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, imposing many restrictions, and causing significant pain.
Arthrosis of the knee joint, aka 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 the entry "gonarthrosis of the knee joint" in the card long before retirement.
Concept and causes of knee arthrosis
Osteoarthritis is nothing more than destructive changes in cartilage tissue, that is, its destruction, depletion, accompanied by a decrease in the volume of synovial fluid.
This can be due to many reasons:
- Postponed injuries and constant stress on joints, exhausting physical labor;
- Hereditary factors;
- Metabolic disorders;
- Overweight;
- Poor nutrition, lack of essential vitamins and minerals.
Stages of arthrosis of the knee joint
Doctors distinguish three stages of arthrosis of the knee joint:
- The signs of the first stage are short-term pain that occurs after exertion, and during rest they pass quickly enough. The pain is dull, aching. Outwardly, the joint looks healthy, the only thing that can be noticed at this stage is a slight swelling;
- At the second stage, the pain syndrome is characterized by greater strength and duration. Patients note some stiffness in the joint in the morning, a crunch when moving in the knee. Some limitation of movement is possible, the joint increases in volume;
- At 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, almost no one sounds the alarm. As a result, people come to specialists with already advanced arthrosis, when much more complex treatment is required.
Osteoarthritis of the knee with delayed diagnosis and lack of proper therapy can have very serious consequences, up to complete immobility of the affected leg, when movement in space without a crutch becomes completely impossible.
In the most 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 so important not to ignore knee pain and not delay visiting a doctor.
Treatment of arthrosis of the knee joint by alternative methods
To defeat gonarthrosis, complex therapy is important: a combination of remedies prescribed by a specialist with folk remedies for arthrosis of the knee joints.
Traditional methods of treating arthrosis of the knee joint give a fairly good effect, especially at the initial stages of the development of the disease. Their use at least relieves pain, and as a maximum allows you not to bring the matter to expensive operations.
Also, one should not lose sight of the fact that this disease is chronic and therefore requires constant attention. Modern experts attribute arthrosis of the knee joint to incurable progressive diseases.
Accordingly, most of the treatment consists of taking certain medications on an ongoing basis in order to relieve pain and reduce the inflammatory process. However, taking medication for a long time without interruption is harmful. That is why for people suffering from gonarthrosis, it is so important to be able to do with folk methods, at least during periods of remission.
So, let's find out what is the alternative treatment for arthrosis of the knee joint. The experience in fighting this disease goes back hundreds of years, so the list of remedies that can be used at home is very extensive. For greater convenience, all folk remedies for the treatment of arthrosis 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 arthrosis of the knee joint involves the use of self-prepared drugs both inside and out.
- Compresses made from fresh horseradish root, cabbage or burdock leaves, which need to be applied to the sore knee, insulated with cotton wool or several layers of bandage, and left overnight, bring tangible relief. Previously, cabbage leaves are crumpled or beaten for greater effect so that they release juice, you can slightly grease the leaves with honey. Burdock leaves are dipped in boiling water for 30 seconds, then cooled. Horseradish root is chopped and slightly warmed;
- 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 brewed celandine is applied as a compress;
- If the disease is in its early stages, ice cure can be used. The ice pack is tightly 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 lot of time, so for many people different rubbing will be more convenient. Rubbing is a liquid mixture of healing agents that must be rubbed vigorously into the skin of the affected area. For the treatment of arthrosis, rubbing from the root of elecampane aged in vodka, tincture of chamomile, tincture of yellow dandelion heads, and sunflower oil are especially suitable. It is better to apply them to clean, ideally steamed skin. 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 saber tincture, for the preparation of which 1-1. 5 tablespoons of herbs are poured in 100 ml of vodka and left. 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 reach of light for three weeks. After this period, the infusion is filtered, the used sprouts are discarded;
- You can also peel and chop the head of garlic, pour 200 ml of vegetable oil over it and leave it in a dark place for a week. The tincture has a strong smell, this must be taken into account if soon after applying the rubbing you have to go somewhere. In this case, you should thoroughly wash the places where the tincture got into;
- Many people note the benefits of baths based on medicinal herbs: malt, senna herb and others. A pine bath gives a good effect. You can either buy a ready-made coniferous collection at a pharmacy, or prepare a decoction yourself. To do this, you need to take young coniferous twigs with a total volume of approximately 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 bath of water. You should take baths with medicinal herbs for 15 minutes.
The simplest is the salt bath. Three tablespoons of ordinary or sea salt and the same amount of baking soda are poured into a basin with hot water, after which the sore knee is immersed in the basin for 15 minutes.
After bathing, the feet should be quickly dried and hidden under a warm cloth.
Self-prepared infusions are taken internally. They do not require boiling, the dried herbs are simply poured over with boiling water and kept to cool. Infusions are taken 2-3 times a day, half a glass at a time. For the treatment of knee arthrosis, infusions are prepared from horsetail, juniper, young nettle and birch leaves.
For pain, a healing infusion of onions is very effective: two medium-sized onions are poured with a liter of boiling water and insisted, the resulting liquid is consumed in three doses.
Another simple yet effective recipe is lingonberry tea. Pour a tablespoon of fresh or dried lingonberry 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, reduce pain and promote the removal of harmful compounds from the joint fluid.
Self-massage
The second popular folk remedy for arthrosis of the knee joint is self-massage techniques. Self-massage is very effective, while it does not require any costs, except for 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 gentle circular rubbing.
Then you can go directly to the massage.
His main techniques are as follows:
- Circular strokes with your palm. We alternate the lungs, without pressing, stroking clockwise and against it, while affecting not only the knee itself, but also the adjacent areas. This technique reduces muscle tone and improves blood and lymphatic outflow from the area affected by arthrosis;
- Rubbing. We rub the knee in a circle, while providing tangible pressure. Can be rubbed with the palm or with a folded fist. This relaxes the muscles and improves the mobility of the joint. Circular movements are most effective in a Turkish pose if the condition of the knees allows this position;
- Knee knee with fingertips with moderate pressure. This technique allows you to have a beneficial effect on deeper structures.
Self-massage can be performed by taking a bath at a comfortable temperature. Some sources mention honey massage at night, but usually a cream or special ointment is used. You can make such an ointment yourself.
This requires adding a small amount of an essential oil to the container with petroleum jelly. Rosemary oil has a positive effect on blood circulation, peppermint oil has a cooling and analgesic effect, and lavender oil helps to stop inflammation.
The duration of the self-massage procedure is about 15 minutes, it can be performed from 2 to 4 times a day. Only self-massage carried out on a regular basis will be effective. In addition, massage is useful as a preventive measure, in which case it will be enough to carry it out at least once a week.
When self-massage, you should not experience any pain or discomfort, otherwise you can only aggravate the situation.
Remedial gymnastics
The third remedy is remedial gymnastics. It also requires preliminary preparation, warm-up, which can be used as 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 swing your legs from side to side, the swings should not be sharp, and the range of motion is too large. The duration of the exercise is approximately seven minutes;
- Sit in a comfortable chair with your knees bent at right angles and your feet straight on the floor. The exercise can be performed with only one affected leg, but it is useful 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 repeating this movement at a calm pace for five minutes. Can be performed with two legs alternately or simultaneously;
- Take the same stance as in the previous position, only now rest on the heel only. Use your toes to slap lightly on the floor. The duration of the exercise is five minutes.
Some exercises can be done early in the morning while still in bed. They are a kind of exercise for the joints. One such exercise is the bicycle exercise.
Another exercise is performed as follows: bend one leg and leave the other extended, pull the toes of the outstretched leg towards you as much as possible, then change legs. Repeat several times. You can also alternately pull your legs to your chest and straighten.
Power adjustment
The fourth way to treat arthrosis of the knee at home is considered to be nutritional adjustment. It is not enough to affect the body from the outside, it is necessary to make up for the lack of substances that are needed to restore the structure of cartilage cells.
Therefore, you will have 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 gonarthrosis, extra pounds further exacerbate the already poor condition of the articular structures.
Let's start with a list of recommended products:
- Dairy products: cheese, cottage cheese, sour cream, kefir with a fat content of no higher than 3. 2%. They contain many proteins that are useful for the restoration of cartilage tissue;
- Millet, rice and buckwheat porridge, wholemeal 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: jellied fish, jellied meat, jelly, pudding. Gelatin provides the restoration of cartilage cells due to the high content of collagen and chondroitin;
- Any fruits and vegetables, as they are high in fiber. Greens, carrots, beans, celery, radishes, and cauliflower are especially useful;
- Steamed or steamed meats and fish, especially when combined with vegetables;
- Sprouted Wheat;
- Nuts: hazelnuts, pine nuts and almonds.
In order 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 worth limiting their use. This rule does not apply to turmeric: its use, on the contrary, is considered beneficial. It has been proven that turmeric has a positive effect on cartilage tissue, which contributes to its growth and recovery;
- Any fatty, smoked and pickled dishes;
- Semi-finished products;
- Fast food and carbonated drinks;
- Alcoholic beverages: even a small alcohol content slows down metabolic processes, which negatively affects the regeneration process;
- Sweets and flour products. They are loaded with simple carbohydrates that can trigger weight gain. As mentioned above, extra pounds create an additional load on joints already weakened by arthrosis;
- Coffee. This drink can be consumed, but only in small quantities, otherwise calcium will be washed out of the body;
- Pepper, cabbage and tomatoes, which block collagen, preventing cartilage tissue from regenerating and growing;
- Citrus and Cherry. Due to the high content of acids, their 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.
Do not forget that the treatment of arthrosis of the knee is a long process, and how successful it will be depends on your willingness to carry out all the necessary procedures on a regular basis and adhere to a diet.
Regular visits to your doctor, listening to his advice and at the same time using folk remedies for osteoarthritis of the knee joint, you can make significant progress in the fight against this disease.