One of the most common joint diseases is arthritis. This disease mainly affects the elderly.
What Is Knee Osteoarthritis?
Arthropathy is a degenerative disease of the joints, which is associated with the gradual destruction of cartilage inside the joint. The patient experiences severe pain in the joints, mobility is limited. Such people have difficulty moving and find it difficult to perform standard household chores. When the 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 occupation.
- If you stop suddenly after a long walk.
The pain may worsen at bedtime and swelling in the knee occurs at night. There may also be fluid buildup in the joint.
Home treatment
The consequence of the complex treatment of arthritis should be a permanent remission. The complex treatment of arthritis combines the treatment with therapeutic exercises and physiotherapy.
The goal of arthropathy treatment is to eliminate the pain syndrome and subsequently activate the regeneration of cartilage tissue. During this period, drugs containing chondroitin and glucosamine in their composition will be very useful. These drugs can be used in the form of tablets, ointments, sprays. The duration of treatment can last a very long time, up to a year.
During the exercise, movements are made that do not destroy the cartilage tissue, but help to restore it.
All of the above only help in the first stage of the joint. In the second and third stage, surgery is required.
Medical treatment of osteoarthritis of the knee joint at home includes:
- Painkillers. Pain relievers: tablets, ointments, sprays. Anesthetic tablets may also be used.
- Drugs that relax muscles. Drugs that promote muscle relaxation reduce convulsions.
- Cartilage protectors - "cartilage protectors". These drugs are the basis for the treatment of arthritis.
All medicines must be prescribed by a doctor, you must not take them without a prescription, they all have contraindications.
Therapeutic exercises
Exercises should be selected by an orthopedist, who will be based on the specifics of the disease. The most effective exercises for arthritis:
- Lie on your back, straighten your legs and relax. Exercise relieves stress, strengthens the pelvic floor muscles. Increases blood flow to the knee joint.
- Lie on your back, lift your legs perpendicular to your body and press firmly on the floor. Move your feet in the air, imitating the bicycle.
- Lie on your stomach, rotating your knees alternately. This exercise strengthens the leg muscles, activating metabolic processes in the knee joints.
- A person sits in a chair and raises his legs parallel to the floor. Thus, blood rises to the knees, improving the regeneration of tissues in the joints.
A positive result from the above exercises will be if you do them regularly. Preferably daily for 15 minutes, alternating with massage, physiotherapy.
To be able to engage in various sports, running, walking, it is best to use an orthopedic knee brace, which reduces the load on the knee joint, treats arthritis - heats it, has a magnetic pad that enhances blood circulation. This is an essential purchase for knee joint disease.
For any joint disease, you need to change your lifestyle and diet. In order 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 damage the nutrition of the joint cells.
Folk methods of treatment
The most common folk remedies for the treatment of arthritis of the knee joint:
- Application of chalk and kefir. It is necessary to make these ingredients a homogeneous mass, which is applied and fixed to the knee for the night.
- Apply oatmeal - prepare oatmeal and apply on the foot at night.
- A decoction of strawberries. In this case strawberry leaves are used, preferably in dried form. First of all, you need to chop the leaves. Then throw them in boiling water and boil for 20 minutes. It is recommended that you take this medicine throughout the day instead of water.
- Hop. Take 2 tablespoons of hops and mix them with 50 grams of vegetable oil. Use as a compress.
- Mix 1 tablespoon mustard, 1 tablespoon honey and 1 tablespoon olive oil, boil them all (at least 5 minutes) and apply on the affected joints for two hours.
- A good anesthetic 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 been shown to be very effective in treating joint pain. Take 6 freshly cut burdock leaves, with the velvety side down. Fill with a heavy bowl of boiling water. After 30 minutes, the leaves can be used. The affected area is smeared with vegetable oil and the burdock leaves are applied to it and wrapped in foil.
- The use of dandelions Freshly cut dandelion flowers should be rinsed with cold water and chewed, regardless of their unpleasant taste. You should eat at least 4 flowers a day. Dried dandelion leaves can also be used as food.
- You can apply a sea salt compress on the sore knee. If the salt runs out at the right time, you can replace it with ordinary sand, which is heated and wrapped in a towel before use. This tool helps fight swelling.
Use of horseradish
Horseradish leaves and roots are rich in vitamins, natural herbicides, minerals and essential oils. So how to deal with horseradish arthritis:
- Cut and boil the root. The resulting suspension is applied to gauze and fastened to the knee. Put the fabric on top and leave the compression for half an hour. You can do this every day.
- Horseradish and apple cider vinegar, mix in equal proportions, add a little linseed oil and spread on the aching joint. Cover with cellophane and hold for 30 minutes. Repeat the process every other day.
- Fry the horseradish, and then mix it with the same amount of yogurt. Apply the resulting mass to the problem area and cover with cling film. Hold for 30-40 minutes and then rinse with lukewarm water. To achieve maximum results, you must perform at least 7 procedures.