With today's development of medicine, joint diseases cannot be completely cured.Science does not stand still, but no cure has yet been found that can restore tissue damaged by pathology.Patients seeking treatment must try all possible medications and methods.Traditional medicine often cannot offer an effective method.And then the patient begins to wonder how to treat arthrosis of the knee joint with folk remedies.
Advantages and disadvantages of traditional medicine
Traditional medicine for arthrosis of the knee joint is widely used.The disease is difficult to treat and mobility of the limb is gradually reduced.Traditional therapy methods also only aim to relieve pain and prevent complications.Patients and doctors have an ambivalent attitude towards conventional medicine, but still resort to it when conventional medicine does not bring the desired results.
Treating knee arthrosis with folk remedies has both disadvantages and advantages.Benefits include:
- Availability and low cost of most materials;
- many medicinal plants strengthen the immune system;
- few side effects;
- Ease of use.
The raw materials used to treat the knee with folk remedies are often included in the preparations of pharmaceutical companies.Therefore, alternative medicine is safe in most cases if you follow the dosage and rules of use.It is also worth noting that the recipes for treating knee osteoarthritis are passed down orally and have stood the test of time.However, caution is advised.Before taking any medication, tell your doctor and listen to his recommendations.
Like all other methods, folk methods also have their disadvantages:
- risk of allergic reactions;
- Many methods are rejected by conventional medicine and their effectiveness has not been confirmed by research.
- Some recipes available on the Internet or published in newspapers and magazines are incorrect.For example, they may contain incompatible components;
- The same plant material produces different effects, for example herbs or fruits with different levels of ripeness, etc.
Most doctors advocate the use of traditional medical recipes for this disease.In addition, they sometimes advise the patient themselves on certain methods.However, for treatment to be effective, it must be comprehensive.Therefore, when using folk remedies, you should not refuse traditional medicine.
Effective treatment methods
Basically, popular folk recipes for arthrosis of the knee joint suggest preparing remedies with anti-inflammatory effects.The effect is achieved by accelerating local metabolic processes.This can relieve pain, improve knee mobility and stop pathological processes.
Traditional medicine in this case is not limited only to decoctions and ointments.It, just like the traditional one, includes many techniques and methods of influence.Most often, all kinds of ointments, rubs, compresses and applications are used, i.e. local remedies.It is their impact that is more noticeable.Less commonly, infusions and decoctions are used for oral administration.
It is important to remember that alternative medicine is most effective at the initial stages of pathology.Thus, the treatment of arthrosis of the knee joint of the 2nd degree with folk remedies will no longer show such good results as at the beginning of the disease.
Local compresses
It is difficult to imagine treating knee pain with folk remedies without compresses.Patients often prefer this form of treatment.The compress improves blood microcirculation, thereby reducing inflammation and swelling.This frees up the joint and makes it easier to move the limb.The big advantage of compresses is that they can usually be made from products that you always have on hand.
Consider popular recipes:
- Oatmeal compress.Pour boiling water over 5 tablespoons of Hercules.There shouldn't be too much water.Cook the cereal over low heat for 8-10 minutes.The porridge should be viscous, not thick or runny.Cool the mass and wrap it in gauze or natural fabric.Apply to the painful knee for several hours.You can attach it to the leg with plastic wrap and leave it overnight.
- Horseradish compress.Grate the root, add water and heat over low heat.Don't bring to a boil, just let it steam while the water heats.Then shake off the water, but do not wring it out.Wrap the horseradish in a cotton cloth and apply it to your knee for 2 hours.This recipe helps relieve pain.
- Cabbage compress.You need vegetable juice.Soak a wool scarf in the liquid.Apply to the joint before bedtime.You can use cabbage leaves smeared with honey.Then secure with foil.It is convenient to leave such a compress overnight.
As you can see, all components are completely safe.They can only harm allergy sufferers.Compresses should be used until the main symptom - pain - is relieved.You can do the procedure every day, but it is recommended to take breaks after 21-30 days.It is most convenient to apply compresses before going to bed and leave them on overnight.
Tinctures and decoctions
Tinctures are made with alcohol or water.The raw materials are plants or their components.Some infusions and decoctions can be taken internally, while others are used to make compresses or ointments.Infusions and decoctions are usually prepared from herbs that have anti-inflammatory effects.You can use products made from one or more components.But don't forget to study their interaction with each other.
The following raw materials are often used for tinctures and decoctions for arthritis:
- cranberry leaves;
- grass and chamomile flowers;
- chestnut fruit;
- cinquefoil;
- birch buds;
- marigold flowers;
- hop cones;
- wormwood grass.
The external use of tinctures and decoctions usually has no side effects.Caution is advised when taking internally.In addition to allergic reactions, they can also cause disorders in the gastrointestinal tract.
Remember that it is better to use only freshly prepared products.
Therapeutic herbal baths
Many patients who are constantly looking for an answer to the question of how to relieve pain from arthrosis of the knee joint discover healing baths.The localization of the pathology makes the procedure somewhat more complicated.It is more convenient to take full-fledged herbal baths.With their help, the patient not only acts on the knee, but also relaxes, which is also important for treatment.
Baths with pine needles (can be used together with twigs) are useful.The raw materials are immersed in hot water, allowed to brew until the water cools to an acceptable temperature, and then removed.You can take this bath for 20 minutes.Jerusalem artichoke is also used to prepare baths.Several tubers are washed and chopped and then dipped in hot water.Add a tablespoon of turpentine and take a bath when the water has cooled slightly.
In order for the effect to be noticeable, the procedure should be carried out 10-12 days in a row.
Mud therapy
Peloid therapy is often prescribed by doctors to patients with osteoarthritis.The patient is sent to a sanatorium, where mud with appropriate properties is used.Saki and Essentuki are popular in our country.This therapy accelerates recovery, normalizes blood circulation and local metabolism.
In addition to the effect on the joints, healing mud removes toxins and toxins from the body, which also has a positive effect on the treatment.Usually, after rehabilitation in a sanatorium or health resort, the patient notices improvement and is in good spirits, which makes further therapy easier.
Applications with medicinal plants
Applications with various additives are carried out on patients as part of physiotherapy in the hospital.But you can also carry out such procedures at home using herbs and paraffin.Applications are also made from healing mud or healing clay, which are enriched with plant decoctions.
The difference between this method and traditional compresses is that the lotion must have a chemical, temperature and mechanical effect on the affected area.This is achieved by applying a paste made from a plant that has an irritating effect on the knee.You can preheat it to achieve thermal impact.Mechanical impact can be achieved by applying an adhesive tape to the knee, to which watermelon, sunflower, melon or buckwheat seeds are glued.
Rub with camphor and fats
In folk medicine, camphor oil is often used to treat joints.The substance is used both in pure form and in a mixture with other components.This is believed to help partially restore joint lubrication.However, this is a very controversial statement that has not yet been confirmed by official medicine.One thing is certain: folk remedies with camphor effectively relieve pain.To treat knee osteoarthritis, 10% oil is needed, but alcohol also helps.
Patients notice a positive effect after rubbing with fats.Badger is most often used, less often pork or beef.The latter usually serve as the basis for herbal ointments.Badger fat is also used in its pure form.
Fats and camphor in the form of rubs dilate blood vessels, which provides blood flow to the knee and improves trophism.
Effective packaging with Mumiyo and honey
There is another effective recipe that contains the answer to the question of how to heal the knee joint.Folk remedies often involve the use of mumiyo, a resin-like substance of natural origin.When mixed with bee products, it gives a powerful analgesic effect.To prepare the medicine, you need to combine 100 g of liquid honey and 0.5 g of mumiyo.
The packs are made in the evening and left overnight; the remains are washed off in the morning.Repeat the procedure for 10 days, then take a break for 2-3 days and resume the course if necessary.
Hirudotherapy
This method does not quite meet the definition of “folk remedies” as it is only possible in a clinical setting, but it is still considered unconventional.As observations of specialists have shown, hirudotherapy is effective for treating arthrosis of the knee joint.The use of medicinal leeches is possible only as part of complex therapy.
The effect is based on enzymes that are injected into the patient's blood during the bite.Thanks to these substances, blood circulation improves and pain is relieved.
When should you refuse traditional treatment?
Treating the knee with folk remedies is not always possible or useful.It should be understood that with grade 2 and 3 joint damage, you should first listen to the recommendations of doctors.In this situation, traditional medicine will not help, but rather will make the problem worse.Alternative treatments should be discontinued immediately if new symptoms occur, pain increases, or an allergic reaction occurs.It is also necessary to consult a doctor where you can get advice about the advisability of using folk remedies.
Nowadays, doctors are looking for a medicine that will help cure joint diseases without giving up natural medicines.As with any other remedy, caution should be exercised and the methods of official medicine should not be ignored.