Joint disease with current medical development cannot be completely cured. Science is not silent, but a cure has not yet been found that can restore tissue damaged by pathology. Patients need to try all kinds of medications and methods to find a cure. Often, traditional medicine cannot offer an effective way. And then patients began 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 frequently. The disease is difficult to treat, gradually limited limb mobility. Even traditional therapies only focus on pain relief and complication prevention. Patients and doctors are ambivalent about traditional medicine, but they still use it when traditional medicine does not bring the desired results.
Treatment of knee arthrosis with folk remedies has both disadvantages and advantages. Advantages include:
- the availability and low cost of most materials;
- many medicinal plants help strengthen the immune system;
- few side effects;
- ease of use.
Raw materials used to treat knees with folk remedies are often included in the preparation of pharmaceutical companies. Therefore, in most cases, alternative medicine is safe if the dosage and rules of use are followed. It should also be noted that the recipes used by the public to treat knee arthrosis are passed by word of mouth and have stood the test of time. However, care must be taken. Before using any medication, tell your doctor and listen to his recommendations.
Like other methods, the folk method also has its 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 the pages of 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 maturity, etc.
Doctors are mostly sympathetic to the use of traditional medicine recipes for this disease. Moreover, they themselves sometimes advise patients on several methods. But for treatment to be effective, it must be thorough. Therefore, using folk remedies, one cannot reject traditional medicine either.
Effective treatment methods
Basically, popular folk recipes for arthrosis of the knee joint suggest a way to prepare a drug that has 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 suspending the pathological process.
Traditional medicine in this case is not limited to decoctions and ointments. It, just like the traditional one, encompasses many techniques and methods of influence. Often, all types of ointments, rubs, compresses and applications are used, namely local agents. It is their effect that is more pronounced. 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. Therefore, treatment of stage 2 knee joint arthrosis with folk remedies will no longer show such good results as at the beginning of the disease.
Local compression
It’s hard to imagine treating knee pain with folk remedies without compresses. This form of treatment is often preferred by patients. Compression improves blood microcirculation, thus relieving inflammation and swelling. This makes the joints looser, facilitating limb movement. The big advantage of a compressor is that it can usually be made from a product that is always on hand.
Consider popular recipes:
- Compressed oats. Pour boiling water over 5 tablespoons of Hercules. Water should not be too much. Cook the slices over low heat for 8-10 minutes. The porridge should be viscous, not thick or runny. Cool the mass and wrap with a cheese cloth or natural cloth. Apply on a sore knee for a few hours. Can be fixed on the feet with plastic wrap and left overnight.
- Compressed horseradish. Grate the roots, cover with water and put on low heat. Do not let it boil, let it steam while the water is warm. Then shake the water, but do not squeeze. Wrap the horseradish with cotton and apply on the knees for 2 hours. This recipe helps relieve pain.
- Compressed cabbage. You need vegetable juices. Soak the wool scarf in the liquid. Apply on the joints before bed. You can use cabbage leaves rubbed with honey. Then fix with foil. It is easy to leave such compresses on overnight.
As you can see, all components are completely safe. They can only bring harm to allergy sufferers. Compresses should be used until the main symptom is relieved - pain. You can perform the procedure every day, but it is recommended to rest after 21-30 days. It is easiest to apply the compress before bed and leave it overnight.
Tinctures and decoctions
Tincture is 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;
- sword;
- birch buds;
- calendula flowers;
- kon hop;
- wormwood herb.
Topical use of tinctures and decoctions usually has no side effects. Taking it internally, you have to be careful. In addition to allergic reactions, it can also cause disorders of the digestive tract.
Keep in mind that it is better to use only freshly prepared products.
Healing herbal bath
Many patients, in the constant search for answers to the question of how to relieve pain in arthrosis of the knee joint, find a healing bath. The localization of the pathology complicates the procedure slightly. It will be easier to do a herbal bath completely. With their help, patients not only act on the knee, but also relax, which is also important for treatment.
Bath with pine needles is handy (can be used in conjunction with branches). The raw material is dipped in hot water, allowed to stir until the water cools to an acceptable temperature, and removed. This bath can be taken for 20 minutes. Jerusalem artichokes are also used for the preparation of baths. Some tubers are washed and chopped then dipped in hot water. Add a tablespoon of turpentine and bathe when the water is slightly cold.
For a significant effect, the procedure should be performed for 10-12 consecutive days.
Mud therapy
Peloid therapy is often prescribed by doctors for patients with arthrosis. The patient is sent to a sanatorium where mud of suitable properties is used. Saki and Essentuki are popular in our country. Such 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 treatment. Usually, after rehabilitation in a sanatorium or resort, patients record improvement and high morale, which makes further therapy easier.
Application 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 a procedure using herbs and paraffin wax. Applications are also made of therapeutic mud or clay, enriched with plant decoctions.
The difference between this method and a conventional compress is that the lotion must have chemical, thermal and mechanical effects on the affected area. This is achieved by applying plant gruel on the knees, which has an irritating effect. You can heat it to add heat influence. The mechanical effect can be obtained by applying adhesive tape on the knee with watermelon seeds, sunflower, watermelon or buckwheat glued to it.
Rub with camphor and grease
In folk medicine, treatment of joints with camphor oil is often practiced. This material is used in pure form and in mixtures with other components. It is believed that this helps restore some joint lubrication, but this is a very controversial statement that has not been confirmed by mainstream medicine. One thing is for sure - folk remedies with camphor effectively relieve pain. For the treatment of knee arthrosis, 10% oil is needed, but alcohol is also suitable.
Patients noted 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 rubbing dilate blood vessels, thereby providing blood flow to the knee and increasing trophism.
Effective mummy and honey wrap
There is another effective recipe that contains answers to the question of how to heal a knee joint. Folk remedies often involve the use of mummies - resin materials 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 melted honey and 0. 5 g of mummy.
The bandages are done in the evening and left overnight, and in the morning they wash off the remains. This procedure is repeated for 10 days, after which they rest for 2-3 days and, if desired, continue the course.
Hirudotherapy
This method does not fit the definition of "folk medicine", as it can only be done in a clinic, 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 medical leeches is possible only 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 ingredients, blood circulation improves and pain disappears.
When to stop alternative treatments
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 listen to the doctor’s recommendations. In this situation, traditional medicine will not help, instead exacerbating the problem. It is necessary to stop unconventional treatment immediately if new symptoms occur, pain intensifies or an allergic reaction occurs. You should also visit a doctor, where you can consult about the suitability of using folk remedies.
Today, doctors are looking for cures that will help cure joint disease, without denying natural remedies. As with any medicine, care should be taken not to neglect mainstream medicine.