- Mud and seaweed wraps also have a good effect on the joints. They are able to restore cartilage elasticity in a short period of time, improve blood circulation, which contributes to better tissue nutrition.
It is important to remember that with severe injury and in the later stages of the disease, alternative methods will be ineffective. Therefore, any home treatment should be discussed with your doctor.
Patient feedback on treatment methods
It is impossible to answer the question of how to treat the knee joint without determining the cause, because as soon as symptomatic treatment in this case can turn the disease from an early stage to a chronic one. An integrated approach is always required and patient feedback confirms this.
- The woman, 55 years old: "My knee hurts for a long time, I could not understand the reason, then I went to the doctor and it turned out that I had osteoarthritis, they gave me chondroprotectors that allowed me to forget the pain. With the help of exercise therapy. "
- Man, 35: "He suffered a serious knee injury - a meniscus tear. The attending physician gave him an arthroscope, after a brief rehabilitation he returned to major sports. "
- Husband, 48 years old: "Unfortunately, osteoarthritis completely destroyed my joint, I did not pay attention to the pain that hurt me for a long time. I had endoprosthetics and a ceramic joint. I went back to an active life and even started running. in morning. . "
- Boy, 20 years old: "I had a sharp sciatic nerve, it gave me dull pain in the knee, I did not understand the reason and I painted the joint with non-steroidal ointments. Then I went to the doctor and realized that these pains were secondary and my knees areHealthy".