Joint diseases with the current development of medicine cannot be completely cured. Science does not stop, but a remedy that can restore tissue damaged by the pathology has not yet been found. Patients have to try all kinds of drugs and methods in search of a cure. Traditional medicine often cannot provide an effective way. 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 therapies focus only on relieving pain and preventing complications. Patients and doctors are ambivalent about traditional medicine, but they still turn to it when traditional medicine does not bring the desired result.
Treating arthrosis of the knee with folk remedies has both disadvantages and advantages. Advantages include:
- availability and low cost of most materials;
- many medicinal plants help to 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 preparations by pharmaceutical companies. Therefore, in most cases, alternative medicine is safe if the dosage and usage rules are followed. It is also important to note that the prescriptions that people use to treat knee arthrosis are passed on by word of mouth and have withstood over time. Care must be taken, however. Before using any medication, inform your doctor and listen to his recommendations.
Like any other method, folk methods also have their disadvantages:
- the risk of allergic reactions;
- many methods are denied by traditional medicine, their effectiveness has not been confirmed by research;
- some of the recipes available on the Internet or published on the pages of newspapers and magazines are incorrect. For example, they might contain incompatible components;
- the same plant material produces a different effect, eg herbs or fruits of different degrees of ripeness, etc.
Doctors, for the most part, are sympathetic to the use of traditional medicine prescriptions for this disease. In addition, they themselves sometimes advise the patient on some methods. But for the treatment to be effective, it must be comprehensive. Therefore, using folk remedies, one should not reject traditional medicine either.
Effective methods of treatment
Basically, popular folk recipes for arthrosis of the knee joint suggest how to prepare medications with anti-inflammatory effects. The effect is achieved by speeding up local metabolic processes. This allows you to relieve pain, thus improving knee mobility and halting pathological processes.
Traditional medicine, in this case, is not limited to decoctions and ointments. Like the traditional, it includes many influencing techniques and methods. Most of the time, all types of ointments, rubs, compresses and applications are used, that is, local agents. It is its effect that is most noticeable. Less commonly, infusions and decoctions are used for oral administration.
It is important to remember that alternative medicine is most effective in the early stages of the condition. Thus, the treatment of arthrosis of the 2nd degree knee joint with folk remedies will no longer have as good a result as at the beginning of the disease.
local compresses
It's hard to imagine treating knee pain with folk remedies without compresses. This form of treatment is often preferred by patients. The compress improves blood microcirculation, thus relieving inflammation and swelling. This makes the joint looser and facilitates limb movement. A big advantage of compresses is that they can usually be made with products that are always on hand.
Consider popular recipes:
- Oat compress. Pour boiling water over 5 tablespoons of Hercules. There shouldn't be too much water. Cook the flakes over low heat for 8 to 10 minutes. The porridge should be viscous, not thick or liquid. Cool the dough and wrap in gauze or natural fabric. Apply to painful knee for several hours. It can be fixed to the leg with plastic wrap and left overnight.
- Horseradish compress. Grate the root, cover with water and bring to low heat. Don't let it boil, just let it cook while the water heats up. Then shake off the water, but do not wring it out. Wrap the horseradish in cotton and apply to the knee for 2 hours. This recipe helps relieve pain.
- Cabbage compress. You need vegetable juice. Dip a woolen shawl into the liquid. Apply to joint before bed. You can use a honey-smeared cabbage leaf. Then secure with aluminum foil. 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. The compresses must be applied until the main symptom is relieved - the pain. You can perform the procedure daily, but it is recommended to take breaks after the course for 21-30 days. It is more convenient to apply compresses before bed and leave them overnight.
Dyes and decoctions
Dyes are made with alcohol or water. Plants or their components are used as raw materials. Some infusions and decoctions can be used internally, while others are used to prepare compresses or ointments. Infusions and decoctions are usually made with herbs that have anti-inflammatory effects. You can use one-component or multi-component backgrounds. But don't forget to study their interactions with each other.
For arthritic tinctures and decoctions, the following raw materials are widely used:
- blueberry leaves;
- grass and chamomile flowers;
- chestnut fruits;
- saber;
- birch buds;
- marigold flowers;
- hop cones;
- wormwood herb.
Topical application of tinctures and decoctions generally has no side effects. Taking them internally, you must be careful. In addition to allergic reactions, they can also cause disruptions in the digestive tract.
It is worth remembering that it is preferable to use only a product that is freshly prepared.
Healing Herbal Baths
Many patients, constantly searching for an answer to the question of how to alleviate the pain of arthrosis of the knee joint, discover curative baths. The location of the pathology slightly complicates the procedure. It will be more convenient to make full-fledged herbal baths. With their help, the patient not only acts on the knee, but also relaxes, which is also important for the treatment.
Pine needle baths are useful (can be used in conjunction with branches). Raw materials are dipped in hot water, fermented until the water cools to an acceptable temperature, and removed. This bath can be taken for 20 minutes. Jerusalem artichoke is also used in the preparation of baths. Some tubers are washed and chopped and then soaked in hot water. Add a tablespoon of turpentine and take a shower when the water has cooled a little.
For the effect to be noticeable, the procedure must be performed for 10-12 consecutive days.
mud therapy
Peloid therapy is often prescribed by physicians for patients with osteoarthritis. The patient is taken to a sanatorium where mud with adequate properties is used. Saki and Essentuki are popular in our country. This therapy helps speed recovery, normalize blood circulation and local metabolism.
In addition to the effect on the joints, therapeutic mud removes toxins and toxins 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 facilitates continuation of therapy.
Applications with medicinal plants
Applications with various additives are carried out on patients during physiotherapy in a hospital environment. But at home, you can do these procedures using herbs and paraffin wax. Applications are also made of therapeutic mud or clay, 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 porridge to the knee, which has an irritating effect. You can preheat it to add thermal influence. The mechanical effect can be achieved by applying duct tape to the knee with watermelon, sunflower, cantaloupe or buckwheat seeds glued to it.
Rubbing camphor and fats
In folk medicine, the treatment of joints with camphor oil is often practiced. The substance is used either in pure form or in a mixture with other components. This is thought to help partially restore lubrication to the joints, but this is a very controversial claim that has not yet been confirmed by conventional medicine. One thing is certain - folk remedies with camphor effectively relieve pain. For the treatment of osteoarthritis of the knee, 10% oil is needed, but alcohol is also suitable.
Patients see a positive effect after rubbing the fats. Badger is used more often, less often pork or beef. The latter usually serves as a base for herbal ointments. Badger fat is also used in its pure form.
Fats and camphor in the form of friction dilate blood vessels, thus providing blood flow to the knee and improving trophism.
Effective wrapping with mummy and honey
There is another effective recipe that contains the answer to the question of how to heal the knee joint. Folk remedies usually involve the use of mummy - a resinous substance of natural origin. When mixed with bee products, it has a strong analgesic effect. To prepare the medicine, it is necessary to combine 100 g of liquid honey and 0. 5 g of mummy.
Wraps are made at night and left overnight, and in the morning they wash off the remains. The procedure is repeated for 10 days, after which they take a break for 2 to 3 days and, if desired, continue the course.
Hirudotherapy
This method does not fit well with the definition of "folk medicine", as it is only possible in a clinic, but it is still considered unconventional. As shown by expert observations, hirudotherapy is effective in treating arthrosis of the knee joint. The use of medicinal leeches is only possible as part of a 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 to give up an alternative treatment
Knee treatment with folk remedies is not always possible and helpful. It should be understood that with 2 and 3 degrees of joint damage, one should first of all listen to the doctors' recommendations. In this situation, traditional medicine will not help, rather it will aggravate the problem. It is necessary to stop unconventional treatment immediately if new symptoms occur, the pain intensifies, or an allergic reaction occurs. You will also need to visit a doctor, where you can consult on the appropriateness of using folk remedies.
Today, doctors are looking for a cure that will help cure joint ailments, without denying natural medicines. As with any medicine, care must be taken not to ignore traditional medicine.