With today's advances in medicine, joint diseases cannot be completely cured.Science does not stand still, but no cure has yet been found that can restore tissues damaged by pathology.Patients seeking treatment must try all kinds of drugs and methods.Conventional medicine often does not 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 is often used in 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 only aimed at relieving pain and preventing complications.Patients and doctors have an ambivalent attitude towards traditional medicine, but they resort to it even when traditional medicine does not bring the desired results.
Treatment of arthrosis of the knee joint with folk remedies has both advantages and disadvantages.Benefits include:
- availability and low cost of most materials;
- many herbs help strengthen the immune system;
- few side effects;
- easy to use.
The 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 is also worth noting that recipes for the treatment of knee arthrosis are spread by word of mouth and have stood the test of time.However, you have to be careful.Before using any medicine, inform your doctor and listen to his recommendations.
Like any other method, the folk method also has disadvantages:
- risk of allergic reactions;
- many methods are denied by traditional medicine, their effectiveness has not been proven by research;
- Some of the recipes available on the Internet or published in newspapers and magazines are incorrect.For example, they may contain incompatible components;
- the same plant material has different effects, for example herbs or fruits of different degrees of ripeness, etc.
Doctors are mostly sympathetic to using traditional medicine recipes to treat this disease.Moreover, sometimes they themselves advise the patient about certain methods.But for treatment to be effective, it must be comprehensive.Therefore, traditional medicine should not be rejected when using folk remedies.
Effective treatment methods
Basically, popular folk recipes for arthrosis of the knee suggest how to prepare anti-inflammatory remedies.The effect is achieved by accelerating local metabolic processes.This makes it possible to relieve pain, thereby improving knee mobility and stopping pathological processes.
Traditional medicine in this case is not limited to decoctions and ointments.Like the traditional one, it contains many effect techniques and methods.Most often, they use all kinds of ointments, rubs, compresses and applications, that is, topical agents.Their effect is the most obvious.Infusions and decoctions for oral administration are used less often.
It is important to note that alternative medicine is most effective in the initial stages of the pathology.Thus, the treatment of 2nd degree arthrosis of the knee joint with folk remedies no longer shows as good a result as at the beginning of the disease.
Local compressions
It is difficult to imagine the treatment of knee pain with folk remedies without poultices.Patients often prefer this form of treatment.The poultice improves blood microcirculation, which reduces inflammation and swelling.This frees up the joint and makes it easier to move the limb.The great advantage of poultices is that they can usually be made from products that are always at hand.
Consider popular recipes:
- Oatmeal poultice.Pour boiling water over 5 tablespoons of Hercules.Don't use 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 it to the painful knee for several hours.You can attach it to your leg with plastic wrap and leave it overnight.
- Horseradish poultice.Grate the root, add water and put it on a slow fire.Do not boil, but let it steam as 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 on your knees for 2 hours.This recipe will help ease the pain.
- Cabbage poultice.You need vegetable juice.Soak a woolen scarf in the liquid.Apply to the joint before going to bed.You can use honey coated cabbage leaves.Then secure with foil.It is convenient to leave such a poultice overnight.
As you can see, all parts are completely safe.They can only harm people with allergies.The poultice should be used until the main symptom - the pain - subsides.You can perform the procedure daily, but it is recommended to take breaks after 21-30 days.It is most convenient to apply a poultice before going to bed and leave it 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 consumed internally, others are used to make poultices or ointments.Infusions and decoctions are usually made from herbs that have an anti-inflammatory effect.You can use single or multi-ingredient products.But don't forget to study the interactions between each other.
The following raw materials are widely used for tinctures and decoctions of arthritis:
- lingonberry leaves;
- grass and chamomile flowers;
- chestnut fruit;
- cinquefoil;
- birch buds;
- marigold flowers;
- Hop cones;
- wormwood grass.
The topical use of tinctures and decoctions usually has no side effects.You should be careful if you take them internally.In addition to allergic reactions, they can also cause disturbances in the gastrointestinal tract.
It is worth noting that it is better to use only freshly prepared products.
Medicinal spas
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 a little more complicated.It will be more convenient to take full-fledged herbal baths.With their help, the patient not only affects his knees, but also relaxes, which is also important from the point of view of the treatment.
Baths with pine needles are useful (they can also be used together with branches).The raw materials are immersed in hot water, left to cook until the water cools to an acceptable temperature, and then removed.You can take this bath for 20 minutes.Chicory is also used to make baths.Several tubers are washed and cut into pieces, 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 must be carried out for 10-12 days.
Mud therapy
Peloid therapy is often prescribed by doctors for patients with arthrosis.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 speed up healing, normalizes blood circulation and local metabolism.
In addition to its effect on the joint, the medicinal 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 an improvement and is in a good mood, which facilitates further therapy.
Applications with herbs
Applications with different additives are performed on patients during physiotherapy in a hospital setting.But you can perform such procedures at home with the help of herbs and paraffin.The application is also made from medicinal mud or clay, which are enriched with herbal decoctions.
The difference between this method and traditional poultices is that the lotion must have a chemical, temperature and mechanical effect on the affected area.This is achieved by applying a paste from a plant that is irritating to the knee.You can preheat it to increase the heat effect.The mechanical effect can be achieved by gluing adhesive tape to the knee, glued watermelon, sunflower, melon or buckwheat seeds.
Rubbing with camphor and fats
In folk medicine, camphor oil is often used to treat joints.The substance is used both in its pure form and mixed with other components.It is believed that it helps to partially restore the lubrication of the joints, 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 treat knee arthrosis, 10% oil is needed, but alcohol also works.
Patients notice a positive effect after rubbing with fats.Badger is most often used, pork or beef less often.The latter usually serve as the basis of herbal ointments.Badger fat is also used in its pure form.
Fats and camphor in the form of rubbing expand the blood vessels, which ensures 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 heal the knee joint.Folk remedies often include mumiyo, a naturally occurring resin-like substance.When mixed with beekeeping products, it has a strong pain-relieving effect.To prepare the medicine, you need to combine 100 g of liquid honey and 0.5 g of mummy.
The wraps are prepared in the evening and left overnight, and the remainder is washed off in the morning.Repeat the procedure for 10 days, then take a break for 2-3 days and continue the course as desired.
Hirudotherapy
This method does not quite fit the definition of "folk remedies" because it is only possible in clinical settings, but it is still considered unconventional.As the 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 alleviated.
When should traditional treatment be refused?
Treating the knee with folk remedies is not always possible or useful.It should be understood that in the case of joint damage of the 2nd and 3rd degree, you should first of all listen to the recommendations of doctors.In this situation, traditional medicine does not help, but aggravates the problem.The alternative treatment should be stopped immediately if new symptoms appear, pain increases or an allergic reaction occurs.It is also necessary to consult a doctor, where you can consult about the expediency of using folk remedies.
Today, doctors are looking for a medicine that can help cure joint diseases without refusing natural medicines.As with any other remedy, caution should be exercised and the methods of official medicine should not be ignored.