Treatment of osteoarthritis of the knee joint at home

Knee osteoarthritis is a disease of the hyaline cartilage that surrounds the oval protrusions of the tibia and femur.This chronic disease develops slowly and constantly progresses, due to which the hyaline cartilage is gradually destroyed.In the later stages of the disease, the damage affects the joint and is transferred to a part of the bone located nearby.

If you have osteoarthritis in the knee joint, you can treat it at home, but before doing so you should familiarize yourself with the basic principles.Firstly, it is important to understand that therapy is a complex process.Treatment includes medication, diet, massage, exercise therapy and physical therapy.

Arthrosis 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 the intra-articular cartilage in which the nutrition of the tissue surrounding the joint is impaired.Osteoarthritis mainly affects older people.Less commonly, professional athletes or people involved in heavy physical labor are affected by this disease.

Symptoms

The main question of interest to people with signs of arthrosis is the symptoms and treatment of the disease at home.Before consulting a doctor, do not ignore the signs your body gives.The following symptoms indicate that you have gonarthrosis:

• pain that appears when running, intense walking or climbing stairs;
• swelling, expressed by slight swelling of the kneecap;
• accumulation of fluid in the joint, leading to an increase in its volume (the joint swells and becomes like a ball);
• feeling of stiffness or tightness in the knees;
• pain that occurs when getting up from a sitting position and the first steps taken after getting up from the chair;
• heaviness in the knees;
• limited mobility;
• sharp pain with any attempt to bend the leg.

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

Degrees of osteoarthritis

Doctors distinguish 2 types of gonarthrosis: primary and secondary.Primary osteoarthritis occurs in elderly patients and is associated with age-related changes in the body.Secondary gonarthrosis is a consequence of injuries, pathologies and developmental disorders.This type of gonarthrosis can appear at any age.

There are 3 degrees (stages) of disease development:

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 subjected to heavy and prolonged loads.There is no deformation of the joint in the first stage of the disease, 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 prolonged.Additional signs: appearance of clicking, stiffness and slight deformation of the joint.
3. The third stage of gonarthrosis: 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 appear – growths on the surface of the bone tissue.This leads to blockage of the joints, which is manifested by sharp pain.Therefore, the patient is unable to move independently.

Most often, patients ask themselves how to treat grade 2 arthrosis. At this stage, the vast majority of patients consult a doctor.However, you should not delay visiting a medical facility.The sooner you start treating gonarthrosis, the greater the chances of the treatment giving 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.Pathology develops 3–5 years after injury, but in some cases it occurs much earlier – after 3–4 months.
2. Increased load on the joint.Gonarthrosis frequently affects professional athletes and people involved in 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, so they place an abnormal load on the joints.
3. Excess body weight.Excess weight causes increased axial load on the joints.The latter leads to microtraumas, meniscal damage and ligament ruptures.The greater the patient's weight, the greater the risk of developing the disease.
4. Past illnesses.Pathologies that can lead to gonarthrosis over time include psoriatic, rheumatoid or reactive arthritis, gout and ankylosing spondylitis.
5. Hereditary factor.The disease is caused by genetically determined weakness of the ligamentous apparatus.

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

Prevention

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

• maintain ideal body weight through adequate nutrition and dosed physical activity;
• drink 1.5-2 liters of clean water per day;
• be careful when playing sports;
• Consult a doctor immediately if you experience discomfort in the knee area.

Experts recommend creating a diet taking into account the individual needs of bone and cartilage tissue.It is strictly forbidden to follow diets that are based on the refusal of certain foods (for example, cereals).This can lead to metabolic disorders and subsequent pathologies of the musculoskeletal system.

How to treat osteoarthritis 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 a massage for arthrosis is an equally important point that should be entrusted to specialist doctors.Self-medication can lead to worsening of the disease.

Drug treatment

Before treating knee osteoarthritis, you must understand how to relieve knee pain.Taking medications is the main part of the treatment, which is aimed at eliminating pain and restoring cartilage tissue.

Medications for osteoarthritis

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

Another group of analgesics are COX-2 NSAIDs.This category of medicines has a similar therapeutic effect, but the side effects of these medicines are milder.Medicines 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, it is necessary to take chondroprotectors, hyaluronic acid, ointments and other medications prescribed by a specialist.

Chondroprotectors

Chondroprotectors are a group of drugs designed to restore cartilaginous tissue and symptomatic treatment of osteoarthritis.Preparations of this group are made from animal or vegetable raw materials, hyaluronic acid, collagen and chondroitin sulfate.The latest generation of medicines is 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 injectable solutions.

Ointments

Ointments, creams and gels are suitable products for rubbing.They have several effects:

• warm the affected area;
• calm inflammation;
• activate local blood circulation and distract from pain.

Hyaluronic acid

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

Forms a film on the surface of damaged tissue that performs a protective function.This helps to prevent further destruction of cartilaginous tissue and improve the sliding of surfaces that come into contact with each other during movement.

Drug compresses

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 fixed with a bandage.A plastic film is placed on top and a cotton fabric is placed over it.You cannot keep this compress for more than an hour.

Folk remedies

Traditional medicine combined with traditional medicine gives excellent results.

Mops and baths

Rubbing is a mixture of medicinal solutions that is rubbed into the skin of the affected area.The goal is to improve blood flow, helping to warm the painful area 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 painful area.

Infusions and decoctions

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

Compresses

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

Exercise therapy and procedures

Therapeutic gymnastics

Doing exercises for knee osteoarthritis at home is one of the most effective ways to self-treat the disease.Physiotherapy exercises are not prescribed for patients with gonarthrosis exacerbations.You can perform exercises only in periods when there is practically no pain and mobility is not limited.

Therapeutic massage

For gonarthrosis, experts allow self-massage of the knee joint.For the massage technique to give the expected results, it is important to do it correctly.The knee joint massage technique is as follows:

1. Sit on a chair and bend your knees at right angles.To make it more comfortable, place a bench or small chair under your feet.
2. During the process, one hand should be behind the knee and the other in front.
3. There are several ways to massage the knee: it is allowed to rub with the edge of the palm, with a hand clenched into a fist, or gently circular stroking with the tips of your fingers.

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 phase of the disease, bleeding, vascular thrombosis, high temperature, fever.

Thermal treatments

This is an effective treatment method used in conjunction with other methods.The procedure is performed after the acute stage of gonarthrosis has disappeared.This treatment option aims to dilate blood vessels, activate metabolic processes, accelerate regeneration and increase joint mobility.Eliminating pain is another bonus that thermal procedures provide.

Magnetic 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.Thanks to this, the restoration of cartilaginous tissue is stimulated, the production of natural lubrication is increased and metabolic processes are improved.

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

Food

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

Useful and prohibited foods

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

Healthy Products	Prohibited Products
lean meat; still mineral water; nuts; cereals; birds and fish; fermented dairy products; jellied meat made with bone broth; chicken eggs.	tomatoes; refined oils; mayonnaise; fast food; alcohol; coffee; flour and sweet products; fruits with high acidity; sausages; sausages; fatty meat; pepper; white cabbage.

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

Diet example

Sample menu:

Breakfast	Lunch	Afternoon snack	To have lunch	Late dinner
buckwheat porridge with mushrooms – 150 g; piece of rye bread – 20 g.	jellied meat cooked in pork legs – 250 g.	a glass of kefir – 250 ml.	mashed potatoes – 100 g; roast pollock – 80 g.	chicken breast – 80 g.

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