Diseases of the joints with the current development of medicine 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 have to try all kinds of drugs and methods in search of a cure. Often, traditional medicine cannot offer 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, gradually limb mobility is limited. Even traditional therapies are focused only on pain relief and prevention of complications. Patients and doctors are ambivalent about traditional medicine, but they 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 pluses include:
- availability and low cost of most materials;
- many medicinal plants help to 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 the dosage and rules of use are followed. It's also worth noting that the recipes people use to treat knee arthrosis are passed by word of mouth and have stood the test of time. Care must be taken, however. Before using any medication, tell your doctor and listen to his recommendations.
Like any 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 sympathetic to the use of traditional medicine recipes for this disease. Moreover, they themselves sometimes advise the patient on some methods. But for treatment to be effective, it must be comprehensive. Therefore, 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 drugs that have anti-inflammatory effects. The effect is achieved by accelerating local metabolic processes. This allows you to relieve pain, thereby improving knee mobility and suspending 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, rubbing, compresses and applications are used, that is, local agents. It is their effect that is more 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, the 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. 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 big plus of compresses is that they can usually be made from products that are always on hand.
Consider popular recipes:
- Oat compress. Pour boiling water over 5 tablespoons of Hercules. There should not be very much water. Cook the flakes over low heat for 8-10 minutes. The porridge should be viscous, not thick or runny. Cool the mass and wrap in cheesecloth or natural fabric. Apply to sore knee for several hours. Can be fixed on the leg with plastic wrap and left overnight.
- Horseradish compress. Grate the root, cover with water and put on low heat. Do not bring to a boil, just let it steam as the water warms up. Then shake off the water, but do not wring out. Wrap horseradish in cotton and apply to knee for 2 hours. This recipe helps relieve pain.
- Cabbage compress. You need vegetable juice. Soak a wool shawl in the liquid. Apply to joint before bed. You can use a cabbage leaf smeared with honey. Then fix it with foil. It is convenient to leave such a compress overnight.
As you can see, all components are completely safe. They can only bring harm to allergy sufferers. Compresses should be applied until the main symptom is relieved - pain. 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 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 funds from one component or from several. 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 fruit;
- saber;
- birch buds;
- calendula flowers;
- hop cones;
- wormwood herb.
Topical application of tinctures and decoctions usually has no side effects. Taking them internally, you should be careful. In addition to allergic reactions, they can also cause disruptions in the digestive tract.
It is worth remembering that it is better to use only a freshly prepared product.
Healing herbal baths
Many patients, in constant search for an answer to the question of how to relieve pain in arthrosis of the knee joint, discover healing baths. The localization of the pathology complicates the procedure a little. It will be more convenient to do full-fledged herbal baths. With the help of them, 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 together with branches). The raw materials are dipped in hot water, allowed to brew until the water cools down to an acceptable temperature, and removed. This bath can be taken for 20 minutes. Jerusalem artichoke is also used for the preparation of baths. A few tubers are washed and chopped and 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 should be carried out for 10-12 days in a row.
Mud therapy
Peloid therapy is often prescribed by doctors for 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. Such therapy helps to accelerate recovery, normalize blood circulation and local metabolism.
In addition to the effect on the joint, 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 a resort, the patient notes 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 at home, you can take 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 must have a chemical, thermal and mechanical effect on the affected area. This is achieved by applying a plant gruel to the knee, which has an irritating effect. You can preheat it to add thermal influence. Mechanical effect can be obtained by applying adhesive tape to the knee with seeds of watermelon, sunflower, melon or buckwheat glued to it.
Rubbing with camphor and fats
In folk medicine, the treatment of joints with camphor oil is often practiced. 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 mainstream medicine. One thing is for sure - folk remedies with camphor effectively relieve pain. For the treatment of arthrosis of the knee, 10% oil is needed, 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 usually serve as the basis for herbal ointments. Badger fat is also used in its pure form.
Fats and camphor in the form of rubbing dilate blood vessels, thereby 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 cure 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 medicine, it is necessary to combine 100 g of liquid honey and 0. 5 g of mummy.
Wraps are done in the evening and left overnight, and in the morning they wash off the remnants. 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 fit the definition of "folk remedies", because it is possible only in a clinic, but it is still considered unconventional. As shown by the observations of specialists, 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 to give up 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, one should first of all listen to the recommendations of doctors. In this situation, traditional medicine will not help, but rather aggravate the problem. It is necessary to stop unconventional treatment immediately if new symptoms occur, pain intensifies or an allergic reaction occurs. You also need to visit a doctor, where you can consult about the appropriateness of using folk remedies.
Today, doctors are looking for a cure that would help cure joint diseases, without denying natural drugs. As with any remedy, care should be taken not to ignore mainstream medicine.