Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Specialist Associate Professor Ahmet İnanır gave important information about the subject. Early diagnosis is important in order not to be late for treatment in knee calcification, which starts with pain in the knee (climbing stairs, climbing up or standing up).
What is knee arthritis?
The medical meaning of the expression as calcification among the people is the deterioration of the cartilage in the knee interval and bone growth at the joint edges. In addition, the loss of mass of cartilage causes degeneration in the bone under the cartilage. It is the most common joint disease in people over the age of 50. It is a disease of middle and old age and rarely seen before the age of 40. Osteoarthritis can affect any joint in the body. The joints most frequently affected are hands, hip, knee and spine. Cartilage deterioration can range from mild to severe losses. The sooner precautions are taken, the easier we have the chance of treatment.
What are the symptoms?
Joint calcification can cause pain, stiffness, locking, swelling, and difficulty walking. Ache; is the most common complaint. It initially occurs during movement or later in the day, and there is relaxation with listening. As the disorders in the joint cartilage progress, pain may be felt while carrying loads, climbing stairs, climbing uphill or even at rest. Stiffness can occur in the morning or after prolonged inactivity and lasts for a short time. The joint appears to be swollen due to the restriction in joint movements and bony protrusions. Complaints zaman zamAlthough the moment feels like it will decrease and pass, problems may increase and reappear years later.
Causes that trigger?
Obesity is the leading cause of cartilage degeneration in the joint. Uncontrolled sports movements can also be considered at the beginning of the reasons that develop calcification. Osteoarthritis is a disease of middle and old age. It is rare before the age of 40. With aging, changes occur in the articular cartilage and consequently its endurance decreases. For this reason, the incidence of osteoarthritis increases with age. Women are more likely to develop osteoarthritis. It is now known that genetic factors play a role in osteoarthritis. In addition, diseases such as Gout, Rheumatoid arthritis, diabetic neuropathy, paget's disease, septic arthritis and congenital hip dislocation increase the risk of developing calcification.
How is it diagnosed?
Although the main thing is the examination, direct radiography - X-ray; It does not show the severity of the complaints sufficiently. CT, MRI, USG are methods that can be used in terms of detail. It should also be noted that there may be differences among patients who have the same results in the tests. While some experience severe pain, another patient with the same result may not feel any pain.
What is the treatment?
Treatment should be planned in accordance with the stage and severity of the disease. The first step in treatment should be the education of the patient. In other words, we should increase the cognition and awareness of the patient so that the patient can protect himself. The joint with arthritis should be taught to avoid overuse. Weight loss is the most important treatment. Regular exercise is essential. We would like to point out that we do not recommend pain medication. Among the physical therapy applications, classical physical therapy should not be satisfied with additional combinations. We do not recommend classical pain relievers. However, the use of drugs that support cartilage formation should be recommended according to the patient. Between intra-articular injections, cortisone injection should be considered last in order to relax the patient in periods of joint swelling or if no other procedure can be performed in elderly patients. In addition, drugs that increase joint lubricity can be injected into the joint. Frequently used PRP, ozone, prolotherapy, neural therapy, dry needling, acupuncture, kinesiobanding, manual therapy alone are insufficient in the treatment of calcification. We would like to point out that arthritis cannot be cured with hijama, leech, massage. Nowadays, Stem Cell applications obtained from abdominal fat have been used as a more prominent treatment with the highest chance of producing solutions. However, since we see the insufficiency of only one method, it is very important to make combinations again. Patients who do not benefit from medical treatment methods are obliged to surgical treatment. These are arthroscopic cleaning, bone correction operations, joint prostheses. It should be noted here that prostheses are not durable for life.
What is the importance of weight in knee calcification?
Obesity is the leading disease in terms of arthritis. Obesity directly affects the joint cartilage.
Which foods should be consumed against knee arthritis?
Orange, tangerine, grapefruit, small-grained fruits, bell peppers, tomatoes, onions are sources of vitamin C and are used in the production of collagen, which is indispensable for cartilage structure. Salmon, tuna, sardines, shrimp, oysters are rich in omega-3 and can be beneficial. Vitamin D is a treatment tool that must be kept at a sufficient level. Nut types and peanuts are recommended with their vitamin E content. Foods containing sugar and starch should be avoided due to their detrimental effects. GlucozamIn, chondroitin and glucogen can be taken as supplements.
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