Knee pain is knee osteoarthritis?

The article was professionally consulted by Doctor Vo Khac Khoi Nguyen - Department of General Surgery - Vinmec Central Park International General Hospital.

Knee pain is a common symptom and also a cause of discomfort for patients. Knee pain points to us a fairly common disease in osteoarthritis that is osteoarthritis of the knee. There are also diseases related to knee pain symptoms such as: rheumatoid arthritis, gout, meniscus tear, etc. For that reason we should take the time to find out if knee pain is What is the disease? What is the cause? Is it preventable? And what is the right treatment?

Knee pain is the most common symptom and also the first, most persistent symptom of osteoarthritis of the knee. Pain occurs: after vigorous exercise, after changing weather. The pain may be intermittent or continuous, persistent with variable intensity. In addition to knee pain, there are many other symptoms such as:
Morning stiffness: after waking up, the knee joint is stiff and difficult to move, or there is a feeling that a foreign object is entangled and stuck in the joint. motor.
● Cracking sound when moving the knee joint.
At a later stage, the pain is continuous, the intensity increases, the knee joint is swollen, red, hot and can be more severe than the deformity, the knee joint is crooked, and the patient's mobility is reduced.

The cause of knee osteoarthritis is roughly understood as joint cartilage damage and abrasion, reduced viscosity of the fluid in the knee joint, inflammation of the knee joint synovial fluid, so the two ends of the bones will rub against when moving. result in pain and limited range of motion.
Currently, the exact cause of the disease is not known, but recent studies have discovered a number of risk factors related to knee osteoarthritis.
● Gender: women are more common than men
● Age: the older you are, the more likely you are to have knee osteoarthritis, nearly 80% of people over 75 years old are affected by knee osteoarthritis.
● History: inherited disease
● Obesity: (BMI >30kg/m2) has a higher risk of knee osteoarthritis than non-obese people.
● Nutrition: vitamin D deficiency also contributes to the risk of knee osteoarthritis
● Occupation: heavy laborer, farmer, climbing stairs a lot
● Physical activity: excessive activity is a risk factor causes knee osteoarthritis
● Local factors: trauma such as ligament tear and meniscal damage, knee deformity, chronic inflammatory joint diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, gout ...

Osteoarthritis is part of the aging process of the body, so we cannot stop this process. Reducing the risk factors will help limit the phenomenon of osteoarthritis occurring faster, but the risk factors of gender, age are factors that cannot be changed. Specific prevention methods are as follows:
● Regarding obesity: if you are obese, you must lose weight by eating less fat and starch, increasing your intake of fiber and exercising daily
● About nutrition: increase Eat foods rich in vitamin D such as green vegetables, mushrooms, soybeans, fish, increase sun exposure to synthesize Vitamin D.
● Occupation: if you can't change jobs, you should also have a diet. work reasonably, avoid overexertion, limit movements affecting the knee joint: squatting, going up and down, taking stairs, stooping... should ride a bicycle, walk, swim to increase the strength of the body. Muscles help protect joints.
● Minimize joint injuries.
● If you have knee pain, you should soak in warm salt water mixed with ginger for about 30 minutes a day or bake hot white wormwood leaves with a little salt on the knee area... these ways help reduce pain and inflammation in the knee area.

The goals of treatment are to:
Relieve pain and stiffness
● Maintain and improve mobility
● Reduce disability
● Improve quality of life
● Limit progressive joint destruction
Specific treatment:
● Non-pharmacological measures: the ways to reduce the risk factors listed above are also non-drug knee pain treatments.
● Measures for drug use:
Topical: topical application of Capsaicin 0.025-0.075% cream 4 times a day or topical NSAID gel such as Diclofenac gel for joints. Systemic: Acetaminophen like Paracetamol, NSAID like Celecoxib, narcotic pain reliever like Codeine. Intra-articular: inject directly into the knee joint Methylprednisolone or drugs containing synovial fluid ● Surgical measures: knee replacement is the last and last solution after the above measures are still ineffective

Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic disease of unknown etiology, is an autoimmune disease with a long-term progression that tends to gradually damage the cartilage of the joints, causing deformity, ankylosing, and loss of joint mobility. It is also the most important disease in rheumatic diseases.

Although there is no clear cause, but over the years, research has found that rheumatoid arthritis is related to some of the following factors:
● Infections:
Endocrine disorders
● Immune system disorders
Genetics
Predisposing factors: trauma, stress, dietary and nutritional abnormalities

Morning stiffness is evident and persists for more than an hour.
● Swollen, hot red joints, symmetrical on both sides of small bones: fingers, hands, knees, elbows..., painful swelling, limited mobility, most diamond shaped fingers are 2-3- 4.
● Whole body: low fever, poor appetite, pale mucous membranes...
Dry skin on extremities
● Other organs: vasculitis, muscle - tendon - ligament - joint capsule, internal organs , eyes, hematology... are all affected.

Principles:
● Early diagnosis
● Proper treatment and specialized follow-up
● Use of specific drugs as soon as diagnosis
Specific treatment:
● Pain relief: Paracetamol, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs Steroids, Corticosteroids.
Basic treatment: Methotrexate is the first step (learn more about side effects and contraindications)

Gout is a joint disease caused by a disorder of the purine nuclei, manifested by acute attacks of gout, progressive gout or chronic gout.
Risk factors:
● 90% occur in male patients
● Age from 30 to 40 years old
● Acute gout attacks often occur after overeating, drinking alcohol, exertion, stress...
Manifestations of acute gout attacks:
● Sudden onset after overeating, drinking alcohol, exertion, stress... in the position of 1 toe or knee joint (80%), swollen, painful joints intense, congestive, ..symptoms increase up to 12-24 hours and last from a few days to a few weeks, can completely regress.
● Other joints are also affected: ankles, wrists, fingers...
● Systemic manifestations: fever, chills, fatigue,...

One of the gold standards for the diagnosis of gout is the presence of urate crystals in the joint fluid. Blood uric acid test helps to suggest the diagnosis and monitor the treatment process.

Effective treatment of Gout
● Pain relief: Gout is very effective with Colchicine for 12-24 hours after symptom onset
In short, knee pain is a common symptom of joint diseases such as: Knee osteoarthritis, polyarthritis, gout...if not detected early, properly diagnosed and treated in time, it will seriously affect quality of life as well as cost and burden the family. and social. The most important thing is still how to prevent as well as exercise, eat scientifically and work properly to avoid joint diseases. If you are still concerned about knee pain, immediately go to reputable medical facilities such as the nearest Vinmec International General Hospital as well as other prestigious hospitals for professional staff, equipment Modern medical equipment to be able to accurately diagnose your disease and treat it with the utmost care.
To register for an examination at Vinmec International General Hospital, you can contact Vinmec Health System nationwide or register online on the website for service.