With today's development of medicine, joint diseases cannot be completely cured.Science does not stand still, but a remedy has not yet been found that can restore tissue damaged by pathology.Patients in search of treatment have to try all sorts of drugs and methods.Often traditional medicine cannot 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 the mobility of the limb is gradually limited.Even traditional therapeutic methods are aimed only at pain relief and prevention of complications.Patients and doctors have ambivalent attitudes towards traditional medicine, but still resort to it when traditional medicine does not bring the desired result.
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 that are 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 the recipes that people use to treat knee arthrosis are passed down by word of mouth and have stood the test of time.However, caution must be exercised.Before using any medication, tell your doctor and listen to his or her recommendations.
Like any other methods, folk ones 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 of different degrees of ripeness, etc.
Doctors, for the most part, are sympathetic to the use of traditional medicine recipes for this disease.Moreover, they themselves sometimes advise the patient on certain methods.But for treatment to be effective, it must be comprehensive.Therefore, when using folk remedies, you 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 the mobility of the knee and stopping pathological processes.
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.Most often, all kinds of ointments, rubs, compresses and applications are used, i.e. local agents.It is their effect 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 initial stages of pathology.Thus, treatment of arthrosis of the knee joint of the 2nd degree with folk remedies will no longer show such a good result as at the very beginning of the disease.
Local compresses
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 joint freer and facilitates movement of the limb.The big advantage of compresses is that they can usually be made from products that you always have on hand.
Consider popular recipes:
- Oatmeal compress.Pour boiling water over 5 tablespoons of Hercules.There shouldn't be too much water.Cook the cereal over low heat for 8-10 minutes.The porridge should be viscous, not thick or liquid.Cool the mass and wrap it in gauze or natural fabric.Apply to the sore knee for several hours.You can fix it on your leg with plastic wrap and leave it overnight.
- Horseradish compress.Grate the root, add water and place on low heat.Do not bring to a boil, but simply let it steam as the water heats up.Afterwards, shake off the water, but do not wring it out.Wrap the horseradish in cotton cloth and apply it to your knee for 2 hours.This recipe helps relieve pain.
- Cabbage compress.You need vegetable juice.Soak a wool scarf in the liquid.Apply to the joint 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.Compresses should be used until the main symptom – pain – is relieved.You can carry out the procedure daily, but it is recommended to take breaks after the course of 21-30 days.It is most convenient to apply compresses before bed and leave them overnight.
Tinctures and decoctions
Tinctures are made with alcohol or water.The 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 products from one component or from several.But don't 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;
- chestnut fruit;
- cinquefoil;
- birch buds;
- calendula flowers;
- hop cones;
- wormwood grass.
Topical 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 disruptions in the gastrointestinal tract.
It is worth remembering that it is better to use only freshly prepared product.
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.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 acts on the knee, but also relaxes, which is also important for treatment.
Baths with pine needles (can be used together with branches) are useful.The raw materials are immersed 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 artichoke is also used to prepare baths.Several tubers are washed and chopped, and then dipped in hot water.Add a tablespoon of turpentine and take a bath when the water has cooled 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 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 joint, therapeutic mud removes toxins and waste from the body, which also has a positive effect on treatment.Usually, after rehabilitation in a sanatorium or resort, the patient notices an improvement and is in high spirits, which makes further therapy easier.
Applications with medicinal plants
Applications with various additives are carried out to patients during physiotherapy in a hospital setting.But you can take such procedures at home using herbs and paraffin.Applications are also made from medicinal 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, temperature and mechanical effect on the affected area.This is achieved by applying a paste from a plant that has an irritating effect to the knee.You can preheat it to add thermal influence.Mechanical impact can be obtained by applying adhesive tape to the knee with watermelon, sunflower, melon or buckwheat seeds glued to it.
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 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 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 fats.Badger is most often used, less often pork or beef.The latter usually 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 blood vessels, which ensures a rush of blood 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 bee products, it gives 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 done in the evening and left overnight, and the remains are washed off in the morning.Repeat the procedure for 10 days, after which they take a break for 2-3 days and continue the course if desired.
Hirudotherapy
This method does not quite fit the definition of “folk remedies” because it is only possible in a clinical setting, but it is still considered unconventional.As specialists' observations have shown, 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 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?
Treatment of the knee with folk remedies is not always possible or useful.It should be understood that with grades 2 and 3 of joint damage, you should listen first of all to the recommendations of doctors.In this situation, traditional medicine will not help, but rather 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 visit a doctor, where you can consult about the advisability of using folk remedies.
Today, doctors are in search of a medicine that would help cure joint diseases, without denying natural drugs.As with any other remedy, caution should be exercised and not ignore the methods of official medicine.