One of the most common joint diseases is osteoarthritis. This disease mainly affects the elderly.
What is osteoarthritis of the knee?
Osteoarthritis is a degenerative disease of the joints, which is associated with the gradual destruction of cartilage inside the joint. The patient experiences severe joint pain, limited mobility. Such people find it difficult to move and perform standard household chores. When cartilage wears out, the joint loses its ability to move.
The main symptom is pain during certain activities:
- When walking up the stairs.
- When lifting loads.
- While squatting.
- If you suddenly stop after a long walk.
The pain may worsen at bedtime, and swelling of the knee occurs at night. There may also be an accumulation of fluid in the joint.
Treatment at home
The consequence of complex treatment of osteoarthritis should be permanent remission. The complex therapy of arthrosis combines treatment with therapeutic gymnastics and physiotherapy.
The goal of arthritis 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 take a long time, up to a year.
During training, movements are made that do not damage the cartilage tissue, but help to recover.
All of the above helps only in the first stage of osteoarthritis. In the second and third stages, surgery is required.
Medical treatment for osteoarthritis of the knee at home includes:
- Painkillers. Medicines to relieve pain: tablets, ointments, sprays. Anesthetic tablets may also be used.
- Drugs that relax muscles. Drugs that promote muscle relaxation reduce spasms.
- Chondroprotectors - "cartilage protectors". These drugs are the basis of the treatment of osteoarthritis.
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 chosen by an orthopedist who will build 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, raise your legs perpendicular to your body and press firmly on the floor. Move your legs in the air, imitating cycling.
- Lie on your stomach, alternating your knees. This exercise strengthens the muscles of the legs, activating metabolic processes in the knee joints.
- A man sits on a chair and raises his legs parallel to the floor. Thus, the 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 do various sports, running, walking, it is better to use an orthopedic knee brace, which reduces the load on the knee joint, treats osteoarthritis - warms it, there is a magnetic pad that improves blood circulation. This is a necessary purchase for osteoarthritis of the knee.
For each osteoarthritis you need to change your lifestyle and diet. For the treatment to be effective, sugar, alcoholic beverages, spicy and fatty foods, chemical additives should be excluded from the menu. It is not recommended to starve, so as not to disrupt the food supply to the joint cells.
Folk methods of treatment
The most common folk remedies for the treatment of osteoarthritis of the knee:
- Applying 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 on feet overnight.
- Decoction of strawberries. In this case, strawberry leaves are used, preferably in dried form. First, you need to cut the leaves. Then pour them into boiling water and cook 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 g of vegetable oil. Use as a compress.
- Mix 1 tablespoon of mustard, 1 tablespoon of honey and 1 tablespoon of olive oil, boil everything (at least 5 minutes) and apply on affected joints for two hours.
- Good anesthesia is a tincture of agave leaves and alcohol in a ratio of 1: 10. Insist this mixture for a month in the refrigerator. Use 20-30 drops in the morning, afternoon and evening.
- Burdock has proven very good among other plants in the treatment of osteoarthritis. Take 6 freshly torn burdock leaves with the velvet side down. Pour a heavy bowl of boiled water on top. After 30 minutes the leaves can be used. The affected area is smeared with vegetable oil and burdock leaves are applied on it and wrapped in foil.
- The use of dandelions Freshly picked dandelion flowers should be rinsed with cold water and chewed, regardless of their unpleasant taste. At least 4 flowers should be eaten per day. Dried dandelion leaves can also be used as food.
- You can apply a sea salt compress on the affected knee. If the salt runs out at the right time, you can replace it with ordinary sand, which is heated before use and wrapped in a towel. This tool helps fight swelling.
Use of horseradish
Horseradish leaves and roots are rich in vitamins, natural phytonutrients, minerals and essential oils. So, how to treat osteoarthritis with horseradish:
- Cut and boil the root. The resulting suspension is applied to gauze and fixed on the knee. Place the cloth 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 apply on the inflamed joint. Cover with cellophane and hold for 30 minutes. Repeat the procedure every other day.
- Fry the horseradish, then mix it with the same amount of yogurt. Apply the resulting mass on the problem area and cover with cling film. Hold for 30-40 minutes and then rinse with warm water. To achieve maximum results, you must perform at least 7 procedures.