One of the most common diseases of the joints is arthrosis. This disease mainly affects the elderly.
What is osteoarthritis of the knee?
Osteoarthritis is a degenerative disease of the joints associated with the gradual destruction of cartilage inside the joint. The patient experiences severe pain in the joints, limited mobility. Such people find it difficult to move around and have difficulty doing standard household chores. When cartilage collapses, the joint loses the ability to move.
The main symptom is pain during certain activities:
- When climbing stairs.
- When lifting a load.
- When sitting down.
- If you suddenly stop after a long walk.
The pain may worsen before bedtime, while the knee swelling occurs at night. There may also be fluid accumulation in the joint.
Treat at home
The result of complex treatment of osteoarthritis should be permanent remission. Arthritis complex therapy combines treatment with therapeutic exercise and physiotherapy.
The goal of osteoarthritis treatment is to eliminate the pain syndrome and then activate the cartilage tissue regeneration. Medications containing chondroitin and glucosamine will be very useful during this period. These medications can be used in the form of tablets, ointments, sprays. The duration of treatment can last for a very long time, up to one year.
During the exercise, movements are made that do not damage the cartilage tissue, but promote recovery.
All of the above helps only in the first stage of arthrosis. The second and third stages require surgical intervention.
Medical treatment for osteoarthritis of the knee joint at home includes:
- Painkillers. Painkillers: tablets, ointments, sprays. It is also possible to use anesthetic tablets.
- Medications that relax muscles. Medications that promote muscle relaxation reduce spasms.
- Chondroprotectors - "Cartilage Protector". These medications are the basis of the treatment of osteoarthritis.
All medications should be prescribed by a doctor, should not be taken without a prescription, everyone has contraindications.
Therapeutic exercises
Exercises should be chosen by the orthopedist 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 floor muscles. Increases blood flow to the knee joint.
- Lie on your back, lift your legs perpendicular to your body and press firmly to the floor. Move your feet in the air, imitating a bicycle.
- Start on the abdomen, alternately rotating the knees. This exercise strengthens the muscles of the legs, activates metabolic processes in the knee joints.
- The person sits on a chair and raises his legs parallel to the floor. Thus, blood rushes to the knees, improving tissue regeneration in the joints.
The above exercises will have a positive result if you do them regularly. Preferably daily for 15 minutes, alternating massage, physiotherapy.
In order to be able to do different sports, jogging, walking, it is better to use an orthopedic knee brace, which reduces the load on the knee joint, treats arthritis - warms it, has a magnetic pad that enhances blood circulation. This is a necessary purchase in case of osteoarthritis of the knee joint.
During any osteoarthritis 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 supply food to the cells of the joints.
Folk methods of treatment
The most common folk remedies for the treatment of osteoarthritis of the knee joint:
- Apply chalk and kefir. It is essential that these components become a homogeneous mass that is applied and fixed on the knee overnight.
- Apply oatmeal - Prepare oatmeal and apply on feet overnight.
- Strawberry Decoction. In this case, strawberry leaves are used, preferably in dried form. First, the leaves must be cut. Then pour them into boiling water and boil for 20 minutes. It is advisable to take this remedy throughout the day, instead of water.
- Hop. Take 2 tablespoons of hops and mix with 50 g of vegetable oil. Use as a compress.
- Mix 1 tablespoon mustard, 1 tablespoon honey and 1 tablespoon olive oil, boil it all (at least 5 minutes) and apply on damaged joints for two hours.
- A good anesthetic is a tincture of agave leaves and alcohol in a ratio of 1: 10. Refrigerate this mixture for one month. Use 20-30 drops in the morning, afternoon and evening.
- Burdock has proven itself well among other plants for treating osteoarthritis. Pick up 6 freshly torn burdock leaves, velvet side down. Top with a heavy bowl of boiling water. After 30 minutes the leaves can be used. The damaged area is soaked in vegetable oil and the burdock leaves are wrapped and wrapped in foil.
- Using Dandelions Freshly picked dandelion flowers should be rinsed with cold water and chewed, despite their unpleasant taste. You should eat at least 4 flowers a day. Dried dandelion leaves can also be used for food.
- You can apply a compress of sea salt on a sore knee. If the salt has run out in time, you can replace it with ordinary sand, which is heated before use and wrapped in a towel. This tool promotes swelling.
Use of milk
Horse leaves and roots are rich in vitamins, natural phytoncides, minerals and essential oils. So, how to treat osteoarthritis in a horse:
- Cut the root and bring to a boil. Apply the obtained suspension on the gauze and fix it on the knee. Place the cloth on top and leave the compress on for half an hour. You can do this every day.
- Mix onion and apple cider vinegar in equal proportions, add a little flaxseed oil and apply on sore joint. Cover with cellophane and let stand for 30 minutes. Repeat the procedure every other day.
- Fry the onion, then mix in the same amount of yogurt. Apply the resulting mass on the problem area and cover with cling film. Leave on for 30-40 minutes and then rinse with warm water. You need to perform at least 7 procedures to achieve maximum results.