Methods for treating gonarthrosis of the knee joint - medication and physiotherapy, exercise therapy

Treatment of gonarthrosis of the knee joint - a complex method of treating degenerative-dystrophic pathology that destroys the joint joint and bone tissue. Doctors - orthopedists and surgeons - use drug therapy, physiotherapy procedures, massage, recommend complex exercise therapy that relieves the condition, reduces pain and restores the knee joint to mobility. Medication and physical therapy are effective if gonarthrosis is in the early stages. If the disease is neglected, joint replacement surgery is most often used.

Traditional and alternative medicine methods are also widely used, for example, hirudotherapy, sandblasting, herbal compresses, Chinese plaster, Tibetan balms. Before using the treatment of gonarthrosis with folk remedies, it is necessary to consult a doctor about the appropriateness of the chosen technique.

Therapy of knee gonarthrosis

The choice of a therapeutic technique depends on the stage of the disease, other diseases in the patient's history and the individual characteristics of the organism.

treatment

The main purposes of prescribed drugs for gonarthrosis of the knee joint:

• reduce pain;
• stop the inflammatory process;
• inhibit degenerative changes in the articular joint;
• restore the lost mobility of the knee joint.

Medicines for gonarthrosis are divided into:

• pain relievers and anti-inflammatory;
• chondroprotectors;
• vitamin and mineral complexes.

If the tablets do not give visible results, they use injections that are injected directly into the joints. This procedure is called blockage. Chondroprotectors, anesthetics, corticosteroid hormones, hyaluronic acid are used for injections.

If a patient is diagnosed with grade 1 gonarthrosis, he is prescribed:

1. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. These pills have a high incidence of side effects, so they should not be taken for a long time, otherwise a person may develop erosion and stomach ulcers.
2. Simple analgesics.
3. Oils with skin irritating effect, which include bee venom, snake venom, chili peppers extract and other preparations.
4. Glucosaminoglycans or chondroprotectors are divided into natural, complex preparations and monopreparations. They reduce pain, restore mobility to the affected joint and inhibit degenerative processes.

Importers It is important to know. Chondroprotectors are described as a background treatment. They should be taken for a long time, from 3 months to six months. You can not try to replace the pills prescribed by your doctor with cheaper counterparts. They may not work, and time will be wasted, and the person will develop grade 3 gonarthrosis, which is fraught with serious complications, for example, synovitis.

Traditional methods

Patients with gonarthrosis are advised to eat honey, nettles and celery. Fresh leaves of the apple tree can be used to prepare salads, which are seasoned with a small amount of vegetable oil.

Nettle can be added to vegetable soups, or you can make an infusion of garlic and lemon:

1. For 100 g of garlic cloves, you should get 3 medium lemons and 250 g of nettle leaves.
2. Pass all the ingredients through a meat grinder.
3. Pour the resulting mixture with 3 liters of boiling water and leave for a day in a warm place.

The infusion should be taken daily. On the first day, limit yourself to 70 ml of the product and gradually increase the number of doses up to 3 times a day.

You can make compresses from a decoction of burdock rhizome:

1. 3 tablespoons Pour the crushed raw materials with a glass of boiling water.
2. Insist for 15 minutes.
3. Calm down.
4. Soak gauze in the broth and apply to the affected joint.
5. Wrap the sore spot and leave overnight.

A useful and general tonic for gonarthrosis is a broth boiled from the bones of cattle. The healing effect is provided by gelatin, which is released as a result of prolonged heat treatment.

To prepare the soup, take the beef knees and hooves, place them in a large pan and pour water over them so that they completely cover the bones.

Let simmer and simmer until the meat and cartilage are easily separated from the bones. 100 ml of broth should be taken before meals.

Physiotherapy

If a person is diagnosed with grade 1 or 2 gonarthrosis, the doctor may prescribe different physiotherapy procedures:

1. Paraffin applications are heating procedures that prevent the development of degenerative processes in the articular joint.
2. Plasmolifting, when a drug is injected into the articular cavity based on the patient's own blood. Biologically active substances contained in blood plasma have a healing effect. They provoke healing and restoration of affected bone and muscle structures.
3. Cryotherapy or local exposure to liquid nitrogen at a sore spot. The procedure relieves the pain and begins the regeneration of the damaged joint.
4. Laser therapy, which is an effective method that allows you to stop the inflammatory process and stimulate metabolism in a short time.
5. Glucocorticoid ultrasound, which has an anti-inflammatory and analgesic effect, stops degenerative processes.
6. Medical electrophoresis with anesthesia is the effect of an electric current on the affected joint, which promotes the penetration of medical substances directly into the articular joint.
7. Shock wave therapy, which operates on the damaged area with low-frequency sound waves, and speeds up blood circulation and metabolism in the diseased joint.

On a note. Physiotherapy procedures can be performed at home, using a magnetic therapy device, which allows you to relieve swelling and painful sensations, to stop the inflammatory process.

Hirudotherapy

Alternative methods of medicine include caterpillar therapy or hirudotherapy.. . .This treatment of gonarthrosis has many advantages:

• within 3 months, a persistent analgesic effect is achieved, which allows you to cancel drug therapy;
• metabolic processes are stimulated, blood microcirculation in the affected node area is improved;
• swelling is reduced;
• restores joint mobility;
• clots are eliminated, which often form due to the development of gonarthrosis.

Hirudotherapy gives the best results in the initial stages of disease development. The healing effect on the affected area is due to the enzymes that the caterpillars release into the patient's blood after sucking the injured knee. These are chemically active substances that:

• dissolve thrombotic compounds, prevents blood clotting;
• low cholesterol levels;
• decompose hyaluronic acid.

On a note. Enzymes like eglin and quinine can replace non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and analgesics.

Special exercises

Recreational gymnastics is an effective way to treat pathology affecting the joint joints. The purpose of the exercise is to strengthen the muscle, which will provide support for the damaged joint and allow it to return to mobility.

With gonarthrosis, strength training, walking or prolonged running are contraindicated. Classes should be alternated with rest.

The positive effect will be noticeable if you exercise regularly for at least six months. Approximate set of exercises:

1. Shaking the legs with moderate amplitudes. Better yet do it while sitting in a chair or high table so that your feet are hanging in the air.
2. Without changing position, you can lift the legs alternately, directing them to the knees, holding the position for at least 3 seconds.
3. The next exercise is a bike. It is performed while you are lying on the floor. Simulate the bike slowly at first, gradually accelerating the pace, and then slowing down again.
4. From a prone position, you should slowly bend your knee and pull it into your stomach. Then, also gently straighten the bent limb until there is tension in the muscles. It is necessary to hold the pose for 8 seconds. Then lower the heel to the floor and slowly direct the foot, returning to its original position.

A set of therapeutic exercises is suitable for the treatment of gonarthrosis. A physiotherapist should be consulted before being charged.

Massage

This method can not get rid of the disease, but is able to relieve symptoms, alleviate periods of deterioration, and also increase the effectiveness of physiotherapy and medication.

Massagewith gonarthrosis:

• relaxes spasmodic muscles around the affected joint;
• accelerates the healing process;
• "Flushes" toxic substances accumulated in tissues as a result of inflammation.

For the treatment of gonarthrosis, the following methods are used:

• Japanese, which operates on the affected areas with the help of point physical exercise;
• Swedish uses rubbing, hitting the injured joint with the palms;
• Finnish, when all mixing movements are performed with the thumbs.

Massage involves not only mechanical action on the affected limb, but also lower back massage. During the procedure, the person should not experience pain in the damaged joint.

Self-massage at home is allowed. First, you need to study the technique of performing massage movements:

• stroke;
• friction;
• kneading;
• tapping or finger bathing;
• vibration.

Basic rules for the procedure:

1. Self-massage is done on an empty stomach.
2. Better it is better if a person takes a shower or a warm bath at this time (water temperature should not exceed 36-38 ° C).
3. The procedure is performed in the morning, before 14: 00, because it tones the body.
4. All movements are performed carefully, there should be no marks, bruising on the skin, a person should not feel pain during self-massage.
5. The procedure starts from the largest femoral muscle, moving from the knee joint to the hip fold.
6. At the end of the exposure, it is recommended to bend and straighten the leg at the knee several times.

Important. Before using self-massage, you should consult an orthopedist.

Disease prevention

Various reasons lead to osteoarthritis:

• excess weight;
• wrong lifestyle;
• excessive physical activity;
• genetic predisposition.

Prevention of gonarthrosis includes various measures, for example, diet, avoidance of alcohol and smoking, physical education, which eliminates the increase in stress in the knee joints. Health sports activities include:

• Nordic walking, which uses special equipment, such as ski poles;
• yoga, which increases joint flexibility, speeds up metabolism, has a beneficial effect on the body as a whole;
• Exercise on a bike that helps keep your knee joints healthy.

If a person leads an active lifestyle - rollerblading, cycling, skiing, he should take care of protective equipment that will help prevent micro-injuries and significant knee injuries. Every physical activity should be moderate, and sports activities should alternate with rest.