Arthritis
The arthritis It is a painful inflammation of the joints, usually, causes pain. There are many types of arthritis, most common are osteoarthritis.
Osteoarthritis is a degenerative joint disease, wherein the buffer coating between bones (cartilage) wears causing rubbing of the bones. It can affect any joint in the body.
Arthritic knee There are three basic types of arthritis may affect the knee joint.
- Osteoartritis La osteoartritis (OA) is the most common form of arthritis of the knee. It is usually a slowly progressive degenerative disease in which the joint cartilage wears down gradually. It usually affects middle-aged and elderly.
- Rheumatoid arthritis Rheumatoid arthritis (ON) is a type of inflammatory arthritis that can destroy the joint cartilage. It can occur at any age and usually affects both knees.
- Posttraumatic arthritis Post-traumatic arthritis can develop after an injury to the knee. This type of arthritis is similar to osteoarthritis and may develop years after a fracture, ligament injury or meniscus tear.
Arthritis treatments
There are various types of treatments for arthritis: nonsurgical treatments, medication to alternative therapies. Between the nonsurgical treatments They include loss of excess weight, the proper exercise, the use of knee, applying heat and cold, liniments and other. As each person responds differently to drugs is necessary to find the most appropriate medication for each case. The orthopedic surgeon design a medication plan specific to their condition. Among the drugs for arthritis are the antiinflammatory and the analgesics, not develop tolerance is important that your doctor prescribes them.
- Glucosamine and Condrointina Are oral supplements that can relieve pain of osteoarthritis. These two molecules are in the cartilage of our joints. They can be particularly effective in the early stages of the knee osteoartitis, help reduce inflammation and improve mobility. Remember that any substance can have side effects, so it is necessary to consult with your orthopedic surgeon.
- Corticosteroids. Corticosteroids or cortisone are powerful anti-inflammatory agents that can be injected into the joint. They can be effective if the inflammation is important, but not if the arthritis affects the mechanics of the knee. Its effects are short lived and can not give more than three injections per year per joint. If injected repeatedly over a long period of time the pain may increase rather than decrease. It is not advisable to inject steroids into the joint, therefore no longer be crystals which eventually cause further destruction.
- Viscosupplementation with hyaluronic acid. Viscosupplementation is injection hyaluronic acid in the joint to improve the quality of synovial fluid in the joint.
- Gold salt injections. Special medical treatments for rheumatoid arthritis include gold salt injections and other disease-modifying drugs. For these treatments should consult with the rheumatologist, that is the most suitable person to prescribe and monitor them
- Alternative therapies for arthritis. Among the alternative therapies magnetic pulse therapy is.
Surgical Treatments
When arthritis does not respond to nonsurgical treatments, you may have to undergo surgery. Surgical options are diverse, including:
- The Arthroscopic surgery, that uses fiber optic technology to allow the surgeon to see inside the joint and clean of debris or repair torn cartilage.
- The osteotomía, that involves cutting a portion of tibia (leg bone) of the femur (thighbone) to improve the alignment of the knee joint.
- The artroplastia Total or partial, in which severely damaged cartilage of the knee joint is replaced by a artificial prothesis.
- The allograft cartilage. It is possible in some knees where there has been a limited loss of cartilage following trauma or arthritis. >Knee meniscus transplant