With the current development of medicine, joint diseases cannot be completely cured.Science does not stand still, but a medicine that can restore tissues damaged by pathology has not yet been found.Patients seeking treatment need to try all types of medications and methods.Traditional medicine often fails to 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 limb mobility is gradually limited.Even traditional therapeutic methods only aim to relieve pain and prevent complications.Patients and doctors have ambivalent attitudes towards traditional medicine, but they still turn to it when traditional medicine does not bring the desired result.
Treatment of knee arthrosis with folk remedies has both disadvantages and advantages.Advantages include:
- availability and low cost of most materials;
- many medicinal plants help 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, in most cases, alternative medicine is safe if you follow the dosage and rules of use.It is also worth mentioning that the recipes that people use to treat knee osteoarthritis are passed down by word of mouth and have stood the test of time.However, caution must be exercised.Before using any medication, inform your doctor and listen to his recommendations.
Like any other method, folk methods also have their 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 with different degrees of ripeness, etc.
Doctors, for the most part, sympathize with the use of traditional medicine recipes for this disease.In addition, they themselves sometimes advise the patient on certain methods.But for treatment to be effective, it must be comprehensive.Therefore, when using folk remedies, one should not reject 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 knee mobility 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.Most often, all types of ointments, rubs, compresses and applications are used, that is, local agents.It is its 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 early stages of the pathology.Thus, the treatment of arthrosis of the knee joint of the 2nd degree with folk remedies will no longer give 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 generally prefer this form of treatment.The compress improves blood microcirculation, which reduces inflammation and swelling.This makes the joint freer and facilitates movement of the limb.The great advantage of compresses is that they can generally be made with products that you always have on hand.
Consider popular recipes:
- Oat compress.Pour boiling water over 5 tablespoons of Hercules.There shouldn't be much water.Cook the cereal over low heat for 8 to 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 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 cook over low heat.Do not let it boil, simply let it cook while the water heats up.Then shake off the water, but do not wring.Wrap the horseradish in a cotton cloth and apply it to your knee for 2 hours.This recipe helps to relieve pain.
- Cabbage compress.You need vegetable juice.Dip a wool scarf into the liquid.Apply to the joint before bed.You can use cabbage leaves coated with honey.Then secure it with film.It is convenient to leave this 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 – is relieved.You can perform the procedure daily, but it is recommended to take breaks after 21 to 30 days.It is most convenient to apply compresses before 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 single-component or multi-component products.But don't forget to study the interaction between them.
The following raw materials are widely used for tinctures and decoctions for arthritis:
- blueberry leaves;
- grass and chamomile flowers;
- brown fruit;
- cinquefoil;
- birch buds;
- marigold flowers;
- hop cones;
- wormwood grass.
Topical use of tinctures and decoctions generally has no side effects.You should be careful when taking them internally.In addition to allergic reactions, they can also cause disturbances in the gastrointestinal tract.
It is worth remembering that it is best to use only freshly prepared products.
Therapeutic herbal baths
Many patients, constantly searching for an answer to the question of how to relieve pain from 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 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, left to infuse until the water cools to an acceptable temperature and removed.You can take this bath for 20 minutes.Jerusalem artichoke is also used to prepare baths.Several tubers are washed and chopped, then dipped in hot 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 must be carried out for 10 to 12 consecutive days.
Mud therapy
Peloid therapy is often prescribed by doctors for 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 speed up 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 treatment.Typically, after rehabilitation in a sanatorium or resort, the patient notices an improvement and becomes cheerful, which makes it easier to continue therapy.
Applications with medicinal plants
Applications with various additives are performed on patients during physiotherapy in a hospital environment.But you can perform these procedures at home using herbs and paraffin.Applications are also made from mud or medicinal clay, 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 adhesive tape to the knee with watermelon, sunflower, melon or buckwheat seeds attached.
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 a 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 clear: folk remedies with camphor effectively relieve pain.To treat knee osteoarthritis, 10% oil is needed, but alcohol also works.
Patients note a positive effect after rubbing with fats.Badger is most often used, less frequently pork or beef.The latter often 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 the blood vessels, which ensures blood flow to the knee and improves 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.When mixed with beekeeping products, it provides a strong analgesic effect.To prepare the medicine, you need to combine 100 g of liquid honey and 0.5 g of mumiyo.
The wraps are made in the evening and left overnight, and the remains are washed off in the morning.Repeat the procedure for 10 days, after which take a break for 2-3 days and continue the course if desired.
Hirudotherapy
This method does not fall under the definition of “folk remedies” because it is only possible in a clinical setting, but it is still considered unconventional.As experts' observations show, hirudotherapy is effective in treating arthrosis of the knee joint.The use of medicinal leeches is possible only as part of complex therapy.
The effect is due to 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 of all listen to the recommendations of doctors.In this situation, traditional medicine will not help, but will aggravate the problem.Alternative treatment should be stopped immediately if new symptoms occur, pain increases, or an allergic reaction occurs.It is also necessary to consult a doctor, where you can consult about the advisability of using folk remedies.
Today, doctors are looking for a medicine that will help cure joint diseases, without denying natural medicines.As with any other remedy, caution should be exercised and not ignore the methods of official medicine.