One of the most common joint diseases is osteoarthritis. This disease mainly affects the elderly.
What is knee osteoarthritis?
Osteoarthritis is a degenerative disease of the joints, which is associated with the gradual destruction of cartilage within the joint. The patient feels severe joint pain, mobility is limited. These people have difficulty moving around and have difficulty performing standard household tasks. When cartilage wears out, the joint loses its ability to move.
The main symptom is pain during certain activities:
- When climbing stairs.
- When lifting loads.
- During the squat.
- If you suddenly stop after a long walk.
The pain may get worse at bedtime and knee swelling occurs at night. There may also be a buildup of fluid in the joint.
treatment at home
The consequence of the complex treatment of arthrosis should be a permanent remission. Complex arthrosis therapy combines treatment with therapeutic exercises and physical therapy.
The goal of osteoarthritis treatment is to eliminate the pain syndrome and then the subsequent activation of cartilage tissue regeneration. During this period, medicines that contain chondroitin and glucosamine in their composition will be very useful. These drugs can be used in the form of pills, ointments, sprays. The duration of treatment can take a long time, up to a year.
During exercise, movements are made that do not damage the cartilage tissue, but help it to recover.
All of the above only help in the first stage of osteoarthritis. In the second and third stages, surgical intervention is required.
Medical treatment of knee joint osteoarthritis at home includes:
- Painkillers. Pain relief medications: pills, ointments, sprays. Anesthetic pills can also be used.
- Medicines that relax the muscles. Drugs that promote muscle relaxation reduce spasms.
- Chondroprotectors - "cartilage protectors". These medications are the basis for the treatment of osteoarthritis.
All drugs must be prescribed by a doctor, you must not take them without a prescription, they all have contraindications.
therapeutic exercises
The exercises must be chosen by an orthopedist, who will be based on the specifics of the disease. The most effective exercises for osteoarthritis:
- Lie on your back, straighten your legs and relax. Exercise relieves stress, strengthens pelvic muscles. Increases blood flow to the knee joint.
- Lie on your back, lift your legs perpendicular to your body and press firmly into the floor. Move your legs in the air, imitating cycling.
- Lie on your stomach, alternately turn your knees. This exercise strengthens the leg muscles, activating the metabolic processes in the knee joints.
- A person sits in a chair and raises his legs parallel to the floor. Thus, the blood rises to the knees, improving tissue regeneration in the joints.
A positive result of the above exercises will be if you do them regularly. Preferably daily for 15 minutes, alternating with massage, physiotherapy.
In order to be able to practice various sports, running, walking, it is better to use an orthopedic knee brace, which reduces the load on the knee joint, treats arthrosis - warms it up, has a magnetic pad that improves blood circulation. This is a necessary purchase for osteoarthritis of the knee joint.
For any osteoarthritis, you need to change your lifestyle and diet. For the treatment to be effective, sugar, alcoholic beverages, spicy and fatty foods, chemical additives must be excluded from the menu. It is not advisable to starve, so as not to harm the food supply to the joint cells.
Folk methods of treatment
The most common folk remedies for the treatment of osteoarthritis of the knee joint:
- Application of chalk and kefir. It is necessary to make these components a homogeneous mass, which is applied and fixed on the knee overnight.
- Applying oatmeal - prepare oatmeal and apply to leg at night.
- A decoction of strawberries. In this case, strawberry leaves are used, preferably in dry form. First of all, you must cut the leaves. Then, pour them into boiling water and cook for 20 minutes. It is advisable to take this remedy throughout the day instead of water.
- Jump. Take 2 tablespoons of hops and mix it with 50 g of vegetable oil. Use as a compress.
- Mix 1 spoon of mustard, 1 spoon of honey and 1 spoon of olive oil, boil everything (at least 5 minutes) and apply to the affected joints for two hours.
- A good anesthesia is a tincture of agave leaves and alcohol in a ratio of 1: 10. Infuse this mixture for a month in the refrigerator. Use 20-30 drops, morning, afternoon and evening.
- Burdock has proven itself very well among other plants in treating arthrosis. Take 6 freshly picked burdock leaves, velvety side down. Cover with a heavy bowl of boiled water. After 30 minutes, the leaves can be used. The affected area is smeared with vegetable oil and burdock leaves are applied and wrapped in aluminum foil.
- The use of dandelions Freshly picked dandelion flowers should be rinsed with cold water and chewed, regardless of the unpleasant taste. At least 4 flowers should be consumed per day. Dried dandelion leaves can also be used as food.
- You can apply a compress with sea salt to the painful knee. If the salt runs out at the right time, you can replace it with regular sand, which is heated and wrapped in a towel before use. This tool helps fight swelling.
use of radish
Horseradish leaves and roots are rich in vitamins, natural phytoncides, minerals and essential oils. So, how to treat arthrosis with horseradish:
- Cut and boil the root. The resulting suspension is applied to gauze and fixed to the knee. Place the fabric on top and leave the compression on for half an hour. You can do this every day.
- Horseradish and apple cider vinegar, mix in equal proportions, add some flaxseed oil and apply to the painful joint. Cover with cellophane and set aside for 30 minutes. Repeat the procedure every two days.
- Fry the horseradish and mix it with the same amount of yogurt. Apply the resulting mass to the problem area and cover with plastic wrap. Hold for 30-40 minutes and then rinse with warm water. To achieve the maximum result, you need to carry out at least 7 procedures.