With today's medical developments, arthritis cannot be completely cured.Science does not stand still, but medicine has not been found that can restore tissue damaged by pathology.Patients in search of treatment have to try different types of drugs and methods.Often traditional medicine cannot offer an effective method.And then the patient began 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 used quite often.The disease is difficult to treat, and the mobility of the limbs is gradually limited.Even traditional therapeutic methods only aim to relieve pain and prevent complications.Patients and doctors have an ambivalent attitude towards traditional medicine, but still use it when traditional medicine does not bring the desired results.
Treatment of knee arthrosis with folk remedies has both disadvantages and advantages.The 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 preparation 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 the recipes that people use to treat knee arthrosis are passed down from mouth to mouth and have stood the test of time.However, caution must be exercised.Before using any medicine, tell your doctor and listen to his recommendations.
Like any other method, folk methods 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 found on the Internet or published in newspapers and magazines are incorrect.For example, it may contain incompatible components;
- the same plant material produces different effects, for example, herbs or fruits of different degrees of ripeness, etc.
Doctors, for the most part, sympathize with the use of traditional medicinal recipes for this disease.Moreover, they themselves sometimes advise patients on certain methods.But for effective treatment, 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 drugs that have an anti-inflammatory effect.The effect is achieved by accelerating local metabolic processes.This allows you to relieve pain, thereby increasing the mobility of the knee and stopping the pathological process.
Traditional medicine in this case is not limited to decoctions and ointments.It, just like the traditional one, includes many techniques and methods of influence.Often, all kinds of ointments, rubs, compresses and applications are used, i.e. local agents.It is their impact that is more 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.Therefore, the treatment of knee joint arthrosis of the 2nd degree with folk remedies will no longer show good results as at the beginning of the disease.
Local compression
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, which reduces inflammation and swelling.This makes the joints freer and facilitates the movement of the limbs.The big advantage of compressors is that they can usually be made from products that you always have on hand.
Consider popular recipes:
- Compressed oats.Pour boiling water over 5 tablespoons of Hercules.Water should not be too much.Cook the cereal on low heat for 8-10 minutes.Porridge should be viscous, not thick or runny.Cool the mass and wrap it in gauze or natural cloth.Apply to the sore knee for several hours.You can fix it on your feet with plastic wrap and leave it overnight.
- Compressed horseradish.Grate the roots, add water and put on a slow fire.Do not let it boil, but let it steam as the water heats up.After that, shake the water, but do not squeeze.Wrap the horseradish in a cotton cloth and apply it on your knees for 2 hours.This recipe helps relieve pain.
- Compressed cabbage.You need vegetable juice.Soak the woolen scarf in the liquid.Apply to the joints before going to bed.You can use cabbage leaves coated with honey.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.Compression should be used until the main symptom - pain - is relieved.You can carry out the procedure every day, but it is recommended to take a break after 21-30 days.It is easiest to use a compress before going to bed and leave it overnight.
Tinctures and decoctions
Tincture is 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 anti-inflammatory effects.You can use products from one component or from several.But do not forget to study their interaction with each other.
The following raw materials are widely used for tinctures and decoctions for arthritis:
- lingonberry leaves;
- grass and chamomile flowers;
- chestnuts;
- cinquefoil;
- birch buds;
- calendula flowers;
- hop cones;
- wormwood grass.
Topical use of tinctures and decoctions usually have no side effects.You should be careful when taking it internally.In addition to allergic reactions, it can also cause disturbances in the gastrointestinal tract.
Keep in mind that it is better to use only freshly prepared products.
Therapeutic herbal bath
Many patients, always looking for an answer to the question of how to relieve pain from arthrosis of the knee joint, find a healing bath.Pathological localization makes the procedure a little more complicated.It will be easier to take a completely herbal bath.With their help, the patient not only acts on the knee, but also relaxes, which is also important for treatment.
Bathing with pine needles (can be used together with branches) is useful.Raw materials are soaked in hot water, allowed to brew until the water cools to an acceptable temperature, and removed.You can take this bath for 20 minutes.Jerusalem artichokes are also used to prepare baths.Some potatoes are washed and chopped, then dipped in hot water.Add a spoonful of turpentine and take a bath when the water has cooled a little.
For a noticeable effect, 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 suitable properties is used.Saki and Essentuki are popular in our country.This therapy helps speed up recovery, normalize 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 recovery in a sanatorium or resort, the patient notices an improvement and is in high spirits, which makes further therapy easier.
Application with medicinal plants
Applications with various additives are carried out to patients during physiotherapy in a hospital environment.But you can take such a procedure at home using herbs and paraffin.Applications are also made from medicinal mud or clay, which is enriched with a decoction of plants.
The difference between this method and conventional compresses is that the lotion must have a chemical, temperature and mechanical effect on the affected area.This is achieved by using a paste from a plant that has an irritating effect on the knee.You can heat it up to add heat effect.A mechanical effect can be obtained by placing adhesive tape on the knee with watermelon, sunflower, melon or buckwheat seeds attached to it.
Rub with camphor and fat
In folk medicine, camphor oil is often used to treat joints.This material is used in its 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 been confirmed by official medicine.One thing is for sure - folk remedies with camphor effectively relieve pain.To treat knee arthrosis, 10% oil is needed, but alcohol will also work.
Patients note a positive effect after rubbing with fat.Badger is most often used, less often pork or beef.The latter usually serves as a base for herbal ointments.Badger fat is also used in its pure form.
Fat and camphor in the form of a rub dilate blood vessels, which ensures blood flow to the knee and increases trophism.
An effective bandage with mumiyo and honey
There is another effective recipe that contains the answer to the question of how to heal knee joints.Folk remedies often involve the use of mumiyo, a naturally occurring resin-like substance.When mixed with bee 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 wrap is done in the evening and left overnight, and the rest is washed off in the morning.Repeat the procedure for 10 days, after which they rest for 2-3 days and continue the course if desired.
Hirudotherapy
This method does not fit the definition of "folk medicine" because it can only be done in clinical conditions, but it is still considered unconventional.As shown by expert observations, hirudotherapy is effective for the treatment of arthrosis of the knee joint.The use of medicinal leeches is possible only as part of complex therapy.
The effect is caused by an enzyme injected into the patient's blood during the bite.Thanks to these ingredients, blood circulation improves and pain is relieved.
When should you refuse traditional treatment?
Treatment of 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 doctor's recommendations.In this situation, traditional medicine will not help, but will make the problem worse.Alternative treatment should be stopped immediately if new symptoms occur, pain increases, or allergic reactions occur.It is also necessary to visit a doctor, where you can consult about the suitability of using folk remedies.
Today, doctors are looking for drugs that will help cure joint diseases, without denying natural remedies.As with any other medicine, caution should be exercised and not neglect official medical methods.