Periarthritis of the knee joint
Periarthritis of the knee is an inflammation of the periarticular tissues in the area of the inner condyle of the femur. It is in this place that the tendons of the quadriceps femoris (“goosefoot”) are attached. Periarthritis develops against the background of chronic inflammatory processes affecting the knee joint, or may be the result of injury or overstrain of tendons and muscles.
The disease is most often diagnosed in women who have crossed the threshold of 40 years. However, even children are not immune from it. Pediatricians sometimes make this diagnosis for babies aged 3 years and older, during their active growth. In this case, the disease is not dangerous and goes away on its own as the child grows up. While at a more mature age, periarthritis can even become the cause of a person's disability, as it sharply limits his ability to move.
In the international classification of diseases, periarthritis of the knee joint is designated by the code M77.8 and belongs to the group "Other soft tissue lesions".
Periarthritis of the knee joint is characterized by pain that occurs when a person performs passive or active movements of the lower limb. At rest, pain is absent.
Content:
- Causes of periarthritis of the knee joint
- Symptoms of periarthritis of the knee joint
- Diagnostics of the knee joint periarthritis
- Treatment of periarthritis of the knee
Causes of periarthritis of the knee joint
Periarthritis of the knee joint can be caused by the following reasons:
- Injuries to the soft tissues of the knee, which occur cyclically or simultaneously. This can be a blow to the knee, a fall on it, or a dislocation. When the tendon fibers are torn, internal hemorrhages occur, edema is formed, which entails a violation of the blood supply to the damaged area. As a result, periarthritis develops.
- A sedentary lifestyle, as well as prolonged static loads on the lower limbs.
- General hypothermia of the body.
- Violation of the innervation of the lower extremities.
- Malfunctions of the endocrine system. In this regard, periarthritis is more often diagnosed in people with obesity or diabetes mellitus.
- Hormonal imbalance in the body. Women who have entered the postmenopausal period are especially susceptible to periarthritis.
- The presence of a chronic degenerative process in the knee joints: arthritis, arthrosis.
- Diseases of the cardiovascular system.
- Diseases of the musculoskeletal system in general.
- Previous surgery on the knee joints. In this case, periarthritis acts as a complication.
- Congenital connective tissue dysplasias, arthropathies.
Symptoms of periarthritis of the knee joint
Symptoms of periarthritis of the knee joint are directly related to the site of inflammation:
- Pain in the knee joint.
- Swelling of the inner surface of the knee, hyperemia of the skin.
- The appearance of pain during movement of the knee joint.
- The pain tends to intensify when climbing stairs, when carrying heavy loads.
- The pain subsides when the person is at rest or in a sitting position without movement. But even when throwing a leg over the leg, the pains arise again.
- Pain can remind of itself with prolonged standing.
- With an exacerbation of the disease, an increase in local body temperature, the appearance of general malaise and rapid fatigue may occur.
A pronounced limitation of the mobility of the lower limb is rarely observed, but even those inconveniences that a person experiences with sluggish periarthritis of the knee joint disrupt his quality of life, create conditions for increased nervousness.
Diagnostics of the knee joint periarthritis
When the first symptoms of the disease appear, it is necessary to contact a therapist. In addition to the standard questioning of patient complaints and examination of the patient, the doctor will send him to undergo an X-ray. If the conduct of this study does not provide the necessary information for the diagnosis, then the appointment of CT, ultrasound or MRI is possible. In this case, the visualized blurred contours of the anatomical structures of the joint will be observed, since edema has formed around it. The joint gap will be narrowed, the bone tissue at the site of inflammation is often sparse, there are calcifications of ligaments and muscle fibers.
In addition, it is imperative to donate blood for general and biochemical analysis. If periarthritis is in the acute stage, an increase in ESR and CRP will be observed.
Invasive diagnostic research methods are rarely used - only when the patient has to undergo surgery. We are talking in this case about arthroscopy and arthrography.
Comprehensive diagnosis is important due to the fact that periarthritis of the knee joint can be confused with arthritis and arthrosis, since they have similar symptoms.
Treatment of periarthritis of the knee
Treatment of periarthritis of the knee joint is possible in two ways: conservative and operative. Surgical intervention is indicated for the chronic form of the disease with frequent relapses, when drug correction has proved ineffective. During the operation, the doctor removes the formed adhesions, calcifications and contractures that impede the normal mobility of the knee muscles and joint.
During the acute stage of the disease, an important condition is the removal of physical activity from the diseased limb. Wearing a fixing bandage (orthosis) will reduce the intensity of pain and reduce the risk of damage to inflamed tissues.
The following drugs can help eliminate pain:
- NSAIDs: Ortofen, Diclofenac, Ibuprofen, Metindol, etc.
- Analgesics: Solpadein, Tylenol, Novalgin.
- Hormonal drugs that are injected: Prednisolone, Hydrocortisone. They inject the affected area. It should be remembered that hormonal drugs have a pronounced analgesic and anti-inflammatory effect, but at the same time they suppress human immunity. With the independent use of such medicines, side effects may occur, which will be quite problematic to cope with.
- Application of gels and ointments with anti-inflammatory and analgesic effect: Diklak, Dolobene, Voltaren.
Physiotherapy is of no small importance in the treatment of periarthritis.
In this case, the following types of impact are shown:
- Magnetotherapy.
- Electrophoresis with lithium, novocaine, potassium iodide.
- Laser therapy.
- Naftalan applications.
- Shock wave therapy.
- Acupuncture.
- Treatment with leeches.
- Ultraphonophoresis.
Physiotherapy allows you to accelerate recovery, improve tissue nutrition, produce anesthetic and anti-inflammatory effect. In parallel, the doctor recommends taking vitamin and mineral complexes, which are aimed at strengthening the patient's immunity.
Therapeutic gymnastics is another direction in the complex therapy of knee periarthritis. Exercise should be started during the lull in the illness. The complexes are aimed at normalizing joint mobility and developing it. Muscles and tendons become more elastic and receive adequate nutrition along with increased blood flow.
You should start practicing the treatment complex with the simplest exercises. The duration of classes at the initial stage should not exceed 15 minutes. Swing legs, running in one place, jumping, squats are effective. The complex is compiled on an individual basis, depending on the age of the patient and the degree of progression of the disease.
So, a doctor should deal with the treatment of periarthritis of the knee joint. The sooner therapy is started, the faster it will be possible to get rid of the disease. If you delay contacting a doctor, then the risk of complications that can only be eliminated by surgery significantly increases. Moreover, even in this case, there is no guarantee that the person will not remain disabled. Although, in general, the prognosis for recovery is favorable.
Author of the article: Kaplan Alexander Sergeevich | Orthopedist
Education: diploma in the specialty "General Medicine" received in 2009 at the Medical Academy. I. M. Sechenov. In 2012 completed postgraduate studies in Traumatology and Orthopedics at the City Clinical Hospital named after Botkin at the Department of Traumatology, Orthopedics and Disaster Surgery.
