Treatment of arthrosis of the knee joint at home

Osteoarthritis of the knee is a disease of the hyaline cartilage that surrounds the oval projections of the shinbone and femur.This chronic disease develops slowly and progresses steadily, gradually destroying the hyaline cartilage.In the later stages of the disease, the damage affects the joint and spreads to a part of the bone in the immediate vicinity.

If you suffer from osteoarthritis of the knee joint, you can treat it at home.But before that, you should familiarize yourself with the basic principles.First of all, it is important to understand that therapy is a complex process.Treatment includes medication, diet, massage, exercise therapy and physiotherapy.

Osteoarthritis of the knee joint is called gonarthrosis, osteoarthrosis, defarthrosis.These are all different names for the same disease.

What is knee osteoarthritis?

Gonarthrosis is a progressive disease of intra-articular cartilage in which the nutrition of the tissues surrounding the joint is impaired.Osteoarthritis mainly affects older people.Professional athletes or people who do heavy physical work are less commonly affected by this disease.

Symptoms

The main question that is of interest to people with signs of arthrosis is the symptoms and treatment of the disease at home.Do not ignore your body's signals before contacting a doctor.The following symptoms indicate gonarthrosis:

• Pain that occurs when running, walking vigorously, or climbing stairs;
• Swelling, which is manifested by a slight swelling of the kneecap;
• Accumulation of fluid in the joint, causing an increase in volume (the joint swells and becomes a ball);
• a feeling of stiffness or tightness in the knees;
• Pain that occurs when getting up from sitting and when taking the first steps after getting up;
• Feeling of heaviness in the knees;
• limited mobility;
• stabbing pain with every attempt to bend the leg.

The severity of the symptoms depends on the degree of gonarthrosis.In the initial stages, pain rarely occurs and disappears when the patient walks a certain distance.In the later stages, the symptoms appear constantly and do not subside even at night.

Degree of osteoarthritis

Doctors distinguish two types of gonarthrosis: primary and secondary.Primary osteoarthritis occurs in older patients and is associated with age-related changes in their body.Secondary gonarthrosis is a consequence of injuries, pathologies and developmental disorders.This type of gonarthrosis can occur at any age.

There are 3 degrees of development (stages) of the disease:

1. The manifestations of gonarthrosis in the first stage are mild.Dull pain occurs irregularly.Most often this happens in cases where the joint is exposed to prolonged and severe stress.In the first stage of the disease, there is no deformation of the joint, only slight swelling is possible.
2. In the second stage, symptoms of gonarthrosis appear at regular intervals.The nature of the pain changes: the discomfort becomes acute, intense and persistent.Additional signs: the appearance of a crunch, stiffness and slight deformation of the joint.
3. The third stage of gonarthrosis: the clinical manifestations intensify to the maximum.The pain becomes constant, gait is impaired, swelling increases, and the temperature in the joint area increases.

In severe cases, fragments of broken osteophytes - growths on the surface of bone tissue - appear.This leads to a joint blockage, which manifests itself as acute pain.Therefore, the patient cannot move independently.

Most often, patients ask themselves how to treat grade 2 osteoarthritis.At this stage, the vast majority of patients consult a doctor.However, you should not delay visiting a medical facility.The earlier you start treating gonarthrosis, the greater the chance that the treatment will produce good results.

Reasons for the development of the disease

The occurrence of gonarthrosis is explained by a complex of factors.Doctors identify a number of causes of the disease:

1. Injuries: meniscus damage, tibia fractures, ligament damage.The pathology develops 3-5 years after the injury, but in some cases it occurs much earlier - after 3-4 months.
2. Increased stress on the joint.Gonarthrosis often affects professional athletes and people who do heavy physical work.The risk group includes people who started playing sports after the age of 40.They do not take into account age-related changes, which is why they put excessive strain on the joints.
3. Overweight.Excess weight leads to increased axial stress on the joints.The latter leads to microtrauma, meniscus damage and ligament tears.The greater the patient's weight, the higher the risk of developing the disease.
4. Previous illnesses.Pathologies that can lead to gonarthrosis over time include psoriasis, rheumatoid or reactive arthritis, gout and ankylosing spondylitis.
5. Hereditary factor.The disease is caused by a genetic weakness of the ligamentous system.

Doctors identify several more reasons: metabolic disorders, congenital anomalies, capillary fragility, circulatory diseases, disorders of the endocrine and hormonal systems, old injuries that have not been treated.

prevention

Prevention of arthrosis of the knee joints includes a number of the following measures:

• Maintaining optimal body weight through proper nutrition and measured physical activity;
• drink 1.5-2 liters of clean water per day;
• Be careful when exercising;
• See a doctor immediately if you experience discomfort in the knee area.

Experts recommend creating a diet that takes into account the individual needs of bone and cartilage tissue.It is strictly forbidden to follow diets based on the exclusion of certain foods (e.g. cereals).This can lead to metabolic disorders and secondary diseases of the musculoskeletal system.

How to treat arthrosis of the knee joint at home?

To get rid of gonarthrosis at home, you need to approach treatment comprehensively.Therapy includes taking medications, following a diet and physiotherapeutic procedures.Carrying out massage for arthrosis is an equally important point that should be entrusted to specialists.Self-medication can lead to an exacerbation of the disease.

Drug treatment

Before treating knee osteoarthritis, you should know how to relieve knee pain.The main component of treatment is taking medications aimed at eliminating pain and restoring cartilage tissue.

Medication for osteoarthritis

To eliminate inflammation and associated discomfort, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are prescribed.This is a group of drugs with a complex effect: relieve pain, relieve inflammation and reduce temperature.In the treatment of gonarthrosis, they are prescribed intravenously or intramuscularly.

Another group of painkillers are COX-2 NSAIDs.This category of drugs has a similar therapeutic effect, but the side effects of these drugs are milder.Drugs in this group can be used to relieve pain for several months.

Painkillers help relieve pain, but do not affect the cause of the disease.To cure gonarthrosis, you need to take chondroprotectors, hyaluronic acid, ointments and other medications prescribed by a specialist.

Chondroprotectors

Chondroprotectors are a group of drugs intended for the restoration of cartilage tissue and the symptomatic treatment of arthrosis.Preparations in this group are made from animal or plant raw materials, hyaluronic acid, collagen and chondroitin sulfate.The latest generation drugs are a combination of the listed substances.They are also supplemented with polyunsaturated fatty acids and vitamins.

Chondroprotectors are available in the form of gels, ointments, tablets and injection solutions.

Anoint

Ointments, creams and gels are products suitable for rubbing.They have a number of effects:

• warm up the affected area;
• calming inflammation;
• Activate local blood circulation and distract from pain.

Hyaluronic acid

Hyaluronic acid is a substance that is part of the epithelial, nervous and connective tissue.Preparations based on this component act on the joint like a natural joint lubrication, which is why they received a second name - “liquid prostheses”.

It forms a film on the surface of damaged tissue that fulfills a protective function.This helps prevent further destruction of cartilage tissue and improves the gliding of surfaces that come into contact with each other during movement.

Compressed with medication

To improve effectiveness, ointments and solutions in the form of compresses can be used.Ointments, creams or gels are applied to the affected area with a napkin and secured with a bandage.A plastic film is placed on top and cotton fabric is placed on top.You cannot keep this compress for more than an hour.

Folk remedies

Traditional medicine in combination with traditional medicine gives excellent results.

Rubs and baths

Rubbing is a mixture of medicinal solutions that is rubbed into the affected area of skin.The purpose is to improve blood circulation, warm the sore spot and distract the patient from the pain.It is recommended to use this method in combination with a sauna or hot bath.First you need to warm the body with hot water or a steam room in a bathhouse, and then apply a mixture of medicinal solutions to the sore spot.

Infusions and decoctions

Infusions and decoctions help to relieve pain and improve the patient's condition in the initial stages of gonarthrosis.To relieve symptoms, the following folk remedies are used: herbal tea made from black beans, infusion of lemon, garlic and nettle, and decoction of cattle hooves.

Compressed

You can make compresses yourself based on natural ingredients.They are performed in the same way as wrapping with ointments and solutions.As a base you can use natural honey, clay, camphor oil and young dandelion leaves.This compress can be left overnight.

Exercise therapy and procedures

Therapeutic gymnastics

Exercises for knee arthrosis at home are one of the most effective ways to self-treat this disease.Patients with gonarthrosis exacerbations are not prescribed physiotherapy exercises.You can perform exercises only at times when there is practically no pain and mobility is not limited.

Therapeutic massage

In cases of gonarthrosis, experts allow self-massage of the knee joint.In order for the massage technique to give the expected result, it is important to perform it correctly.The technique of knee joint massage is as follows:

1. Sit on a chair and bend your knees at a right angle.To make it more comfortable, place a bench or small chair under your feet.
2. During the procedure, one hand should be behind the knee and the other in front.
3. There are several ways to massage the knee: rubbing with the edge of the palm, a hand bent into a fist, or gentle circular strokes with the fingertips are allowed.

Experts recommend knee massage for arthrosis at home up to 5 times a day.The total duration of the procedure is up to 15 minutes.Contraindications to massage: acute stage of the disease, bleeding, vascular thrombosis, increased temperature, fever.

Thermal treatments

This is an effective treatment method that is used in conjunction with other methods.The procedure is carried out after the acute stage of gonarthrosis has subsided.The aim of this treatment option is to expand blood vessels, activate metabolic processes, accelerate regeneration and increase joint mobility.Eliminating pain is another benefit offered by thermal procedures.

Magnetic field therapy device

There is a device that emits a magnetic field that comes into contact with charged particles in the body and accelerates metabolic processes.This stimulates the restoration of cartilage tissue, increases the production of natural lubricants and improves metabolic processes.

The device is often used in medical institutions and sanatoriums.Therapy with the device can also be carried out at home.The kit comes with detailed operating instructions.

Eat

A patient with gonarthrosis needs to lose excess weight and also eliminate harmful foods from his diet.Below you will find two tables to help you lose weight and eat joint-healthy foods.

Useful and forbidden foods

When treating arthrosis, doctors recommend maintaining a normal weight and following the following diet:

Healthy products	Prohibited products
lean meat; mineral water without gas; nuts; Grain; poultry and fish; fermented milk products; bone broth jellied meat; chicken eggs.	tomatoes; refined oils; Mayonnaise; fast food; Alcohol; Coffee; flour and sweet products; fruits with high acidity; sausages; sausages; fatty meat; Paprika; White cabbage.

You need to eat often and in small portions (up to 300 g).The last meal should be eaten no later than 2-3 hours before bedtime.

Example of a diet

Example menu:

Breakfast	Lunch	Afternoon snack	Dinner	Late dinner
Buckwheat porridge with mushrooms – 150 g; Piece of rye bread – 20 g.	jellied meat on pork legs – 250 g.	a glass of kefir – 250 ml.	Mashed potatoes – 100 g; baked pollock – 80 g.	Chicken breast – 80g.

You can add all permitted products to the menu.The main rule is not to overload the body with heavy food and to eat on a schedule.