Gonarthrosis is a disease of cartilage loss that occurs in the knee joint. It is popularly known as calcification and although the perception it creates is that of an accumulation in the knee joint, in reality there is a loss of cartilage.
What are the Causes of Calcification?
In addition to basic factors such as genetic factors, excess weight, general joint laxity and aging, intra-articular fractures resulting from trauma such as accidents, previous infections, meniscus and anterior cruciate ligament injuries and rheumatoid arthritis Inflammatory joint diseases such as calcification are the factors that cause calcification, and the degree of calcification is different in each patient.
How is Knee Calcification (Gonarthrosis) Recognized?
Knee calcification progresses slowly. Pain, which is usually felt when going up and down stairs and bending the knees, can be seen even in the patient's simple daily activities in the following years. In later years, walking becomes more difficult due to muscle weakness due to aging. Over time, both legs become crooked and even doing daily activities becomes difficult. In case of very advanced knee arthritis, the patient is able to continue his daily life with crutches, a walker, or a wheelchair.
Our patients are usually
“I cannot perform my prayer sitting on the floor”,
“I cannot squat on the ground”,
”I have great difficulty going up and down the stairs” ,
“My walking distance has become shorter, I used to walk this far, now it is impossible”
“The first thing I do when I wake up in the morning and get out of bed is They apply to us with complaints such as "I have severe pain when I step"
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Can Knee Calcification Be Prevented?
Knee Calcification Of course, some precautions can be taken to prevent its formation or delay the effects of existing calcification.
The first of these starts with paying attention to your weight. Excess weight and obesity are very important factors, especially in the formation or progression of knee arthritis.
Another protection factor is to engage in correct physical activities. Proper physical activity means; Sportive activity you will do This means that not all of them are beneficial to the body. In other words, sports branches that put excessive pressure on the knee are considered among the factors that cause arthritis in the long term. For example, walking or cycling instead of running is beneficial for ankle and knee health and is one of the enjoyable ways to stay fit. Swimming, which is not an impact sport and is practiced without the effect of gravity, is also a branch that we find extremely beneficial for knee health and general body health.
I recommend my patients who want to exercise at home to do pilates. I find pilates, which is beneficial for all musculoskeletal health, also beneficial for knee joint and foot-ankle health. Keeping the leg and hip muscles strong is one of the most important precautions that can be taken against knee arthritis.
Treatment Approaches to Knee Calcification
In the first stage of arthritis, our primary goals are clear; To slow down the course of the disease, relieve our patient's pain and keep our patient functional. With this approach, we organize a treatment with painkillers and muscle relaxants.
Again, in the early stages of the disease, that is, in our patients where cartilage loss is not complete, we organize treatment with cartilage-nourishing intra-knee injections.
One of the important elements in the treatment. It is to provide the patient with an exercise program that should be applied every day and aimed at protecting the knee.
If our patient's complaints still persist despite these practices, surgical treatment methods are applied.
Innovations in Surgical Treatment
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There have been significant advances in the surgical treatment of knee arthritis in the world in the last 5 years.
Thanks to these developments, patients are operated on without general anesthesia, with only the legs anesthetized. They can stand up and walk the day after their surgery, and they can meet their daily needs without help on the 3rd day after the surgery. Thanks to the surgical technique, the surgical wound is made smaller and the minimal incisions made on the muscles make the healing process shorter. Patients can often go through the post-operative period alone and in full health, without anyone's help.
The risk of postoperative infection is on the verge of becoming a thing of the past, thanks to the surgical technique used by the physician surgeon and the precautions taken with the help of developing technology.
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