Arthritis of the knee joint: symptoms, treatment, causes

Arthritis of the knee joint is one of the most common pathologies in orthopedics, traumatology and rheumatology.

Arthritis of the knee usually refers to a group of slowly progressing diseases, with a tendency to chronic. At the heart of this pathological process is an active inflammation of various etiologies.

This disease most often affects women. However, people who are engaged in weightlifting, people over 45, people with overweight and those with hereditary heredity( one of the parents had this disease) are the most susceptible to development. It can be either one-sided or localized symmetrically on both sides.

Causes of arthritis of the knee joint

Arthritis of the knee joint can act both as a self-running disease, and as a concomitant pathology against the background of the underlying disease of other organs and systems. Often, systemic lupus erythematosus( a group of autoimmune pathologies), psoriasis, Reiter's disease, hepatitis are the main diseases that provoke the development of secondary arthritis.

As the etiological factors contributing to the development of primary arthritis, as an independent disease,

• may be a general hypothermia of the body;
  
• viral and bacterial infections( both acute and chronic);
  
• previous traumatic joint damage;
  
• previous operative treatment on joints;
  
• administration of some sera or vaccines;
  
• is an allergy in the anamnesis.

Types of primary arthritis

Currently, the most common types of arthritis of the knee joint are as follows:

1. 1) Reactive( infectious), which is the result of entering into the body, including the lump joint lm articular bag, an infectious agent( most often bacterialnature).Infection can be endogenous when the source of infection is a chronic inflammatory process in the body;
   
2. 2) Rheumatoid arthritis;
   
3. 3) Gouty arthritis( knee joint damage is not paramount) - develops with such a disease as gout;
   
4. 4) Arthrosis-arthritis, the cause of which is the violation of normal microcirculation in the joint region;
   
5. 5) Post-traumatic.

Depending on the type of arthritis( its etiological cause) and degree of severity, treatment is determined, which is based on both etiopathogenetic and symptomatic effects.

Read also, arthrosis of the knee joint and its symptoms.

Knee Arthritis Symptoms

Arthritis of the knee joints should be differentiated with bursitis, arthrosis, myalgia and other diseases of the osteoarticular system.

The classical clinical picture of almost any arthritis, including the knee joint, consists of the following symptoms:

1. 1) Soreness of varying intensity in the affected joint. At the initial stage of the development of the disease, the pains are of a periodic nature, with the passage of time they become permanent and increasingly disturb the patient. The appearance and intensification of pain can be triggered by physical exertion or exposure to cold air. Also, as the disease progresses, there is an increase in soreness with incomplete flexion of the knee joint;
   
2. 2) Puffiness of subcutaneous fat and nearby tissues, visible swelling at the site of localization of the pathological process;
   
3. 3) Hyperemia( redness) of the skin over the affected joints;
   
4. 4) Local hyperthermia( local increase in the temperature of the skin over the affected joint due to active inflammation);
   
5. 5) Joint deformity( refers to severe or prolonged course);
   
6. 6) Restriction of mobility of the affected joint of varying severity;
   
7. 7) Accumulation of effusion( fluid) in the joint cavity( can occur both in classical infectious arthritis and with König disease);
   
8. 8) The appearance of "cones" in the joint region( quite a rare phenomenon, which is most common in athletes, when inflammation takes place directly in the joint bag itself).These lesions are painful on palpation.

It should be remembered that the clinical symptoms of arthritis of the knee joint do not appear immediately, but as the disease progresses.

See also, bursitis of the knee joint, as well as synovitis of the knee joint.

Complications of arthritis

At first sight such a non-dangerous disease as arthritis can lead to a number of complications, many of which will not concern the musculoskeletal system. So, rheumatoid arthritis has its negative impact on such target organs as: kidneys, heart, lungs, intestines, muscle tissue.


In addition, many arthritis lead to abnormal muscle weakness.

Diagnosis

In order not only to diagnose arthritis itself, but also to establish the immediate cause of the development of the pathological process, it is necessary to conduct a number of mandatory laboratory and instrumental examinations.

To the diagnostic minimum, allowing to set the correct diagnosis, it is necessary to relate:

1. 1) General blood test( it is important to evaluate the leukocyte formula, its shifts, the level of ESR - the parameters responsible for inflammation in the body);
   
2. 2) Biochemical blood test( determination of the level of total protein, assessment of the level of C-reactive protein responsible for inflammation);
   
3. 3) Blood test for the detection of antibodies( for certain autoimmune processes, including rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, Reiter's disease);
   
4. 4) Radiography of the affected joints in two projections( areas of osteoporosis, the presence of erosion and usur, as well as an assessment of the degree of narrowing of the joint space);
   
5. 5) Arthroscopy with synovial biopsy - can carry both diagnostic and therapeutic value;
   
6. 6) Ultrasound examination of the joint.

Additional methods for studying the condition of joints include:

• thermography;
  
• radionuclide study of affected joints;
  
• magnetic resonance imaging.

Treatment of arthritis of the knee joint

The tactics of arthritis treatment of the knee joint directly depends on the immediate cause of this pathology. So, if we are talking about a chronic hotbed of infection inside the body, then the main measures should be directed at its elimination. This is the essence of etiotropic therapy.

As for pathogenetic and symptomatic treatment, the following groups of pharmaceuticals are used to inhibit the activity of the inflammatory process and reduce clinical symptoms:

• basic anti-inflammatory drugs( Methotrexate, Sulfasalazine);
  
• non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs( Diclofenac, Indomethacin);
  
• glucocorticosteroids( Prednisolone, Methylprednisolone), preference is given to intra-articular injection;
  
• chondroprotectors( glucosamine, chondroitin sulfate);
  
• vitamin and mineral complexes.

In the treatment of arthritis of the knee joint, the above preparations show the use of drugs protecting the gastric mucosa( for example, proton pump inhibitors - Pantasan, Omeprazole) and contributing to the prevention of NSAID-associated ulcers.

As additional methods of influencing the diseases,

• specializes in exercise therapy;
  
• massage;
  
• physiotherapy procedures: paraffin baths and applications, UHF, phonophoresis and hydrocortisone electrophoresis, magnetotherapy, transcutaneous electrostimulation

If the conservative treatment of arthritis does not produce the proper result, surgical intervention is indicated. Depending on the localization of the inflammation( in the articular bag or outside it) and the severity of the pathological process, the physician chooses the method of operation. This can be arthroscopy, osteotomy, full or partial prosthetics.

Prevention of the disease

There is no specific prevention of arthritis of the knee joints. However, there are a number of rules, observing which, it is possible to significantly reduce the risk of possible development of this pathology.

In the role of the main preventive measures are: weight control, balanced diet, active lifestyles, physical exercise, sanation of chronic foci of infection, compliance with the surgeon's instructions after the surgical interventions on the joints.

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