Thousands of people, especially after fifty, suffer from various forms of diseases of the musculoskeletal system. This has a significant impact on quality of life, imposes many restrictions, and causes significant pain.
Osteoarthritis of the knee joint, also known as gonarthrosis, is rightfully considered one of the leaders in the list of the most common causes of disability in the ranks of the adult population of Russia. However, you should not think that at a young age you are not threatened with this ailment: you can leave the doctor's office with a record of "gonarthrosis of the knee joint" on the card long before retirement.
Concept and causes of knee osteoarthritis
Osteoarthritis is nothing more than destructive changes in the cartilage tissue, that is, its destruction, exhaustion, accompanied by a decrease in the volume of synovial fluid.
This can be due to many reasons:
- Postponed injuries and constant stress on the joints, exhausting physical work;
- Hereditary factors;
- Metabolic disorders;
- Overweight;
- Poor nutrition, lack of essential vitamins and minerals.
Stages of osteoarthritis of the knee joint
Doctors distinguish three stages of osteoarthritis of the knee joint:
- Signs of the first stage are short-term pain that occurs after exertion and disappears quickly enough during rest. The pain is dull, painful. Outwardly, the joint looks healthy, the only thing that can be noticed at this stage is a slight swelling;
- In the second stage, the pain syndrome is characterized by increased strength and duration, patients notice some stiffness in the joint in the morning, a crunch when moving the knee. Some limitation of movement is possible, the joint increases in volume;
- In the third stage, there is a significant limitation of mobility, constant strong pain, severe deformation of the joint.
Unfortunately, at the first signs of illness, hardly anyone sounds the alarm. As a result, people turn to specialists with advanced osteoarthritis, when a much more complex treatment is required.
Knee osteoarthritis with late diagnosis and lack of adequate treatment can have very serious consequences, up to the total immobility of the affected leg, when movement in space without a crutch becomes completely impossible.
In more advanced cases, the only way out is surgery, during which an artificial joint is implanted.
These operations are complex, expensive, and can be complicated.
Therefore, it is very important not to ignore knee pain and not to delay visiting a doctor.
Treatment of osteoarthritis of the knee joint by alternative methods
To overcome knee osteoarthritis, complex therapy is important: a combination of remedies prescribed by a specialist with home remedies for osteoarthritis of the knee joints.
Traditional methods of treating osteoarthritis of the knee joint have a fairly good effect, especially in the early stages of the development of the disease. Its use at least relieves pain, and at most allows you not to take the matter to expensive operations.
Also, one should not lose sight of the fact that this disease is chronic and therefore requires constant care. Modern experts attribute osteoarthritis of the knee joint to incurable progressive diseases.
Consequently, most of the treatment consists of taking certain medications continuously to relieve pain and reduce the inflammatory process. However, taking medicine for a long time without interruption is harmful. That is why for people with knee osteoarthritis, it is so important to be able to do it with folk methods, at least during periods of remission.
So, let's find out what is the alternative treatment for osteoarthritis of the knee joint. The experience in the fight against this disease goes back hundreds of years, so the list of remedies that can be used at home is very extensive. For convenience, all home remedies for the treatment of osteoarthritis of the knee joint can be divided into four groups.
Medicinal herbs
The first group includes medicinal herbs: burdock, onion, celandine, cabbage leaves, etc. Herbal treatment for osteoarthritis of the knee joint involves the use of self-prepared medications both inward and outward.
- Compresses made from fresh horseradish root, cabbage or burdock leaves, to be applied to a sore knee, insulated with cotton or several layers of bandage, and left overnight, provide tangible relief. Previously, the cabbage leaves are wrinkled or beaten for a greater effect so that they release juice, the leaves can be lightly greased with honey. Burdock leaves are soaked in boiling water for 30 seconds and then cooled. The horseradish root is minced and slightly heated;
- You can also use celandine: a few tablespoons of dried herbs should be boiled with boiling water, and then cooled to 40-50 ° C. The resulting infusion is drunk before meals, and the remaining celandine is applied in the form of a compress;
- If the disease is in its early stages, an ice cure can be used. The ice pack is firmly attached to the sore spot with a woolen cloth and remains there until the ice melts. This compress is used when you need to quickly get rid of edema and stop the inflammatory process;
- Compresses take a long time, so a different rub will be more convenient for many people. Rubbing is a liquid mixture of healing agents that should be rubbed vigorously into the skin of the affected area. For the treatment of osteoarthritis, it is especially suitable rubbing from the root of helenium, aging with vodka, chamomile tincture, tincture of yellow dandelion heads and sunflower oil. They are best applied on clean skin, ideally steamed. It is necessary to rub the sore knee daily for 5-10 minutes, then wrap it with a towel or any warm cloth for a while;
- Another proven recipe is sable tincture, for the preparation of which they pour 1-1. 5 tablespoons of herbs in 100 ml of vodka and leave. The knee is treated with the resulting tincture twice a day for a month;
- There is a recipe based on potato sprouts. They are washed, placed in a glass container, poured with vodka and left out of the light for three weeks. After this period, the infusion is filtered, the used shoots are discarded;
- You can also peel and mince the garlic head, pour 200 ml of vegetable oil on top and leave it in a dark place for a week. The tincture has a strong smell, this must be taken into account if shortly after applying the rub you have to go somewhere. In this case, you need to thoroughly wash the places where the tincture entered;
- Many people notice the benefits of herbal baths: malt, senna grass, and others. A pine bath gives a good effect. You can buy a ready-made collection of conifers at a pharmacy, or prepare a decoction yourself. To do this, you need to take twigs of young conifers with a total volume of about one liter, pour two or three liters of water and cook for about 10 minutes. Then the broth is filtered, the twigs are thrown away, and the liquid is poured into a water bath. You should take baths with medicinal herbs for 15 minutes.
The simplest is the salt bath. Three tablespoons of common or sea salt and the same amount of baking soda are poured into a bowl of hot water, after which the sore knee is immersed in the bowl for 15 minutes.
After bathing, feet should be dried quickly and hidden under a warm cloth.
Self-prepared infusions are taken internally. They do not require boiling, the dried herbs are simply poured with boiling water and kept fresh. The infusions are taken 2-3 times a day, half a glass at a time. For the treatment of knee osteoarthritis, infusions of horsetail, juniper, tender nettle and birch leaves are prepared.
For pain, a healing infusion of onions is very effective: two medium-sized onions are poured with one liter of boiling water and insisted, the resulting liquid is consumed in three doses.
Another simple but effective recipe is lingonberry tea. Pour a tablespoon of fresh or dried cranberry leaves with a glass of boiling water.
Like most infusions, this tea should be drunk half a glass twice a day for a month, preferably in the afternoon.
The use of these decoctions helps to restore metabolic processes in the affected cartilage tissues, reduces pain syndrome and promotes the removal of harmful compounds from the joint fluid.
Self-massage
The second popular folk remedy for osteoarthritis of the knee joint is self-massage techniques. Self-massage is very effective, while it does not require any costs, except temporary ones. Please note that the knee must be prepared before the session! It is best to warm it up under a warm shower or by rubbing it in a circular motion.
Then you can go straight to the massage.
Its main techniques are the following:
- Circular strokes with the palm. We alternate the lungs, without pressing, stroking clockwise and against it, affecting not only the knee itself, but also the adjacent areas. This technique reduces muscle tone and improves blood and lymphatic flow in the area affected by osteoarthritis;
- Rubbing. We rub the knee in a circle, while giving it tangible pressure. It can be rubbed with the palm or with a closed fist. This relaxes the muscles and improves mobility of the joint. Circular movements are most effective in a Turkish pose if the condition of the knees allows this position;
- Knee with fingertips with moderate pressure. This technique allows it to have a beneficial effect on deeper structures.
Self-massage can be done by taking a bath at a comfortable temperature. Some sources mention honey massage at night, but usually a special cream or ointment is used. You can make that ointment yourself.
This requires adding a small amount of essential oil to the container with Vaseline. Rosemary oil has a positive effect on blood circulation, peppermint oil has a cooling and pain-relieving effect, and lavender oil helps stop inflammation.
The duration of the self-massage procedure is about 15 minutes, it can be done 2 to 4 times a day. Only regular self-massage will be effective. In addition, massage is useful as a preventive measure, in which case it will be enough to do it at least once a week.
When you self-massage, you should not experience any pain or discomfort, otherwise you can only aggravate the situation.
Recovery gymnastics
The third remedy is recovery gymnastics. It also requires preliminary preparation, heating, which can be used as a self-massage. Such a complex use of these two means has a positive effect on their effectiveness.
Here are three simple exercises:
- Sit on a table or high chair with your feet off the floor. Then just move your legs from side to side, the changes should not be abrupt and the range of motion is too great. The duration of the exercise is approximately seven minutes;
- Sit in a comfortable chair with your knees bent at a right angle and your feet straight on the floor. The exercise can be performed with only one affected leg, but it is helpful to use both legs not only when both knees are affected, but also for preventive purposes. Place your foot on your toes, lift your heel off the floor as high as you can, then lower it to the floor, and then continue this movement at a calm pace for five minutes. It can be done with two legs alternately or simultaneously;
- Take the same posture as in the previous position, only now it rests only on the heel. Use your toes to lightly tap the ground. The duration of the exercise is five minutes.
Some exercises can be done early in the morning while you are still in bed. They are a kind of exercise for the joints. One of those exercises is exercise on a bicycle.
Another exercise is performed as follows: bend one leg and leave the other extended, pull the toes of the extended leg towards you as far as possible, then switch legs. Repeat several times. You can also bring your legs to your chest alternately and stretch them out.
Power setting
The fourth way to treat knee osteoarthritis at home is considered a nutritional adjustment. It is not enough to affect the body from the outside, it is necessary to make up for the lack of substances necessary to restore the structure of the cartilage cells.
Therefore, you will need to make changes to the usual menu: add some products and exclude some or reduce their use to a minimum.
The issue of nutrition is especially relevant for overweight people, since with knee osteoarthritis, the extra kilos further aggravate the already poor state of the joint structures.
Let's start with a list of recommended products:
- Dairy products: cheese, cottage cheese, sour cream, kefir with a fat content of not more than 3, 2%. They contain many proteins that are useful for the restoration of cartilage tissue;
- Millet, rice and buckwheat porridge, whole wheat bread. These foods are rich in complex carbohydrates, without which the synthesis of synovial fluid is impossible. You shouldn't buy instant porridge. They will not be useful, because cereals are processed for them in a completely different way than when cooking porridge at home, as a result of which most of the useful elements are destroyed;
- Dishes containing gelatin: fish in jelly, meat in jelly, jelly, pudding. Gelatin provides the restoration of cartilage cells due to the high content of collagen and chondroitin;
- Any fruit and vegetables, as they are rich in fiber. Vegetables, carrots, beans, celery, radishes, and cauliflower are especially helpful;
- Steamed or steamed meat and fish, especially when combined with vegetables;
- Sprouted wheat;
- Nuts: hazelnuts, pine nuts and almonds.
For healthy foods to be better absorbed, it is recommended to consume two glasses of mineral water a day.
Let's move on to the list of harmful products:
- Salt and spices. They cannot be completely eliminated from the diet, however, to combat joint diseases, it is advisable to limit their use. This rule does not apply to turmeric: its use, on the contrary, is considered beneficial. Turmeric has been proven to have a positive effect on cartilage tissue, which contributes to its growth and recovery;
- Any fatty, smoked or pickled dish;
- Semi-finished products;
- Fast food and carbonated drinks;
- Alcoholic beverages - even a small amount of alcohol slows down metabolic processes, which adversely affects the regeneration process;
- Sweets and flour products. They are loaded with simple carbohydrates that can lead to weight gain. As mentioned above, the extra pounds create an additional load on joints that are already weakened by osteoarthritis;
- Coffee. This drink can be consumed, but only in small quantities, otherwise calcium will be removed from the body;
- Bell pepper, cabbage and tomatoes, which block collagen, preventing cartilage tissue from regenerating and growing;
- Citrus and Cherry. Due to the high content of acids, its use adversely affects the structure of bones.
To get the most out of this diet, remember to drink enough water - at least 1. 5 liters a day. The daily calorie intake should not exceed 3, 000, and the food should be at room temperature, in no case hot.
Don't forget that treating knee osteoarthritis is a long process, and your success depends on your willingness to perform all the necessary procedures on a regular basis and to follow a diet.
Regular visits to your doctor, listening to his advice, and at the same time using home remedies for osteoarthritis of the knee joint, you can make significant progress in the fight against this disease.