Every day our knees have to withstand body weight and physical activity.Over the years, the cartilage wears down and changes occur in the joint.For this reason, osteoarthritis of the knee joint occurs in older people.
Osteoarthritis of the knee joint (gonarthrosis) is a degenerative disease of the joint in which cartilage is destroyed, muscles and ligaments are damaged and bones are deformed.
Treatment of arthrosis of the knee joint at home consists of a number of measures that alleviate the patient's condition.
If the therapy is supplemented by competent medical prescriptions, the progression of the disease can be slowed down and sometimes stopped completely.
Symptoms and causes of joint osteoarthritis
The first signs of gonarthrosis of the knee joint are stiffness in the knee and the appearance of pain after minor exertion, sleep and long periods of sitting.When the patient warms up a little, the pain subsides.A crunching sound is often heard when bending the knee, and the pain worsens after hypothermia.
Such symptoms occur over several years and are sometimes worrying.If the problem is not treated, over time walking becomes more difficult, the knee joint becomes deformed, and it becomes impossible to move without crutches.
The following can help accelerate the development of pathology:
- Obesity of the patient, which triples the rate of progression.
- Regular exercise.
- Meniscus injuries, fractures and knee injuries.
- Bone placement defects (X- and O-shaped).They deform the cartilage tissue and the joint as a whole.
Stages of development of arthrosis of the knee joint
Stage 1
The legs become very tired, mobility is restricted and a crunch occurs.Joint pain also occurs at rest and with prolonged exertion.In this stage of the disease there is no deformation of the knee and the joint space can only narrow.
Stage 2
Deforming osteoarthritis of the knee joint grade 2 requires immediate treatment as the pain becomes severe and limits movement.Humans are unable to move over long distances and need a lot of rest.Loud crunching and deformation causes lameness.The bone grows and osteophytes form; in synovitis, fluid accumulates.
Stage 3
The most difficult stage of the disease.Pain occurs even when at rest and the leg becomes almost motionless.The joint space may disappear completely.
Who is at risk?
- people with extra pounds;
- anyone who leads a sedentary lifestyle;
- patients with knee injuries;
- Professional and amateur athletes who put a lot of strain on their knees;
- People with jobs that put a lot of strain on their knees;
- Patients with diseases of cartilage and bone mass;
- People with infectious and parasitic diseases.
All of these reasons accelerate the development of the disease at an early age and lead to a complex course of the disease.
Treatment of arthrosis of the knee joint
Currently, doctors do not establish a single treatment regimen, since there is no specific drug that helps patients in the same way.When planning home treatment, doctors take into account the degree of the problem, the patient's age, the severity of the pain and the degree of joint deformation.
For this reason, it will take a long time and carefully to treat such a disease using various methods of influencing the sore knee.
Principles of Nutrition
Everyone should understand that treatment of arthrosis at home must begin with dietary correction.In this case, an increase in the amount of calcium, vitamins “B” and “E” is considered a prerequisite.The body can obtain these elements from sprouted wheat, dairy products, almonds, whole grains, bread and pasta.
The salt content in vegetarian salads and vegetables needs to be limited and increased after a quick heat treatment.
Anyone planning any form of osteoarthritis treatment should eliminate acidic fruits such as grapefruit, lemons, oranges, as well as alcohol and coffee from their diet.Meat consumption must be minimized, as well as dried fruits and grains.
Jellied meat made from bone broth is considered a healthy dish because it is enriched with collagen, which is needed for building cartilage and bone material.Equally important is the use of gelatin, which contains the most important chondoprotectors.
gymnastics
Even in the most advanced degree of osteoarthritis, treatment involves performing three exercises:
- You will need to sit on a high chair or table so that your legs hang freely.Then they begin to rattle with an amplitude of up to 10 cm.Seriously ill patients are allowed to do the exercise for 5 minutes every hour, and other patients for 10 minutes several times a day.
- Sit on a chair and place your feet on the floor.Supported on the tip of the toe, the heel rises 12 cm from the ground and then falls freely.After 3 seconds the exercise is repeated.If both legs are sore, the exercise is carried out alternately.
- Sit on a chair and place your feet on the floor.Then lean on your heel, relax and slowly tap your toes to the floor, lifting them no more than 5 inches.Take a 3 second break between exercises.
Knee joint massage
At home, you can independently process the knee joint with arthrosis using blows through the fingers, palm and slaps.
Under the influence of blows, the skin activates nerve pathways and triggers a rush of blood.By hitting with compressed fingers, the effect spreads to muscles, ligaments, tendons and joint capsules.This allows the blood to be pushed out of the capillaries more easily and without damage.
Treatment should begin with tapping the painful areas with clenched fingers.The kneecap is hit to the side.Hitting a very painful joint should be done as gently as possible and strengthened slightly as it recovers.
The damaged tendons must be carefully tapped and then, with the palm pressed, hit on the right, left, front, on the straight leg, under the knee and on the bent leg.The session ends with a beating.
Number of procedures required:
- moderate osteoarthritis – once a week;
- mild stage of arthrosis – once every 23 days;
- severe osteoarthritis with inflammation and swelling – once every six months.
Magnetic field therapy
This procedure can be easily carried out at home and does not cause any further deformation of the knee.Magnetic field therapy has been tested in practice for many years and always shows excellent results.
A knee joint affected by osteoarthritis can be treated at home under the influence of a weak magnetic field.This treatment normalizes blood circulation and metabolism.This accelerates the drainage of fluids from the tissue.
To treat a problem with a magnet, you do not need to take complex measures.All that is required for the process is a small magnet.Massage the area of the injured knee in a circular motion for 20 minutes once a day.The duration of such treatment is usually up to three months.There are many reviews about the treatment of arthrosis of the knee joint grade 2 with a magnet and they are all positive.
Thermal treatments
The possibility of carrying out thermal procedures at home is limited.Instead, you can use moist and dry heat foot baths and compresses.
Add sea salt (a spoonful per liter) to the water heated to 45 ° C, then pour it into a high tank so that your knees are completely submerged there.Warm water helps dilate blood vessels, and salt removes excess fluid from the periarticular tissue.
Sand with coarse salt or a mixture of dry herbs is heated in the microwave or in a frying pan, then wrapped in thick material and cooled to room temperature to apply to the knee.After such treatment, the compress is not thrown away, but used for the entire course.
At the end of the thermal treatment, a gel (ointment) prescribed by the doctor is applied to the knee joint.If the pores are enlarged, the drug penetrates better and has a stronger pain-relieving effect.
Treatment with medication
At home, treatment of arthrosis of the knee joint of varying complexity can be carried out using local drugs with anti-edematous, anti-inflammatory, warming and analgesic effects.The advantage of these funds is the possibility of long-term use.The active ingredient in the ointments does not penetrate in such a volume that side effects occur.This means that the circle of people for whom treatment is possible expands if the administration of injections or tablets containing the active ingredient is prohibited.This applies to NSAID drugs, which are prohibited for people with chronic and acute gastrointestinal diseases and other diseases of internal organs.When applied externally, they have a pain-relieving effect and relieve inflammation in osteoarthritis.
Traditional recipes for the treatment of knee arthrosis
Amazing medicinal plants are known in nature that are necessary for the production of collagen and the restoration of cartilage tissue.
- gelatin- a popular treatment for joints.To prepare the medicine, you should take a spoonful of gelatin in the evening and pour a quarter glass of water into it and take it on an empty stomach in the morning when it is swollen.For a full course of therapy you need 150 g of gelatin.The drug is contraindicated in people with high levels of blood clotting.
- Dandelion– Freshly picked flowers are washed thoroughly under water and then chewed into pulp.You need to eat up to 5 flowers per day.For winter treatment, it is worth preparing the leaves of the plant.Despite the bitter taste, the leaves should be chewed daily.Dry grass is poured with a glass of boiling water and soaked.Dandelion tincture has an excellent effect.You need to rub it on your knees for a month.The pain disappears quickly, but the procedure must be continued.To prepare the remedy, collect many dandelion heads and fill a bottle with them, then top it off with alcohol or triple cologne.The tincture will be ready in a month.
- Honey and bee products– a unique remedy for arthrosis of the knee joint.Honey is heated with a heating pad and then applied and rubbed into the affected area using light circular movements.The procedure is carried out once a day for half a month and repeated again after a break.
- burdock– a common plant used to treat joints.You need to take 6-7 burdock leaves and fold them with the fluffy side down.Place a pot of hot water on top of this pile until it cools.The knee is lubricated with vegetable oil, leaves are placed on it and wrapped in polyethylene and a towel.
- Cinquefoil and cinquefoil (tincture)– Cinquefoil and cinquefoil roots (2:1) are poured with vodka and left to steep for 20 days.The finished product is taken orally for a month, a spoonful before meals, and then take a break.The herbal combination relieves swelling, increases joint mobility and prevents grinding.
- Cabbage juice– This product should be soaked in wool fabric and applied to the sore spot.The procedure is carried out before bedtime.The finished juice is stored in a dark place for no more than three days.You can make compresses from cabbage leaves.The inside of the leaf is smeared with honey and applied to the sore knee.This is then reinforced overnight with polyethylene and wool cloth.The compress is removed in the morning and the remaining honey is removed with warm water.The treatment lasts a month.
- Compress of curdled milk with chalk– Add a fermented milk product to the ground chalk, mix thoroughly and apply the mixture to the knee joint.After insulating with foil and cloth, the residue is removed the next morning with a napkin.Chalk compress relieves inflammation and relieves pain.
- Medicinal bath with pine– Coniferous plants are always used to treat joint arthrosis and most often in the form of baths.To prepare the medicinal mixture, take pine branches with needles, a few chopped Jerusalem artichokes, 1 tsp.Turpentine, 1 kg sea salt, 2 tbsp.l.Honey, you can't stay in a bathroom like that for more than 20 minutes and then wipe your skin with a towel.An iodine net is placed on the painful joint and smeared with honey.A steamed net of pork fat is also applied there.The duration of therapy for osteoarthritis is two weeks.
Osteoarthritis of the knee is a condition that most people struggle with frequently.Home therapy helps to stop the progression of the disease and fully restore the substance of the joint.In addition, the effectiveness of the methods depends on the patient himself and his desire for recovery.