Diseases of the joints with the current development of medicine cannot be completely cured. Science does not stand still, but no cure has yet been found to restore tissue damaged by pathology. Patients have to try all kinds of drugs and methods to find a cure. Often, traditional medicine cannot provide an effective remedy. And then the patient begins to wonder how to treat osteoarthritis of the knee joint with folk remedies.
Advantages and disadvantages of traditional medicine
Traditional medicine for osteoarthritis of the knee joint is used quite often. The disease is difficult to treat, gradually the mobility of the limbs is limited. Even traditional therapies focus only on relieving pain and preventing complications. Patients and doctors are ambivalent towards traditional medicine, but they still resort to it when traditional medicine does not bring the desired result.
Treatment of osteoarthritis of the knee with folk remedies has both disadvantages and advantages. The advantages include:
- availability and low cost of most materials;
- many herbal remedies help strengthen the immune system;
- few side effects;
- ease of use.
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 the dosage and rules for use are followed. It's also worth noting that the recipes people use to treat osteoarthritis of the knee are passed down by word of mouth and have stood the test of time. However, you have to be careful. Before using any medication, talk to your doctor and listen to their recommendations.
Like all other methods, folk methods also have their drawbacks:
- 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 may contain incompatible components;
- the same plant material produces a different effect, for example, herbs or fruits of different degrees of ripeness, etc.
Doctors for the most part are in favor of using traditional medicine recipes for this disease. In addition, sometimes they themselves advise the patient on certain methods. But for treatment to be effective, it must be comprehensive. Therefore, using folk remedies, one should not reject traditional medicine either.
Effective treatment methods
Basically, the popular folk recipes for osteoarthritis of the knee joint suggest how to prepare drugs with anti-inflammatory effects. The effect is achieved by accelerating local metabolic processes. This allows you to relieve pain, thereby improving the mobility of the knee and suspending pathological processes.
Traditional medicine in this case is not limited to decoctions and ointments. It, like the traditional one, includes many techniques and methods of influence. Most often, all kinds of ointments, rubs, compresses and applications are used, that is, local agents. It is their 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 pathology. So, treatment of osteoarthritis of the knee joint of the 2nd degree with folk remedies will no longer give as 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. This form of treatment is often preferred by patients. The compress improves blood microcirculation, thereby relieving inflammation and swelling. This makes the joint looser, facilitates movement of the limb. A great advantage of compresses is that they can usually be made from products that are always available.
Consider popular recipes:
- Oatmeal compress. Pour boiling water over 5 tablespoons of Hercules. There should not be a lot of water. Cook the flakes over low heat for 8 to 10 minutes. The porridge should be viscous, not thick or runny. Cool the mass and wrap in cheesecloth or natural cloth. Apply to the painful knee for several hours. Can be secured to the leg with plastic wrap and left overnight.
- Horseradish compress. Grate the root, cover with water and put on low heat. Don't bring to a boil, just let it steam while the water heats up. Then shake off the water, but do not wring 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 in the liquid. Apply to the joint before going to bed. You can use a cabbage leaf smeared with honey. Then secure it with aluminum foil. It is convenient to leave such a compress overnight.
As you can see, all the components are completely safe. They can only harm people with allergies. Compresses should be applied until the main symptom is relieved - pain. You can perform the procedure daily, but it is recommended to take breaks after 21-30 days. It is more convenient to apply compresses before bed and leave them on overnight.
Tinctures and decoctions
Tinctures 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 prepared from herbs that have anti-inflammatory effects. You can use the backgrounds of one or more components. But don't forget to study their interactions with each other.
For tinctures and decoctions for arthritis, the following raw materials are widely used:
- lingonberry leaves;
- grass and chamomile flowers;
- chestnut;
- saber;
- birch buds;
- calendula flowers;
- hop cones;
- wormwood herb.
Topical application of tinctures and decoctions usually has no side effects. While taking them internally you need to be careful. In addition to allergic reactions, they can also cause disturbances in the digestive tract.
It should be remembered that it is better to use only a freshly prepared product.
Herbal healing baths
Many patients, in constant search of an answer to the question of how to relieve pain in osteoarthritis of the knee joint, discover curative baths. The localization of the pathology somewhat 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 treatment.
Baths with pine needles are useful (can be used with branches). The raw materials are immersed in hot water, left to infuse until the water cools to an acceptable temperature, and then removed. This bath can be taken for 20 minutes. Jerusalem artichoke is also used for preparing baths. A few tubers are washed and chopped and then soaked in hot water. Add a tablespoon of turpentine and take a bath when the water cools a bit.
In order for the effect to be noticeable, the procedure should be carried out for 10-12 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 appropriate properties is used. Saki and Essentuki are popular in our country. Such therapy helps to accelerate recovery, normalize blood circulation and local metabolism.
In addition to the effect on the joint, the 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 sees an improvement and is in a good mood, which makes it easier to continue treatment.
Applications with medicinal plants
Applications with various additives are carried out with patients during physiotherapy in a hospital environment. But at home, you can perform such procedures using herbs and paraffin wax. Applications are also made from therapeutic mud or clay, which are enriched with decoctions of plants.
The difference between this method and conventional compresses is that the lotion should have a chemical, thermal and mechanical effect on the affected area. This is achieved by applying a vegetable porridge on the knee, which has an irritating effect. You can preheat it to add thermal influence. The mechanical effect can be achieved by applying adhesive tape to the knee with seeds of watermelon, sunflower, melon or buckwheat stuck on it.
Rub with camphor and grease
In folk medicine, treatment of the joints with camphor oil is often practiced. The substance is used both in pure form and as a mixture with other components. It is believed to help partially restore lubrication to the joints, but this is a very controversial statement that has yet to be confirmed by mainstream medicine. One thing is for sure - camphor folk remedies effectively relieve pain. For the treatment of osteoarthritis of the knee, 10% oil is required, but alcohol is also suitable.
Patients note a positive effect after rubbing with fats. Badger is most often used, less often pork or beef. The latter are usually used as the basis for herbal ointments. Badger fat is also used in its pure form.
Fats and camphor in the form of friction dilate blood vessels, thereby ensuring blood flow to the knee and improving trophism.
Efficient packaging with mom and honey
There is another effective recipe that contains the answer to the question of how to heal the knee joint. Folk remedies often 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 drug, it is necessary to combine 100 g of liquid honey and 0, 5 g of mummy.
The wraps are done in the evening and left overnight, and in the morning they wash off the leftovers. The procedure is repeated for 10 days, after which they take a break for 2-3 days and, if desired, continue the course.
Hirudotherapy
This method does not quite meet the definition of "folk remedies", as it is only possible in the clinic, but it is still considered unconventional. As shown by the observations of specialists, hirudotherapy is effective in the treatment of osteoarthritis 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 blood of the patient during the bite. Thanks to these substances, blood circulation improves and pain is relieved.
When to abandon alternative treatment
Treatment of the knee with folk remedies is not always possible and useful. It should be understood that with 2 and 3 degrees of joint damage, you must first listen to the recommendations of doctors. In this situation, traditional medicine will not help, but rather aggravate the problem. Unconventional treatments should be stopped immediately if new symptoms appear, the pain intensifies, or an allergic reaction occurs. You should also visit a doctor, where you can learn about the advisability of using folk remedies.
Today, doctors are looking for a remedy that would cure joint diseases, without denying natural medicines. As with any remedy, care should be taken not to ignore traditional medicine.