The Medicenter clinic network treats patients with various types of arthrosis of mild and moderate severity. We have massage therapists who are proficient in modern techniques and are ready to provide assistance at any time of the day. Massage for arthrosis is one of the important components of combination therapy.
Massage is a therapeutic method in which the doctor’s hands work on the patient’s body. For arthrosis, manual therapy is part of a comprehensive treatment aimed at increasing the range of motion in diseased joints and stimulating recovery processes by improving microcirculation in the joint area.
For arthrosis, we usually prescribe massage in combination with medications, physiotherapy and physical therapy.
Massage for arthrosis. With arthrosis of the joint, the muscles suffer the most.
Cartilage degeneration does not allow putting stress on the joint apparatus; any tension causes pain and a person is forced to provide a gentle treatment to the diseased joint. As a result of prolonged inactivity, muscle atrophy begins, known as inactivator muscle atrophy. This condition is a characteristic sign of the progression of degenerative arthrosis. Of course, muscles atrophy unevenly; the extensor muscles are most often susceptible to inactivation. Other muscles, forced to take on the work of atrophied muscles, are subject to excessive stress, hypertrophy and are in constant tension.
Joint massage provides several positive effects:
1) Increased blood circulation near the joint capsule, which means that the drugs taken are more likely to get into the affected joint, the processes of cartilage degeneration will slow down;
2) Relief of pain due to blood flow and relaxation of muscles and ligaments;
3) Improving the functioning of the muscles of the limb and eliminating their atrophy, mechanical elimination of connective tissue adhesions in muscle fibers (endomysium), normalization of muscle tone, relieving tension from hypertrophied muscles.
The main function of massage for arthrosis is to restore muscle balance. And although degenerative changes in cartilage tissue cannot be eliminated, thanks to courses of competent joint massage, it is possible to significantly slow down and completely stop the progression of arthrosis processes.
Massage of the hip joint affected by arthrosis
It is performed with the patient lying on his stomach or side. The muscles surrounding the joint should relax as much as possible. The procedure begins with the areas below and above. Classically, they begin with the use of stroking techniques (upper and lower parts of the buttock and lower back, upper third of the thigh), squeezing with the edge of the palm, kneading the hip muscles. Each technique is used 6-8 times, then proceed to circular rubbing and massaging. With each new approach, the pressure increases. Finish with the use of shaking and stroking techniques.
Conducting a quality warm-up
Massage is a real life-saving measure for people with arthrosis. If massaging the shoulder and hip joints causes difficulties, then massaging the knees is easy. You need to sit down on a chair, relax and bend your leg at the knee. Start with gentle stroking, then move on to kneading movements. The treatment procedure is carried out for 15 minutes approximately four times a day, sometimes 2 times a 10-minute self-massage is quite enough. When warming up, the pain forces you to stop the procedure and lie down for a while. If you still have questions about how to properly perform massage movements of the knee joint, video 1 will be very useful.
Warming movements for arthrosis of the knee joint are recommended to be done while sitting and begin with rubbing. At the time of self-massage, work with bent fingers, pads (for straight, circular and zigzag movements), the base of the palms of the hands, movement of the pads of four fingers, moving the phalanges with bent fingers in a circle, knuckles of the fists, ribs of the palms. You should work by repeating the therapeutic movements up to three times. A massage session should take up to 15 minutes. For knee joint disease, this warm-up is sometimes performed twice a day. In this case, one session is reduced by 10 minutes.
Video 2 clearly demonstrates the slowdown in destructive processes after treatment.
- Muscle atrophy is prevented.
- Metabolism improves.
- A source of important “building” amino acids appears.
- The processes of destruction of cartilage tissue and joints are slowed down.
- The process of inflammation and swelling is suppressed.
- A long-lasting analgesic effect appears.
With arthrosis of the knee joint, severe inflammation can result from indiscriminate impact on the joint.
- Excess weight increases the effect on the fragile cartilage surface.
- Excessive physical activity. Concerns the activities of athletes. Arthrosis of the knee joint is their occupational disease, since the joints wear out and become deformed due to constant stress.
An unhealthy lifestyle, smoking and alcohol negatively affect the vascular part and arteries. With varicose veins, the risk of developing arthrosis increases. Video 3 clearly demonstrates the consequences of joint destruction.
Massage of the knee arthrosis joint
Begin by massaging the thigh muscles. Stroking and squeezing techniques are also used, but more intense with the use of combinatorial techniques, when the ribs of the palms and the ridges of the fists alternate. Knead the muscles of the front and back surfaces of the thigh, avoiding massaging the popliteal fossa. Finish with shaking and stroking and move on to the lower leg. After the leg muscles are warmed up, proceed to directly massage the knee joint. Circular rubbing techniques and “forceps” are used. Finish by massaging the thigh. The total procedure time is 15-20 minutes.
Massage for arthrosis of the ankle joints
The techniques used in this type of massage are classic, but due to the anatomical structure of the joints, the massage is carried out in “several stages” - during the session the patient’s position changes several times. At the very beginning, while lying on the stomach, the muscles of the lower leg, the Achilles tendon and the lateral surfaces of the ankle joint are kneaded, then the patient turns over onto his back and the massage therapist massages the tibia muscles. Then a cushion is placed under the ankle and moved to the muscles of the foot and the front surface of the joint. Finish with concentric stroking of the calf muscle, tibial muscles and ankle, foot. In this case, the patient lies on his back, his leg is bent at the knee.
When do you need a knee massage?
If in the case of the neck, shoulders, and back, massage is often done for preventive purposes, then in relation to the knee there are always medical indications:
- bruise – after falling or hitting an obstacle;
- sprain or rupture of ligaments - during sports, after a fall or accident;
- dislocation - a rare occurrence with the knee, due to accidents or serious injury;
- damage to the meniscus - internal or lateral (relevant for athletes and older people);
- intra-articular fracture - occurs in older people;
- cartilage damage - most often post-traumatic arthrosis develops after a dislocation, fracture or bruise.
Knee massage should be done by a specialist
Massage for arthrosis of the elbow joint with arthrosis changes
Position the patient lying on his stomach or side. In this type of massage, a clear sequence is important: shoulder girdle - shoulder - elbow joint - forearm. Start with stroking, rubbing and kneading. Then they move on to circular kneading with their fingertips. The total time allotted for the procedure is 15 minutes, massage of the joint itself is about 3 minutes.
To achieve the goals of massaging joints for cartilage degeneration, it is better to contact a professional massage therapist or doctor. But to alleviate the condition and maintain muscle tone, massage can be used at home. Self-massage techniques are identical to the classical one, with the only difference being that the intensity of the impact should be small and not cause discomfort or pain.
Massage for knees with gonarthrosis
Massage for gonarthrosis of the knee joint
Massage is a set of therapeutic techniques with which a master helps a person with a dosed effect on the body with a variety of mechanical movements. In the case of gonarthrosis, mechanical movements should be gentle and not cause pain to the patient. The massage technique for gonarthrosis of the knee joint depends on the degree of development of the disease and on the patient’s well-being.
Massage movements:
- rubbing;
- pressing;
- creating vibration;
- touching the surface of the knee with hands or special massage devices.
Using competent techniques, the massage therapist relaxes the tissues around the injured knee, touches the tendons, and restores their functionality. The professional term is “reception power.” The pressure exerted by the massage therapist on the surface of the leg. Here we discuss deep and small massage for gonarthrosis. Deep is done with great effort, which causes inhibition to develop, damaged tissues to relax, and blood flow to them increases.
Massage with low force is a superficial technique that stimulates and excites articular and periarticular tissues, bringing them into a state of active action. Massages of varying strengths are performed at different degrees of development of gonarthrosis.
Treatment procedures also differ in tempo and speed of action on the massage area. Speed is checked by counting the number of massage actions of the same type that the massage therapist performs in one minute. The tempo varies between fast and slow. Fast is used to increase joint tone and increase the excitability of nerve endings. A slow massage technique is required to reduce tone, calm both the sore knee and the person himself. To improve the patient’s well-being, acupressure of the legs is performed for gonarthrosis. This is a mandatory therapeutic measure that restores blood circulation in the leg with the affected knee, improves gait, and allows you to completely abandon the cane.
It seems that the masseuse works with everyone the same way. But no. Treatments for each patient, at each stage of gonarthrosis, have their own characteristics. The massage therapist adjusts the impact on the massage area depending on the doctor’s prescriptions and the person’s general well-being.
Tips for prescribing a massage
Elastic bandage for knee arthrosis
When gonarthrosis first makes itself felt, the first symptoms appear. A person gets tired quickly, and mild pain immediately appears in his knee or both after prolonged movement or active exercise. The first stage of gonarthrosis makes itself felt with slight swelling. Further - worse. A crunch appears in the knees, and the pain intensifies. It's high time to see a doctor. Timely diagnosis and treatment prevent deeper development of the disease, and treatment only with conservative methods. Among them, along with drug therapy, are physiotherapy and massage of the sore knee.
Massage at any stage of gonarthrosis:
- stimulates blood circulation;
- supplies tissues with oxygen;
- has an analgesic effect;
- prevents the development of contractures;
- completely restores joint function.
It is easiest to get rid of gonarthrosis at the first stage, when the cartilage tissue is still slightly deformed. Gonarthrosis is a complex and painful lesion of the knee joint. It can happen at any age. Therefore, the attending physician recommends performing self-massage for gonarthrosis of the knee joint in order to relieve pain on your own in a difficult situation. It should be borne in mind that for different types of arthrosis, massage is combined with drug treatment at any stage. When performing self-massage, it is important to perform the movements correctly, turn on a video with a lesson by P.V. Kulagin, author of a number of educational videos on massage, creator of the latest medical massage techniques.
Healing hands of a massage therapist:
- relieve muscle tension;
- relieve pain;
- relax, stretch the tissues around the joint;
- eliminate compactions in tissues;
- restore mobility of the knee joint;
- accelerate the rehabilitation of the articular joint;
- remove toxins from the knee;
- stimulate blood circulation;
- activate lymph outflow.
Proper massage relieves the unpleasant symptoms of gonarthrosis. The significance of massages was described back in Ancient Greece, which came down to us in scrolls found in excavations in India. Nowadays, doctors complement the classical areas of gonarthrosis therapy with massage.
You can do joint massage for gonarthrosis yourself, at home. A video recording of practical lessons will help with this. But it is better to learn the necessary massage technique from a specialist who will explain when a weak massage is needed and when a deep one; when to do a pain-relieving massage, and when to do a relaxing, soothing massage.