Osteoarthritis of the knee joint: treatment

If you suffer from a disease such as arthrosis of the knee joint, treatment should begin with the neutralization of pain. As soon as the pain syndrome is eliminated, you can move on to physiotherapeutic methods of treatment and exercise therapy.

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Therapeutic gymnastics

One of the most important methods of treating arthrosis is therapeutic gymnastics, which simultaneously strengthens the muscles and improves blood circulation in the affected joint. However, it should be taken into account that exercises for arthrosis of the knee joint should be static, the leg should not be subjected to great physical stress. For example, you can lie on your back, raising your leg up and holding it in a straight position for about two minutes. After such a simple exercise, a feeling of fatigue is felt in the muscles, while the joints were not subjected to physical stress. If, with arthrosis, the knee joint is subjected to excessive stress, for example, by doing squats, this is fraught with only accelerating its destruction. Physical education for arthrosis must be gentle, it is best to select a set of necessary exercises together with the attending physician - rheumatologist or orthopedist. Already after the first two to three weeks of performing therapeutic exercises, patients note an improvement in their general condition. In addition to strengthening the muscles, with arthrosis of the knee joint, it is necessary to stretch the joint capsules and ligaments. Such exercises should also be performed measuredly, slightly stretching the legs or pressing on the joint, in no case making sudden and careless movements. If you experience severe pain while doing any exercise, you should stop it immediately. It should also be taken into account that physical exercise is contraindicated during an exacerbation of the disease. Only when the acute stage has passed, you can begin to warm up the joints.

Drug treatment

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs in the treatment of arthrosis of the knee joint can reduce the manifestations of the inflammatory process, as well as pain. These include diclofenac, indomethacin, piroxicam, ketoprofen, orthofen, voltaren. The condition can also be alleviated with the help of medicinal ointments, creams and gels. Providing an auxiliary therapeutic effect in arthrosis, such drugs can improve blood circulation in the affected joint and increase its elasticity. If the disease occurs without fluid accumulation in the joint, you can use ointments that have a warming effect - for example, apizartron, viprosal, finalgon. If arthrosis is complicated by synovitis, you can use non-steroidal anti-inflammatory ointments, make a compress with dimexide: add a spoonful of boiled water to one spoonful of dimexide, soak a bandage in the resulting mixture and apply it to the affected area for half an hour to an hour, covering it with a film and a towel. To avoid burns, you should strictly control the duration of the procedure. The procedure is carried out once a day, on average, two to three weeks. To relieve intense pain in the acute stage of the disease, corticosteroid injections are administered into the joint, for example, hydrocortisone (approximately once every two weeks). For faster joint recovery and spasm relief, it is possible to use vasodilators that nourish the joint and improve blood circulation. Such drugs also help relieve vascular pain, which usually bothers the patient at night.

Chondroprotectors are widely used in the treatment of knee arthrosis. This group of drugs has the ability to restore damaged joints, while improving the nutrition and elasticity of joint tissues. Such drugs are most effective at the early stage of the disease. Chondroxide in the form of an ointment or gel is applied to the surface of the affected joint two or three times a day and rubbed in with light massage movements. The course of treatment is from two to three weeks to several months. Artron Chondrex is taken orally, one tablet two or three times a day. The duration of treatment is usually three months. Chondroitin Complex is taken half an hour before meals, one capsule twice a day. The minimum course of treatment is two months. A lasting therapeutic effect is observed after using the drug for six months. During the treatment period, it is recommended to refrain from drinking alcohol and minimize sugar consumption.

Physiotherapeutic treatment methods

• Acupuncture. This method is used in the treatment of knee arthrosis to eliminate muscle spasm near the affected joints, as well as to normalize metabolic processes in them and restore damaged cartilage tissue.
• Hirudotherapy. Hirudotherapy (treatment with leeches) also has a positive effect - in case of arthrosis it has an effect similar to that of injections, and also has a very good effect on the state of blood circulation in the diseased joint.
• Laser treatment. Laser therapy methods are also used as an auxiliary treatment. Such procedures relieve inflammation, swelling, activate metabolism and neutralize pain.
• Cryotherapy. Liquid nitrogen therapy, also known as cryotherapy, also has a good therapeutic effect. At home, an alternative to this method is the local use of ice. A towel or diaper is applied to the area of the affected joint, and ice wrapped in a bag is placed on top for fifteen to twenty minutes. After the procedure, a light warm-up of the joint is performed.
• Magnetic therapy. Knee arthrosis is also treated with magnetic therapy. Exposure to a magnetic field not only improves blood flow in tissues, but also relieves inflammation and swelling.
• Electromyostimulation. Another method of treatment of knee arthrosis is electromyostimulation. Using pulse currents of different frequencies, the muscles in the legs are restored and strengthened, and blood circulation in the legs is also improved.

A disease such as arthrosis of the knee joint requires complex treatment, using not only physiotherapy and medications, but also supporting aids, such as a walking stick, which can significantly reduce the load on the affected joint. A patient with arthrosis should not stay in one position for a long time, squat, or move actively. It is recommended to carefully monitor nutrition and body weight, you can take decoctions of burdock, linden, birch, and meadowsweet. And remember that all medical procedures should be carried out strictly after consultation with a doctor.