Knee joint: diseases and treatment. Which knees in women are considered beautiful

A few moves before bed

How to remove cellulite on knees yet? Before going to bed, in bed, you can perform the following simple exercises for the legs:

• Lie on your back, relaxing your muscles. As you exhale, pull the socks towards you, while inhaling, relax the leg muscles. This simple exercise strengthens the muscles around the knees, improves blood circulation, promotes the alternation of “tension-relaxation” processes, thereby relieving muscle spasms and eliminating leg fatigue that has accumulated during the day.
• Lying on your back, gently shake your raised legs for one minute. We do several repetitions. Exercise is the prevention of varicose veins, relieves fatigue. Helps improve blood flow and lymph flow.

Excess body weight and fat near and between the knees is not just an aesthetic issue. Each extra kilogram creates an increased load on the knee joints. In addition, it is also a risk of developing varicose veins. Your knees will become slim and healthy if you take care of them and pay attention to them!

The knee is made up of a complex system of ligaments, tendons, cartilage and muscles, acting as the main hinge between the ground and the body.

There is a lot of stress on the knees, especially when compared to other joints. That is why the knees need care, but ... Many of us do nothing but cripple our knees.

How?

First, let's take a quick look at the structure of the knee joint. The knee joint is one of the largest joints. It consists of the tibia, femur, fibula, patella. The joint is able to bend back and forth and turn left and right.

The image shows that the knee consists of 2 bones, the ends of which are covered with cartilage and menisci - special "pads" that play the role of shock absorbers. To reduce friction in the joint, a fluid is released that plays the role of a lubricant.

The first and very common problem is thinning, tearing and tearing of the meniscus.
Meniscus thinning occurs no matter how you move. However, some factors speed up this process. These are: insufficient fluid intake, leading to a lack of fluid in the joint and, as a result, an increase in friction; incorrect posture, leading to an increase in the load on the meniscus; improper muscle work and, as a result, incorrect work of the entire knee joint. Thinning of the meniscus is not amenable to treatment, since the meniscus is not a regenerating tissue. This damage leads to discomfort in the knee joint and the risk of complications, due to a decrease in depreciation in the knee.
meniscus tear- incomplete rupture of the meniscus, which occurs with injuries or with a strong thinning of the meniscus. Everything is simple here - the “shock absorber” does not withstand the load. A tear in the meniscus is the splitting of the meniscus into several pieces. In both cases, the "dangling" parts of the meniscus begin to damage the surrounding tissue, especially when pedaling. As a result, the entire knee joint suffers. These defects are eliminated exclusively by surgery - in the event of a tear, a piece of the meniscus is cut out, and the edges of the remaining piece are aligned, in the event of a meniscus rupture, its complete removal with the possibility of replacing it with an artificial one. Pain in these injuries can be acute, immediately after the injury, and chronic - the knee can hurt with loads, without loads, the knee can jam (when parts of the meniscus enter the intercondylar space).

Arthrosis is one of the most common problems. The causes of this disease are still unclear, but it is known that with constant microtrauma, the likelihood of arthrosis increases very sharply. Arthrosis is a degeneration, splitting of the cartilage of the joint. Symptoms of arthrosis are a crunch in the knee, discomfort, a reaction to the weather (aching pain). Once started, arthrosis is unlikely to stop, it can only be stopped for a while. Factors in the appearance of arthrosis are overloads (such as pedaling, which is not characteristic of our body) and also, in part, malnutrition. Treatment of arthrosis (its stop) is a drug therapy, coupled with physiotherapy - magnetic waves, ultrasound, gelatin, calcium, removal of salts from the body.
Chondropathy- destruction of cartilage that occurs during stress. Chondropathy of the knee manifests itself as long as the knee does not work properly, is overloaded. Chondropathy most often affects the patella - the inner part of the patella ("runner's knee"). When the cartilage thins, the insides of the joint begin to come into contact with the bones, which causes unpleasant, painful sensations, as well as the destruction of the knee. Risk factors are overload and improper functioning of the joint, which may be due to an incorrect skeleton, improperly working muscles. The consequences of chondropathy can only be treated surgically, and chondropathy itself is treated by unloading the joint - reducing stress, using bandages, stretching the muscles.

And now consider the 8 most common ways to destroy your knees ...

knee injury

Knee injuries are inevitable in our lives. They are diagnosed very often and not only in athletes, but also in people who are not related to professional sports.

There are the following types of knee injuries:

1. Bruise. As a rule, the mildest injury to the knee joint. It occurs as a result of a direct blow to the front or side of the joint. Most often, a knee bruise is diagnosed after a person falls or when he hit something with his knee.

2. Tears and damage to the inner and lateral menisci. Occur as a result of a sharp lateral movement of the knee with a fixed foot. Tears and injuries of the meniscus are most commonly seen in athletes and in most cases require immediate surgical intervention.

3. Sprains (tears) and torn ligaments. Occur in the case of direct action on the knee joint of a large traumatic force. Ligaments can tear (or tear) when falling from a height, car accidents, playing sports (in particular, hockey, wrestling).

4. Dislocations of the knee joint and patella but occur quite rarely, as well as torn ligaments occur due to serious knee injuries.

5. Intra-articular fractures femur, tibia, or patella. A fracture of the patella occurs mostly in older people due to their fall.

6. Cartilage damage very often accompanies a knee bruise, joint dislocation or intra-articular fracture.

Running and cycling

If you run or ride a bicycle incorrectly, then you are at risk of softening of cartilage tissue, as well as loss of its elasticity. This disease is called "runner's knee" - chondromalacia of the patella and inflammation of the ilio-tibial tract. Women are the most susceptible to the disease. The risk of developing the disease increases if you often run on an incline, bending your foot inward.

"Runner's knee" is accompanied by acute pain, which is relieved by painkiller ointments. But if you are faced with a disease - leave without, at least for six months.

If you ride your bike often, you are also putting your knees under prolonged and unnatural stress. The result is the same as when running.

Obesity

Every extra 500g of knees feels like 2.5kg of force. Imagine what the joints experience with an extra 5 kg of weight? This is a real test.

Excess weight kills knee joints
In the knee joint, between the two bones, there is a layer - hyaline cartilage. It provides sliding of articular surfaces. 1 kilogram of excess weight several times increases the load on the cartilaginous surface. The cartilage becomes loose, and foci of inflammation form on it.

Thus, you shorten the life of your knees. There is only one way out - to try to lose weight or suffer in adulthood or old age with hellish pain and incapacitation of the knees.

Dehydration

Insufficient water during exercise causes the joint capsule to secrete less synovial fluid, which is a lubricant that prevents friction between the bones.

Joints lose water even before you start to feel thirsty. That is, during physical exertion, you should drink water as often as possible, especially while running, cycling and aerobic exercise.

Excessive loads

With a sudden increase in the intensity of physical activity or their duration, injury can be earned.

For example, you may have inflammation of the tendon, pain in the patella. With excessive load, excessive rest is also needed, follow the regime of training and rest.

Ignoring the muscles of the knee

The muscles of the knee need to be stretched. Only carefully.

Light clothing for cold weather

Your knees can get cold. It is a fact.

As well as the fact that many girls and women ignore it and even in the cold season wear thin nylon tights, and not fleece leggings. Hypothermia of the knee and any other joint can lead to inflammation of the joint bag, which for a long time after that will remind you of your frivolity.

Doing dangerous exercises in the gym

When exercising in the gym, try to give up complex exercises, especially if you have just started exercising or your body is not ready for such tension and technique.

Tips:

For sick knees, special physical education is required
Physical education with knee pain only increases the load on the joints and provokes the destruction of cartilage. To reduce stress on your knees, you need to replace vertical physical activities like running with swimming, a knee-safe sport.

Should not bealways wear flat shoes
If you wear flat shoes, the load on the knee joints is redistributed, the legs become X-shaped. Cartilage is destroyed, osteoarthritis develops.

Better chooseshoes with stable heels 3-4 cm high
The area of ​​the heel must be large, otherwise you can lose balance. And in shoes with flat soles, you need to put orthopedic insoles with arch supports that support the arch of the foot.

You can't mmopping floors on your knees
There are synovial bags in the knee joint. During physical exertion on the knees, the synovial bag becomes inflamed, synovial fluid is released from it and pain occurs.

Mopping floors is better
To protect your knees, mop floors with a height-adjustable mop. If you often have to kneel while cleaning, knee pads should be used. They will soften the load on the knee joints and protect the synovial bag.
According to www.1tv.ru, www.7mednews.ru, www.jv.ru

PS. Even if your knees haven't bothered you yet, do a little test. Stick small stationery on the center of the kneecap and on the ankle - in the middle of the fold line. Put on shorts or short pants, stand in front of a mirror with your feet hip-width apart, and take a good look at yourself.
Where is the knee located relative to the ankle joint, hips - in the same plane with them or to the side?
Squat down with your knees slightly bent. Where are they located? Is it exactly above the foot, or has the knee run inward?
Maybe the ankle joint was led inward? Does your big toe point outwards? This is just one of the violations.

Left - correct, right - one of the options for violation

To control the functioning of the joints, at least once a day, stand in front of a mirror in the position of the foot at a width equal to the length of the foot, and perform at least 20 shallow squats, keeping your heels on the floor.

The knee should be kept above the foot, not go inward. If the knee goes inward, all the elastic tissues in this zone are in constant tension: the internal ligaments are stretched, and the external ligaments are squeezed. In addition, this flattens the foot and increases the instability of the knee joint.

When doing squats, count how many of them you do correctly and record the result in a diary. Once you can do 80% of your squats without errors, start doing shallow squats on one leg - 20 times on the right and on the left.

When these squats become even and correct, your knees will not face problems in the near future; o)

Be healthy!

Many of us experience pain in the knee joint during our lives, which occurs when walking, strenuous exercise, playing sports. Sometimes the pain syndrome is accompanied by a crunch, swelling, inability to move the limb. All these symptoms indicate that morphological changes are taking place in the knee. In our article, we will take a closer look at the most common inflammatory diseases of the knee joint, the symptoms and treatment of the disease in each case. We will try to figure out what contributes to the formation of the disease and how to diagnose it in the early stages.

What is a joint?

A joint is such a connection of bones, due to which the bone skeleton is endowed with flexibility, and a person has the ability to perform various movements, such as:

• flexion/extension of limbs,
• abduction / adduction of limbs,
• rotational movements.

Joints are classified into:

• simple;
• joints formed by two bones;
• joints formed by three or more bones (compound joints).

The surface of each bone entering the joint is covered with cartilage and is characterized by an articular cavity containing fluid. The joint also includes the articular bag, synovial membrane, menisci - cartilaginous structures that soften shocks during movement and act as shock absorbers.

The largest joint of the human body is Diseases can affect any of its components. formed by the union of three bones - the femur, tibia and patella, which is often called the patella. In addition, it is also the most complex in structure - in the process of flexion, the patella lies in a special recess formed by the external and internal protrusion of the femur.

The structure of the knee joint

The surfaces of all three bones of the joint (patella, femur and tibia) are covered with cartilage, which ensures the process of sliding.

From the outside, the joint is limited by a capsule - the synovial membrane. The synovial fluid in the synovial capsule nourishes and lubricates the cartilage, facilitates the sliding process, and keeps the knee joint healthy for a long time. Diseases, however, occur in this part of the knee. Due to infections or injuries, the synovial fluid can become inflamed, against which bursitis is formed.

The strong position of the bones relative to each other is provided by the ligaments of the knee joint, among which:

• anterior cruciate ligament,
• posterior cruciate ligament,
• internal lateral ligament,
• external lateral ligament.

Bursae, often referred to as bursae, also help muscles and tendons glide easily when moving. Allocate the main bursae:

• bag ,
• bag ,
• semimembranosus own sac,
• suprapatellar bag,
• subpatellar bag deep,
• subcutaneous prepatellar bursa.

What diseases of the knee joint are most common in medical practice, we will consider further. It should be noted that in most cases, the main symptom of all pathologies is pain.

Causes of pain

Pain in the knee joint occurs for a number of reasons, which can be conditionally grouped into four groups. These include:

• Fracture of the patella, contusion of the knee joint, osteochondral fracture - i.e. injury.
• Diseases of the knee joint, as well as pathologies of the structure of the knee joint, which include:
  • gonarthrosis - arthrosis of the knee joint;
  • meniscus pathology - meniscopathy, meniscus cyst, Baker's cyst;
  • dysplasia of the protrusions (condyles) of the bone;
  • Koenig's disease;
  • bursitis in the knee joint;
  • Osgood-Schlatter disease;
  • popliteal tenopathy, etc.

• Pathologies and injuries of various body systems that cause radiating pain in the knee joint. Such pathologies can be diseases of the spine, injuries of the hip joint, etc.
• Systemic diseases, such as lupus erythematosus, Charcot's arthropathy, Paget's disease, fibromyalgia. In addition to systemic pathology, tuberculosis or Lyme disease, a disorder that is classified as an infectious disease of the knee, can lead to pain.

Treatment of almost all diseases of the knee is based on several principles - to relieve pain, swelling; strengthen bones; increase the physical activity of a person. However, we must remember that it is important to lead a healthy lifestyle, because the following factors contribute to the occurrence of diseases of the knee joint:

• excess weight;
• excessive physical activity;
• diseases of the musculoskeletal system - congenital or acquired during life;
• professional sports;
• age (older people are more likely to suffer from joint diseases);
• gender (female).

Insufficient physical activity during the working day is a hallmark of office work. Immobility, a long stay in an uncomfortable position provoke an excessive load on the joints and cause pain, discomfort and gradual destruction of cartilage. Therefore, office workers are advised to do gymnastics regularly, and they also need to take funds that protect and restore cartilage tissue, chondroprotectors. For example, the dietary supplement "Glucosamine-Maximum" has proven itself well - a chondroprotector containing two active substances: glucosamine and chondroitin. They are natural structural elements of healthy cartilage tissue, are well absorbed due to their natural nature and stimulate the processes of metabolism in cartilage cells, restoring the structure of cartilage tissue.

NOT A DRUG

Let us consider in more detail the most common diseases of the knee joint.

In the first place in terms of the number of cases of disability due to diseases of the knee, there is a well-known disease - arthritis of the knee joint. Pathology affects all elements of the knee - the synovial membrane, capsule, cartilage. If left untreated, arthritis can lead to the loss of a person's ability to move normally. There are several forms of arthritis:

• rheumatoid arthritis is a form of pathology, the causes of which are not fully understood;
• post-traumatic arthritis - a pathology that develops against the background of injuries;
• reactive arthritis - a disease that occurs as a result of tissue infection, after suffering poisoning of the body;
• deforming arthritis - a pathology that is formed against the background of disorders and failures of the circulatory system;
• gouty arthritis is a disease that is caused by metabolic disorders in the body.

They also distinguish between primary arthritis, which occurs directly in the joint as a result of an injury, and secondary arthritis, in which the inflammatory process begins in any tissues of the body, and enters the knee joint with the flow of lymph or blood.

Symptoms of pathology. Approaches in the treatment of arthritis

In addition to pain during the disease, swelling and redness are observed, sometimes purulent processes occur, accompanied by increased body temperature.

Treatment for arthritis is primarily aimed at relieving pain, swelling and restoring the motor ability of the knee joint. These measures are achieved by the use of anti-inflammatory drugs, warming ointments, as well as restorative medicines.

Good results in therapy are given by physiotherapy, massage, exercise therapy. I must say that these measures are prescribed only during the period of remission of the disease, when acute inflammatory processes are not observed in the body. In case of failure of conservative methods of treatment resort to surgical intervention.

In conjunction with traditional methods in the treatment of arthritis, traditional medicine recipes are often used using plant materials as the basis for compresses, tinctures and ointments.

Arthrosis of the knee joint

Consider another fairly common disease of the knee joint - gonarthrosis. This pathology leads to the occurrence of an inflammatory process in the body, as a result of which the cartilage tissue of the knee is destroyed, accompanied by its deformation and dysfunction. Mostly the disease develops in women, especially in the elderly.

The trigger mechanism for the occurrence of pathology can be comorbidities - arthritis, fractures of the bones of the joint, tumor processes.

The course of the disease is usually slow. Pathology develops gradually, and at first the main symptom of gonarthrosis can be only mild pain that appears after a state of rest. The pain goes away on movement, but then, after rest, it reappears. As a rule, with gonarthrosis, osteophytes appear in the muscles, against which cartilage tissues rub when moving. Due to friction, an inflammatory process occurs in the knee area, the skin turns red, and edema forms.

There are primary and secondary gonarthrosis. The causes of the disease of the knee joints in the first case are not fully understood, the background for the development of the disease can be not only concomitant diseases, but simply the old age of a person. Secondary gonarthrosis is a consequence of a knee joint injury or a complication after an infectious disease.

The main method in the diagnosis of gonarthrosis is radiography. Conservative treatment involves the elimination of pain, for which analgesics are used. Special ointments are used to relieve swelling.

In advanced cases of arthrosis, when one's own cartilage tissue is destroyed, surgical intervention is performed - arthroplasty. In this case, the knee joint is replaced with an artificial structure, which allows almost complete restoration of motor function.

Meniscopathy

Meniscopathy is a disease that develops in physically active people, athletes, and does not depend on age. Favorable conditions for the formation of the pathological process are concomitant diseases - gout, arthritis, diabetes mellitus. Overweight and weak knee ligaments often contribute to the disease.

The meniscus is a special structure that reduces the load on the joint during active movements. There are inner and outer menisci. According to statistics, the first is damaged less often than the second.

The main symptom in the manifestation of pathology, patients call a click in the knee joint and the acute pain following it. I must say, human physiology is such that at a young age, his menisci are saturated with fluid, so the pain that occurs with meniscopathy is acute and severe. In older age, the pain is weaker. In addition to pain, there is swelling, difficulty in moving.

MRI is considered an effective diagnostic method for meniscopathy, during which the degree of damage to the meniscus is determined. In case of tearing or pinching, conservative medicine is a sufficient measure. However, if the meniscus is torn, surgery is necessary.

periarthritis

Periarthritis is the knee joint. However, the disease can also affect the muscles and tendons. The cause of the pathology for the most part is concomitant diseases, an imbalance in the work of the endocrine system, repeated hypothermia of the body, and problems with blood vessels.

Periarthritis is manifested by aching pain, swelling in the knee area, the formation of seals that cause pain when pressed. Patients report discomfort when walking.

Women are characterized by a special form of pathology - periarthritis of the crow's foot bag, in which the internal tendons become inflamed. In this case, neither edema nor deformation of the joint itself occurs. The disease makes itself felt only when wearing high-heeled shoes or when moving on an uneven surface.

Periarthritis is a disease of the knee joint, the treatment of which is effective only if it is detected at an early stage.

To achieve a positive result in therapy, it is recommended to minimize physical activity, to rest more. Non-steroidal drugs, such as Diclofenac, physiotherapy, help relieve pain.

Tendonitis of the knee

Tendinitis of the knee joint is a disease in which the tissues of the tendons become inflamed where they attach to the bone. The disease occurs in physically active people, in professional athletes, as well as in children and the elderly.

Favorable factors for the development of pathology can be:

• reduced protective functions of the body and various functional disorders of the body;
• imbalance of the muscular system;
• injuries or bruises of the knee;
• great physical activity;
• fungal infections.

Tendinitis can occur on one leg or both at the same time. In this case, the affected joint often reacts to changes in the weather - pain, swelling, and creaking appear when moving.

A whole range of studies is used to diagnose pathology, it all depends on what caused tendinitis. For example, if the pathology was formed as a result of salt deposition, it will be easy to identify it through x-rays. If tendinitis was the result of infectious diseases, laboratory tests will be an effective measure to detect the disease.

Methods of treatment of tendinitis depend on the stage of the disease. At first, conservative methods are effective - drug treatment (non-steroidal drugs with anti-inflammatory effect), physiotherapy procedures - magnets, electrophoresis. Yoga gives a good effect in the treatment of the knee joint. When the course of the disease is neglected, surgical intervention is resorted to.

Rheumatoid arthritis

Rheumatoid arthritis is a systemic disease in which inflammation of the connective tissue occurs. The exact causes of the pathology have not been established. It is known that people with poor heredity, as well as people with low immunity, are at risk. Frequent hypothermia of the body, stress, psycho-emotional stress increase the likelihood of the disease. The disease manifests itself in both men and women, while the age factor does not affect the incidence statistics in any way.

The course of the disease can be called unhurried. Rheumatoid arthritis does not occur spontaneously over several days or weeks, but develops gradually. It all starts with a feeling of stiffness in the knee after a long period of rest (for example, after a night's rest). When the weather changes, pain may appear that affects the knee joint. Diseases of this kind occur in several stages. Each phase of the disease has its own signs, but a common manifestation of the disease at all stages of development is a pain symptom.

Stages of development of the disease. Diagnostics

At first, swelling, thickening appear in the area of ​​the knee joint, and a pain symptom occurs. Sometimes a person's body temperature rises.

Further development of rheumatoid arthritis affects the synovial membrane - it thickens due to the active division of inflammatory cells.

In advanced cases of the disease, bone tissue is damaged, as well as cartilage. Severe pain occurs, deformity of the knee joint occurs, a violation of its motor function.

Rheumatoid arthritis is a rather dangerous disease, in the absence of treatment of which disability occurs, and in some cases death of a person. Similar consequences arise due to severe complications that the disease gives to other organs and systems of the body - kidney failure develops, infectious processes spread.

Diagnosis of the disease is based on several methods:

• external examination, which helps to identify symptoms such as swelling in the knee area, redness of the skin, obvious joint deformity;
• biochemical analysis of blood;
• radiography.

The pain symptom in rheumatoid arthritis is eliminated by the use of nonsteroidal drugs with anti-inflammatory effect. If the onset of the disease is associated with the spread of infection in the body, antibiotics are prescribed. Regular massage helps to get rid of pain, as well as performing therapeutic exercises.

Bursitis

Bursitis is an inflammatory disease (bursae). Pathology occurs as a result of and also with constant activity of the joint due to heavy physical exertion. Bursitis can be the result of an infectious disease. As a result of the inflammatory process, fluid with dangerous microflora accumulates in the synovial sac. Gradually, pain occurs in the knee joint, when pressing on the knee area, a person also experiences discomfort, a feeling of stiffness appears when moving. A noticeable swelling forms around the joint, the size of which can reach 10 cm.

Patients with bursitis note loss of appetite, malaise, in some cases, body temperature may rise. Symptoms of bursitis are very similar to those of other diseases of the knee joint, in particular arthritis. However, there is one important difference between these two pathologies. With bursitis, motor activity and the ability to perform flexion and extension movements are preserved.

In addition to an external examination, in order to make an accurate diagnosis and prescribe a competent treatment regimen, a puncture is performed - fluid is taken from the bursa for research.

The initial stages of the course of the disease respond well to treatment. Therapy includes compresses, various body wraps, bed rest is shown to patients. If the disease has passed into the chronic stage, it is important to remove the accumulated fluid from the knee and rinse the cavity.

Gout and Paget's disease

Gout is a disease that occurs as a result of a violation of urinary metabolism in the body and an increased content of uric acid in the blood. Factors that increase the risk of developing pathology include excessive consumption of fish and meat, as well as alcohol.

Gout is predominantly found in men. The disease is manifested by sharp pain, redness of the skin in the area of ​​the knee joint. Nodules form in the muscles, which are accumulations of uric acid.

Diagnose gout with the help of a biochemical blood test, as well as through x-rays. During therapy, in addition to medication, the patient is prescribed a special diet (foods with a high content of purine are removed from the diet), physical and emotional rest is prescribed.

In Paget's disease, abnormal bone formation occurs, as a result of which the skeleton is deformed, the bones become very fragile.

Pathology often affects the tubular bones of the lower extremities, resulting in pain in the knees. The disease mostly worries men, especially the elderly.

It is not easy to diagnose the disease, since there are cases when the patient does not notice any manifestations of the pathology.

In making a diagnosis, a biochemical blood test plays a key role, which, in the presence of this disease in the body, shows an increased content of a special enzyme, phosphatase. Additionally, an X-ray examination is carried out.

Treatment involves minimizing the complications that Paget's disease causes. The task of the therapy is to strengthen the bones as much as possible. This is achieved by taking calcium supplements. Patients with Paget's disease should follow a diet, perform physical therapy exercises, and avoid injuries that can lead to fractures.

Thus, in the article we examined the main pathological conditions affecting the knee joint. Diseases of the knee, however, in practice are even more diverse. All this many diseases are united by common signs - with pathologies, a person experiences stiffness in movement and pain, swelling often occurs at the site of the disease. In order to prevent the development of diseases, it is important to initially monitor your health, eat right, prevent the formation of systemic pathologies in the body, and not bring the body to a state of obesity.

When the first signs of the disease appear, you should not postpone going to a specialist, because early diagnosis of the disease is the key to a successful recovery.