With today's development of medicine, joint diseases cannot be completely cured.Science does not stop, but a remedy capable of restoring the tissues damaged by the pathology has not yet been found.Patients seeking treatment have to try all kinds of medications and methods.Often traditional medicine cannot offer an effective method.And then the patient begins to wonder how to treat arthrosis of the knee joint with folk remedies.
Pros and cons of traditional medicine
Traditional medicine for arthrosis of the knee joint is used quite often.The disease is difficult to treat and the mobility of the limb is gradually limited.Even traditional therapeutic methods are aimed only at pain relief and prevention of complications.Patients and doctors have ambivalent attitudes towards traditional medicine, but still resort to it when traditional medicine does not bring the desired result.
Treatment of knee arthrosis with folk remedies has both disadvantages and advantages.Benefits include:
- availability and low cost of most materials;
- many medicinal plants help strengthen the immune system;
- few side effects;
- ease of use.
Raw materials used to treat the knee with folk remedies are often included in the preparations of pharmaceutical companies.Therefore, in most cases, alternative medicine is safe if you follow the dosage and rules of use.It's also worth noting that the recipes used to treat knee osteoarthritis are passed down orally and have stood the test of time.However, caution must be used.Before using any medicine, tell your doctor and listen to his advice.
Like any other method, popular ones also have their drawbacks:
- risk of allergic reactions;
- many methods are denied by traditional medicine, 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 of different ripeness, etc.
Doctors, for the most part, are in favor of using traditional medicine recipes for this disease.In addition, they sometimes advise the patient about certain methods themselves.But 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 how to prepare remedies that have an anti-inflammatory effect.The effect is achieved by accelerating local metabolic processes.This allows you to relieve pain, thereby improving the mobility of the knee and stopping pathological processes.
Traditional medicine in this case is not limited to decoctions and ointments.Just like the traditional one, it includes many techniques and methods of influence.Very often all kinds of ointments, rubs, compresses and applications are used, e.g.local agents.It is their effect that is most noticeable.Less commonly used are infusions and decoctions for oral administration.
It is important to remember that alternative medicine is most effective in the initial stages of the pathology.Therefore, treatment of arthrosis of the knee joint of the 2nd degree with folk remedies will no longer show such a good result 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, reducing inflammation and swelling.This makes the joint freer and facilitates movement of the limb.The big advantage of compresses is that they can usually be made with products that you always have on hand.
Consider popular recipes:
- Oatmeal compress.Pour boiling water over 5 tablespoons of Hercules.There should not be too much water.Cook the cereal over low heat for 8-10 minutes.The porridge should be viscous, not thick or liquid.Cool the mass and wrap it in gauze or natural fabric.Apply to the sore knee for several hours.You can fix it on the leg with plastic wrap and leave it overnight.
- Horseradish compress.Grate the root, add water and put on low heat.Do not bring to the boil, but simply let it steam while the water heats up.Then shake off the water, but do not wring it out.Wrap the horseradish in a cotton cloth and apply it to the knee for 2 hours.This recipe helps relieve pain.
- Cabbage compress.You need vegetable juice.Dip a wool scarf in the liquid.Apply to the joint before going to bed.You can use honey-coated cabbage leaves.Then secure it with film.It is convenient to leave such a compress overnight.
As you can see, all components are completely safe.They can only cause harm to allergy sufferers.Compresses should be used until the main symptom, pain, disappears.You can carry out the procedure every day, but it is recommended to take breaks after the course of 21-30 days.It is more convenient to apply compresses before going to bed and leave them overnight.
Tinctures and decoctions
Tinctures are made with alcohol or water.Raw materials are plants or their components.Some infusions and decoctions can be consumed internally, while others are used to prepare compresses or ointments.Infusions and decoctions are usually prepared from herbs that have an anti-inflammatory effect.You can use one-component or multi-component products.But don't forget to study their interaction with each other.
The following raw materials are widely used for tinctures and decoctions for arthritis:
- cranberry leaves;
- grass and chamomile flowers;
- chestnut fruit;
- cinquefoil;
- birch shoots;
- marigold flowers;
- hop cones;
- wormwood herb.
Topical use of tinctures and decoctions usually has no side effects.You should be careful when taking them internally.In addition to allergic reactions, they can also cause discomfort in the gastrointestinal tract.
It is worth remembering that it is best to use only freshly prepared products.
Therapeutic herbal baths
Many patients, constantly looking for an answer to the question of how to relieve pain caused by arthrosis of the knee joint, discover healing baths.The location of the pathology makes the procedure a little more complicated.It will be 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 are useful (can be used together with branches).The raw materials are immersed in hot water, allowed to ferment 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, then immersed in hot water.Add a spoonful of turpentine and bathe when the water has cooled a little.
In order for the effect to be noticeable, the procedure should be carried out for 10-12 consecutive days.
Mud therapy
Peloid therapy is often prescribed by doctors to patients with osteoarthritis.The patient is sent to a sanatorium where mud with suitable properties is used.Saki and Essentuki are popular in our country.This therapy helps to accelerate recovery, normalizes blood circulation and local metabolism.
In addition to the effect on the joints, therapeutic mud removes toxins and waste from the body, which also has a positive effect on the treatment.Usually, after rehabilitation in a sanatorium or resort, the patient notices improvement and is in a good mood, which makes further therapy easier.
Applications with medicinal plants
Applications with various additives are performed on patients during physiotherapy in a hospital setting.But you can perform such procedures at home using herbs and paraffin.Applications are also made with medicinal muds or clays, which are enriched with plant decoctions.
The difference between this method and conventional compresses is that the lotion must have a chemical, thermal and mechanical effect on the affected area.This is achieved by applying a paste from a plant that has an irritating effect on the knee.You can preheat it to add thermal influence.Mechanical impact can be achieved by applying an adhesive tape to the knee on which watermelon, sunflower, melon or buckwheat seeds are glued.
Rubbing 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 mixture with other components.It is believed that this helps to partially restore joint lubrication, but 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 cure knee osteoarthritis, 10% oil is needed, but alcohol will also work.
Patients note 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, ensuring blood supply to the knee and improving trophism.
Effective wrapping with mumiyo and honey
There is another effective recipe that contains the answer to the question of how to cure the knee joint.Folk remedies often involve the use of mumiyo, a resin-like substance of natural origin.Mixed with bee products it gives a strong analgesic effect.To prepare the medicine, you need to combine 100 g of liquid honey and 0.5 g of mumiyo.
The compresses are done in the evening and left overnight, while the remains are washed off in the morning.Repeat the procedure for 10 days, after which take a break for 2-3 days and, if desired, continue the course.
Hirudotherapy
This method does not entirely fall within the definition of "folk remedies" because it is only possible in a clinical setting, but it is still considered unconventional.As observations of specialists have shown, hirudotherapy is effective in the treatment of arthrosis of the knee joint.The use of medicinal leeches is possible only as part of complex therapy.
The effect is due to the 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?
Knee treatment with folk remedies is not always possible or useful.It should be understood that with degrees 2 and 3 of joint damage, you should first listen to the recommendations of doctors.In this situation, traditional medicine will not help, but rather will aggravate the problem.The alternative treatment should be stopped immediately if new symptoms, increased pain, or an allergic reaction occurs.It is also necessary to visit a doctor, where you can consult about the advisability of using folk remedies.
Today, doctors are looking for a medicine that can help treat joint diseases, without denying natural medicines.As with any other remedy, caution should be used and not ignored the methods of official medicine.