Treatment of knee stiffness with physical therapy in Nghe An

(Baonghean) - Stiff knee joints are a very common disease. Many people are subjective and do not treat it promptly, so when the disease gets worse, it is very difficult to treat... Nghe An Rehabilitation Hospital has combined medication and physical therapy very effectively. Many patients have fully recovered after only a short period of treatment.

Symptoms of stiff knee

Stiffness of the knee often occurs after waking up in the morning or early afternoon. The patient will not be able to stand up immediately because the knee joint cannot stretch normally, movement becomes awkward and less flexible.

At the same time, pain in the knee joint also appears, but the pain is at a normal level, not too severe. Some patients will experience slight swelling of the knee, some will feel hot and red, possibly accompanied by a slight fever, and fatigue. The patient will sit and rest and massage the knee joint, depending on each person's condition, the time of knee stiffness will be about 15-30 minutes or longer. Depending on the cause, knee stiffness can appear on one or both legs.

Instructing patients on walking exercises in the treatment of leg stiffness. Photo: Thanh Thuy

Master Thai Thi Xuan - Director of Nghe An Rehabilitation Hospital said: Stiff knee joints are a manifestation of certain diseases and external injuries. Specifically, people who often put pressure on their knee joints and do strenuous exercise (obese people, people who do heavy manual labor, athletes, high jumpers, long jumpers, tennis, badminton players); people who are lazy to exercise, often fix a position, a posture, typically office workers. People with inadequate nutrition, calcium deficiency, or women in menopause may also absorb calcium much less well. This causes stiffness to come early and have strong symptoms.

Or after accidents such as broken bones or dislocated knees that require the knee to be immobilized in a cast for a long time, the leg will not be able to move during that time. After the cast is removed, most patients suffer from stiff knees and muscle atrophy. Legs and joints that are immobilized for too long cause the ligaments and soft tissues to become fibrotic and lose elasticity. At the same time, bone and joint injuries caused by accidents also cause blood clots in the joint, from which the fibrous tissue around the joint will thicken, causing stiff knees. This is a very common phenomenon, most patients gradually recover and can walk normally after a period of rehabilitation training.

Checking patient's reflexes in the treatment of hand stiffness. Photo: Thanh Thuy

Treatment of stiff knee

At Nghe An Rehabilitation Hospital, the number of patients hospitalized due to stiff knees is increasing, especially in winter or when the weather changes.

Mr. Nguyen Van Hiep (residing in Nghia Xuan commune, Quy Hop district), 65 years old, said: At first, when I woke up, my legs and arms could not move, especially in the winter, when it was cold, most of my joints were swollen, red, causing pain and discomfort, greatly affecting my daily life and work. After 1 week of treatment at Nghe An Rehabilitation Hospital, my joints were softer, no longer stiff in the morning, and my limbs could move easily.

Ms. Hoang Thi Nga (resident of Dien Hanh commune, Dien Chau district) said that she had a motorbike accident and had to wear a cast on her leg for more than 2 months. After the cast was removed, her toe joints could not move at all due to the long-term cast. To recover, she chose Nghe An Rehabilitation Hospital for physical therapy treatment. After a short time, her toes and leg joints were able to move normally.

Talking with Prof. Dr. Cao Minh Chau - Head of the Department of Rehabilitation, Hanoi Medical University - Director of the Rehabilitation Center of Bach Mai Hospital, Vice President of the Vietnam Rehabilitation Association - who directly supports the transfer of techniques to Nghe An Rehabilitation Hospital, it is known that: There are 3 treatment directions and combinations, but in general, patients need to combine medication and physical therapy rehabilitation exercises to be the most effective in treating stiff knees.

Patients can use drugs such as: Drugs with high hyaluronic acid content can help improve cartilage function, lubricate cartilage and increase joint fluid quite effectively. Oriental medicine has the effect of regulating menstruation, enriching blood, nourishing bones and joints, affecting the root cause of the disease to treat from the root, the effect is slow but long-lasting, preventing recurrence.

For more effective treatment, patients will use physical therapy methods. This is an almost mandatory method in the treatment of stiff knees. Daily exercise and physical therapy will speed up the recovery of the joint, restore elasticity to the ligaments and increase flexibility of the cartilage.

SURGICAL TREATMENT

This solution is rarely applied, only when physical therapy combined with medication for a long time does not progress, the doctor will perform surgery to release the knee joint, release the ligaments, remove the fibrous adhesions, and inter-quadriceps muscles.

After surgery, patients still have to participate in rehabilitation as before to quickly recover mobility.

Stiffness of the knee causes all movements of the lower limbs to become stiff and awkward, accompanied by pain and many other symptoms. Patients need to persistently maintain positive and safe methods until their physical condition returns to normal.

Thanh Thuy