Today, with the development of medicine, it is not possible to fully treat joint diseases.Science does not stand still, but a tool that can restore tissues damaged by pathology has not yet been found.Patients seeking treatment should try all kinds of drugs and methods.Often, traditional medicine cannot offer an effective method.And then the patient begins to think about how to treat arthrosis of the knee joint with folk remedies.
Pros and cons of traditional medicine
Traditional medicine is used quite often for arthrosis of the knee joint.The disease is difficult to treat and the mobility of the limb is gradually limited.Even traditional therapeutic methods are focused only on relieving pain and preventing complications.Patients and doctors have an ambiguous attitude to traditional medicine, but they still turn to it when traditional medicine does not give the desired results.
Treatment of knee arthrosis with folk remedies has both disadvantages and advantages.Advantages include:
- availability and low cost of most materials;
- many herbs help strengthen the immune system;
- few side effects;
- ease of use.
Raw materials used to treat knees 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 usage guidelines.It should also be noted that the recipes that people use to treat knee arthrosis are passed on by word of mouth and have stood the test of time.However, caution should be exercised.Before using any medicine, inform your doctor and listen to his recommendations.
Like any other methods, folk methods also have disadvantages:
- 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 degrees of ripeness, etc.
Doctors, in most cases, are sympathetic to the use of traditional medical prescriptions for this disease.Moreover, they themselves sometimes give advice to the patient about certain methods.But for the 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 with anti-inflammatory effects.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.It includes many methods and methods of influence, as is traditional.Most often, all kinds of ointments, rubs, compresses and applications are used, that is, local agents.It is their influence that is more noticeable.Infusions and decoctions are less commonly used for oral administration.
It is important to remember that alternative medicine is most effective in the initial stages of pathology.Thus, the treatment of arthrosis of the knee joint of the 2nd degree with folk remedies will no longer give the same good result as at the beginning of the disease.
Local compresses
It is difficult to imagine treating knee pain with folk remedies without compression.Patients often prefer this form of treatment.The compress improves blood microcirculation, which reduces inflammation and swelling.This makes the joint more free and facilitates the movement of the limb.The great advantage of compresses is that they can be made from products that you usually always have on hand.
Check out popular recipes:
- Oatmeal compress.Pour boiling water over 5 tablespoons of Hercules.There should not be too much water.Cook the grains on low heat for 8-10 minutes.Porridge should be viscous, not thick or runny.Cool the mass and wrap it in cheesecloth or natural cloth.Apply to the painful knee for several hours.You can fix it with a plastic wrap on your leg and leave it overnight.
- Horseradish compress.Grate the root, add water and put on low heat.Do not bring to a boil, just let the water evaporate as it is heated.After that, shake the water, but do not squeeze.Wrap the horseradish with a cotton cloth and put it on your knee for 2 hours.This recipe helps relieve pain.
- Cabbage compress.You need vegetable juice.Wet a woolen scarf with the liquid.Apply to joints before going to bed.You can use honey coated cabbage leaves.Then fasten with film.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 - disappears.You can perform the procedure every day, but it is recommended to take a break after a course of 21-30 days.It is most 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 make compresses or ointments.Infusions and decoctions are usually prepared from herbs with anti-inflammatory effects.You can use one component or several products.But don't forget to learn how they interact with each other.
The following raw materials are widely used for tinctures and decoctions for arthritis:
- lingonberry leaves;
- grass and chamomile flowers;
- chestnut fruit;
- cinquefoil;
- birch buds;
- calendula flowers;
- hop cones;
- wormwood.
Local 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 disturbances in the work of the gastrointestinal tract.
It should be remembered that it is better to use only freshly prepared product.
Herbal medicinal 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 therapeutic baths.The localization 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 moves the knee, but also relaxes, which is important for treatment.
Baths with pine needles (can be used with branches) are useful.Raw materials are immersed in boiling water, allowed to brew until the water cools down to an acceptable temperature, and removed.You can take this bath for 20 minutes.Jerusalem artichoke is also used to prepare baths.A few tubers are washed and chopped, then soaked in boiling water.Add a tablespoon of turpentine and take a bath when the water cools down a little.
For the effect to be noticeable, the procedure should be carried out for 10-12 days in a row.
Mud therapy
Peloid therapy is often prescribed by doctors to patients with arthrosis.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 healing, normalizes blood circulation and local metabolism.
In addition to affecting the joint, the healing mud removes toxins and waste from the body, which has a positive effect on the treatment.Usually, after rehabilitation in a sanatorium or resort, the patient feels better and is in a high mood, which facilitates further therapy.
Applications with medicinal plants
During physiotherapy in hospital conditions, applications with various supplements are carried out to patients.But you can do such procedures at home using herbs and paraffin.Applications are also made from medicinal mud or clay enriched with herbal extracts.
The difference of this method from ordinary compresses is that the lotion should have a chemical, temperature 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 a warming effect.A mechanical effect can be achieved by applying an adhesive tape to the knee with watermelon, sunflower, melon or buckwheat seeds.
To rub with camphor and oils
In folk medicine, camphor oil is often used to treat joints.The substance is used both in its pure form and in a mixture with other components.It is believed that it 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.10% oil is needed to treat osteoarthritis of the knee, but alcohol will also work.
Patients note the positive effect after rubbing with oils.Badger is most commonly used, less often pork or beef.The latter usually serves as a base for herbal ointments.Badger oil is also used in its pure form.
Oils and camphor in the form of rubbing dilate blood vessels, which provides blood flow to the knee and improves trophism.
Effective wrap with mumiyo and honey
There is another effective recipe that contains the answer to the question of how to treat the knee joint.Folk remedies often involve the use of mummy, a resin-like substance of natural origin.When mixed with bee products, it has a strong analgesic effect.To prepare the medicine, you need to combine 100 g of liquid honey and 0.5 g of mummy.
Bandages are made in the evening and left overnight, and the residue is washed off in the morning.Repeat the procedure for 10 days, after which they take a break for 2-3 days and, if desired, continue the course.
Hirudotherapy
This method does not fully correspond to the concept of "folk treatment", because it is possible only in clinical conditions, but it is still considered unconventional.As experts' observations show, 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 injected into the patient's blood during the bite.Thanks to these substances, blood circulation improves and pain decreases.
When should you give up conventional treatment?
Treating the knee with folk remedies is not always possible or useful.It should be understood that with 2 and 3 degrees of joint damage, you should first of all listen to the recommendations of doctors.In this case, traditional medicine will not help, but will aggravate the problem.Alternative treatment should be stopped immediately if new symptoms, increased pain or allergic reaction occur.It is also necessary to consult a doctor, where you can consult about the advisability of using folk remedies.
Today, doctors are looking for drugs that will help treat joint diseases without denying natural remedies.As with any other means, one should be careful and not neglect official medical methods.