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 repair the tissues damaged by the pathology. Patients should 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 osteoarthritis of the knee with folk remedies.
Pros and cons of traditional medicine
Traditional medicine for osteoarthritis of the knee is used quite often. The disease is difficult to treat, gradually limb mobility is limited. Even traditional therapies are only aimed at relieving pain and preventing complications. Patients and doctors are ambivalent about traditional medicine, but still resort to it when traditional medicine does not bring the desired result.
The treatment of osteoarthritis of the knee with folk remedies has both disadvantages and advantages. Pros include:
- 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 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 is also worth noting that the recipes that people use to treat osteoarthritis of the knee are passed on by word of mouth and have stood the test of time. However, care must be taken. Before using any medicine, tell your doctor and listen to his recommendations.
Like all other methods, folk methods also have their drawbacks:
- 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 causes different effects, for example herbs or fruits with different degrees of maturity, etc.
Doctors for the most part are sympathetic to the use of prescriptions from traditional medicine for this disease. In addition, they themselves sometimes advise the patient on certain methods. But for treatment to be effective, it must be comprehensive. Therefore, using folk remedies, you should not reject traditional medicine.
Effective methods of treatment
In general, popular folk recipes for osteoarthritis of the knee suggest how to prepare drugs that have anti-inflammatory action. The effect is achieved by accelerating local metabolic processes. This allows you to relieve pain, thus improving knee mobility and stopping 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, ie local remedies. It is their effect that is more noticeable. Infusions and decoctions are less commonly 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 osteoarthritis of the knee of the 2nd degree with folk remedies will no longer show as good a result as at the very beginning of the disease.
Local compresses
It is difficult to imagine the treatment of knee pain with folk remedies without compresses. This form of treatment is often preferred by patients. The compress improves blood microcirculation, thus relieving inflammation and swelling. This makes the joint looser, facilitates the movement of the limb. A big plus of compresses is that they can usually be made from products that are always at hand.
Consider popular recipes:
- Oatmeal compress. Pour boiling water over 5 tablespoons of Hercules. There should not be much water. Cook the flakes on low heat for 8-10 minutes. The slurry must be viscous, not thick or liquid. Cool the table and wrap in cheesecloth or natural fabric. Apply on a sore knee for several hours. It can be fixed on the legs with plastic wrap and left overnight.
- Horseradish compress. Grate the root, pour water and put on low heat. Do not bring to a boil, just let it simmer until the water warms up. Then shake off the water, but do not squeeze. Wrap the horseradish in cotton and apply on the knee for 2 hours. This recipe helps relieve pain.
- Cabbage compress. You need vegetable juice. Soak a woolen scarf in the liquid. Apply to the joint at bedtime. You can use 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 harm allergy sufferers. Compresses should be applied to relieve the main symptom - pain. You can perform the procedure daily, but it is recommended to take breaks after the course of 21-30 days. It is most convenient to apply compresses at bedtime and leave overnight.
Tinctures and decoctions
Tinctures are made with alcohol or water. Plants or their components are used as raw material. 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 action. You can use funds from one component or from several. But don't forget to study their interactions with each other.
The following raw materials are widely used for tinctures and decoctions for arthritis:
- blueberry leaves;
- grass and chamomile flowers;
- chestnuts;
- saber;
- birch buds;
- marigold flowers;
- hop cones;
- wormwood herb.
Topical application of tinctures and decoctions usually has no side effects. You need to be careful when taking them internally. In addition to allergic reactions, they can also cause digestive disorders.
It is worth remembering that it is better to use only freshly prepared product.
Medicinal herbal baths
Many patients, in constant search of an answer to the question of how to relieve pain in osteoarthritis of the knee, find healing baths. The localization of the pathology complicates the procedure a bit. It will be more convenient to make complete 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 together with branches). The raw materials are immersed in hot water, allowed to simmer until the water has cooled to an acceptable temperature and removed. This bath can be taken in 20 minutes. Jerusalem artichoke is also used to make baths. Several tubers are washed and cut and then immersed in hot water. Add a tablespoon of turpentine and take a bath when the water cools down a bit.
To notice the effect, the procedure should be performed 10-12 days in a row.
Mud treatment
Peloid therapy is often prescribed by doctors to 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 healing mud removes toxins and toxins from the body, which also has a positive effect on treatment. Usually after rehabilitation in a sanatorium or resort the patient notices improvement and is in a good mood, which facilitates further therapy.
Applications with medicinal plants
Applications with various supplements are performed on patients during physiotherapy in a hospital setting. But at home you can do such procedures using herbs and paraffin wax. Applications are also made of healing 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 vegetable paste on the knee, which has an irritating effect. You can preheat it to add thermal effect. The mechanical effect can be obtained by applying adhesive tape on the knee with glued watermelon, sunflower, melon or buckwheat seeds.
Rubbing with camphor and grease
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 the lubrication of the joints, but this is a very controversial statement, which has not yet been confirmed by popular medicine. One thing is for sure - folk remedies with camphor effectively relieve pain. 10% oil is needed to treat osteoarthritis of the knee, but alcohol is also suitable.
Patients report a positive effect after rubbing with fat. Badger is most often used, less often pork or beef. The latter usually serve as a basis for herbal ointments. Badger fat is also used in its pure form.
Fats and camphor in the form of friction dilate blood vessels, thus ensuring 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 heal the knee joint. Folk remedies often include 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 made in the evening and left overnight, and the remnants are washed off in the morning. The procedure is repeated for 10 days, then a break for 2-3 days and, if desired, the course continues.
Hirudotherapy
This method does not fully meet the definition of "folk remedies", as it is possible only in a clinic, but is still considered unconventional. According to the observations of specialists, hirudotherapy is effective for the treatment of osteoarthritis 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 substances, blood circulation is improved 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 in 2 and 3 degrees of joint damage, first of all you should listen to the recommendations of doctors. In this situation, traditional medicine will not help, but rather will aggravate the problem. It is necessary to stop unconventional treatment immediately if new symptoms appear, the pain worsens or an allergic reaction occurs. You should also visit a doctor, where you can consult about the appropriateness of the use of folk remedies.
Today, doctors are looking for a cure to help cure joint disease without denying natural remedies. As with any medicine, care must be taken not to neglect mass medicine.