Treatment of knee joint cartilage

Fir oil for joints is a reliable natural remedy for improving dynamic function, eliminating pain and other symptoms of musculoskeletal diseases.

Thanks to an extensive list of healing properties, this natural remedy helps reduce the number of medications used to treat arthritis or arthrosis, prolong the period of remission, and delay and alleviate exacerbations of the disease.

The subject of this topic will be fir oil: properties and uses for joints, contraindications, the simplest and most effective recipes.

Principles of treatment

Treatment approaches depend on the exact reason for the thinning of the cartilage. This may happen as a result of:

inflammatory diseases;
degenerative processes;
injuries;
surgical operations performed.

Treatment can be aimed at eliminating symptoms, slowing down degenerative processes, stopping inflammation, and enhancing the regenerative abilities of cartilage tissue. Sometimes surgery is required. It allows you to replace defects of the cartilage surface.

Composition of fir oil

Fir oil is obtained by water-steam distillation of cones and branches from Siberian fir or by steaming needles. The product has a greenish or yellowish tint, a loose consistency, low viscosity, and a pleasant smell of fresh forest and pine needles.

This elixir contains the following components:

bisabolene;
cadinene;
myrcene;
humulene;
a-pinene;
camphor;
terpenes;
tannins;
phytoncides.

Did you know? Fir needles fall less than those of spruce, so they are often dressed up for the New Year holidays.

A plant extract from fir, which grows only in ecologically clean regions, does not contain harmful additives and is safe when used correctly.

Lifestyle correction

Initially, it is necessary to eliminate all factors that can provoke thinning of the cartilage of the knee joint. Treatment begins with the patient being advised to give up heavy physical work and sports. Because with continued mechanical irritation of the cartilage, it will be damaged, and full restoration of cartilage tissue is impossible due to its poor blood supply.

The patient needs:

weight loss if BMI exceeds 25 kg/m2;
reducing the load on the sore leg;
use of orthopedic devices (orthoses, insoles);
using a cane or crutches.

Methods of application

A product such as fir oil for joints should only be used externally.

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The most common recipes for compresses based on fir extract, ointments, rubbing, and medicinal baths. Taking the product internally for the treatment of joint ailments is not recommended to avoid stomach or intestinal upset.

Oil compresses

Take a cotton bag or sock (if treating an ankle joint) and fill it with sea or iodized salt. Heat the bulk product to 50-60 degrees. Drop 7-8 drops of fir extract inside. Place the sock on your foot or apply the bag to the inflamed joint, securing it with an additional bandage. Leave until the salt inside the bag cools to room temperature. Such a compress will help quickly reduce pain, reduce swelling, and return the patient to the joy of movement.
Warm the inflamed knee, elbow or shoulder joint with iodized, table or sea salt. Then soak a sheet of parchment or paper with fir essential oil and secure it on the sore joint with a thick bandage. You need to keep the lotion for no more than 30-40 minutes to avoid burns.

Rubbing

To more effectively treat pain due to osteochondrosis, arthritis, arthrosis and other similar diseases, it is recommended to rub the inflamed area 2-3 times a day with substances with anti-inflammatory, warming, and blood flow-stimulating effects.

Wash thoroughly with warm water and soap, preferably leaving the skin steamed. Place a few drops of fir extract on your palm and lightly rub it until warm. Rub into the inflamed area with light massaging movements.
Take 1 tbsp. l. melted lamb or pig lard, mix with 7 drops of fir extract, mix. Rub the sore joint until the substance is absorbed. Then insulate with a cotton bandage, and on top of it with a wool scarf or sheep's wool belt.
Take 1 tbsp. l. Vaseline, add 5-7 drops of oil extract, mix the ingredients. Use to rub the knee, hip, ankle and other joints 2-3 times a day, best after a warm bath or sauna.

Baths

Patients who have used fir oil for joints leave positive reviews about this procedure. Add 7-8 drops of fir extract to half a glass of milk. Mix everything well and pour into a bath for local therapy of the joints of the arms or legs.
To heal knee or ankle joints with rheumatoid arthritis, fill a clean bucket with hot water at 40-42 degrees. Add 10 drops of fir extract, sit for about 20 minutes. The duration of the therapeutic course is 14 days.

Ointments

To make healing ointment for joints with fir oil, try this method. Take 1/2 cup of pork fat, melt with 1 tbsp. l. beeswax over low heat, adding 1 large spoon of fir extract. Leave on the stove for 30 minutes, then add 1 spoon of ammonia. The medicinal mixture should be stored in the refrigerator and used to rub the sore joints when heated.
Mumiyo, fir oil and honey for joints are a natural restorative balm. First, rub the spine or joints with warm essential oil, then lubricate them with a mixture of honey and mummy in proportions 1:7. After the honey-fir product is absorbed, cover the treatment area with a warm cloth and sit quietly for about an hour.

Physiotherapy

Physiotherapeutic treatment is used to reduce swelling and pain. It allows you to improve blood circulation in the area of the body that is in close proximity to the damaged knee cartilage. As a result, tissue trophism improves, hypoxia decreases, and regenerative processes accelerate.

The following types of physiotherapy are used:

electrophoresis;
galvanization;
phonophoresis;
electrical stimulation;
magnetic therapy;
laser therapy;
vibration massage and others.

Physiotherapy is often combined with drug treatment. Topical medications are applied to the skin. Then electrophoresis or phonophoresis is performed for better penetration into the joint cavity.

Features and physical and chemical properties

The Siberian beauty - fir grows exclusively in areas with close to ideal ecology. This tree does not tolerate air polluted by industrial emissions, so it can be found in areas with a favorable environmental situation. Such “islands” still remain, but every year they become fewer and fewer. Fir grows in Eastern Siberia, namely on the territory of the Republics of Khakassia and Tyva, the Irkutsk region, and the Krasnoyarsk Territory. The raw materials for obtaining oil are needles and young shoots of fir.

The product is poorly soluble in water and is highly volatile due to the high content of aromatic hydrocarbons. Fir oil should be stored in dark glass containers with a tightly sealed lid. When exposed to direct sunlight, it decomposes and loses its healing properties. Even if all storage rules are followed, this product cannot fully retain its characteristics. The maximum shelf life is 3 years.

Drug therapy

The use of drugs remains one of the main methods of treatment. At the moment, there are no medications that are guaranteed to restore cartilage or at least prevent its further destruction. However, a number of medications can achieve good results by enhancing regenerative processes, reducing inflammation, and protecting cartilage from strong mechanical influences.

The drugs can be used in the following ways:

applied internally;
administered intramuscularly or intravenously;
applied to the skin above the knee joint;
are injected into the joint.

Since in most cases there is a gradual destruction of the cartilage of the knee joint, treatment is carried out in tablet forms of drugs. They are more convenient to use and do not require the constant participation of medical personnel in the treatment process.

Intra-articular injections are also often used. They are good because they allow you to get a stable, long-term result after several injections of medication. It lasts for six months or a year. The use of injections in the knee can reduce the need for medications that are administered orally. Accordingly, the medication burden and the risk of side effects are reduced.

Creams and gels are auxiliary treatments. It is purely symptomatic. Used to reduce pain and eliminate swelling. There are no topical medications that can restore knee articular cartilage or even slow down its degeneration.

Benefit

When used correctly, fir oil can effectively cope with problems of various types.

Fir oil is an excellent remedy for combating depression and neuroses. Helps to relax and calm the nerves, as well as overcome fatigue.
A properly prepared fir bath is also effective for the cardiovascular and respiratory systems.
Baths with fir oil help cope with insomnia and overcome excessive excitability.
If a person suffers from rheumatism or osteochondrosis, this procedure will help reduce pain;
Fir baths normalize blood pressure;
The procedure is also indicated for gynecological and urological problems.

And, of course, it is worth separately listing all the positive aspects of using fir oil that relate to the skin, and there are really many of them:

Tones;
Increases skin elasticity;
Helps slow down the aging process and also smoothes out shallow wrinkles;
Soothes sensitive irritated skin, relieves inflammation and promotes wound healing;
Fights acne and rashes;
It is a good anti-cellulite remedy, as it restores elasticity to the skin and also removes sagging;
Eliminates swelling;
Stabilizes sebum production.

Fir oil can also be used for hair: it helps in the fight against seborrhea, excess oiliness and hair loss.

Drug therapy

The main groups of drugs that are used to treat cartilage of the knee joints

NSAIDs. These drugs cannot restore cartilage. But in some cases they are able to slow down their degeneration by eliminating the inflammatory process. In addition, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are taken to reduce pain, which inevitably develops when the cartilage thins due to strong friction of the articular surfaces during any movements in the knee joint.

Chondroprotectors. These are preparations of chondroitin and glucosamine. They are obtained from animal cartilage. Chondroprotectors are injected into the joint, intramuscularly, applied to the skin or taken orally.

Only the last method of application makes sense from the point of view of evidence-based medicine. The application of chondroprotectors to the skin in the form of a gel has no proven effectiveness. Administration into a joint or intramuscularly is beneficial, but long-term treatment is required (from 6 months), and with this method of administration, the tolerability of therapy significantly worsens.

Despite the fact that doctors very often prescribe chondroprotectors orally in capsules, there is no evidence that they restore articular cartilage. Studies only show that for arthrosis of the knee joint, long-term use of chondroitin in combination with glucosamine can reduce the symptoms of the disease.

Hyaluronate. Inserted inside the knee joint. Such drugs are also available in dosage forms for external use or for oral use. However, such treatments do not have convincing evidence of effectiveness. Therefore, hyaluronate tablets are mainly sold as dietary supplements rather than drugs.

The introduction of hyaluronic acid into the joint increases its concentration in the synovial fluid. The friction of cartilages is reduced and their degeneration is prevented. Symptoms decrease or go away for several months. After this, the hyaluronate injection can be repeated.

PRP. This abbreviation stands for platelet-rich plasma. It is obtained from the patient's own blood, centrifuged, and then injected into the joint. This is one of the most effective ways to enhance cartilage regeneration. Platelets secrete a large number of growth factors. As a result, the repair of cartilage tissue is enhanced. But restoration of knee cartilage is possible only in the case of an early stage of arthrosis or with minor traumatic damage.

Wellness massage

To speed up the recovery of joints with osteochondrosis, arthritis or arthrosis, use this method. Mix olive and fir oils in equal proportions, use to massage the inflamed area with light kneading, rubbing or circular movements.

Before the procedure, it is advisable to take a hot shower, bath or visit a steam room. After rubbing in the healing substance, the area to be treated needs to be insulated and left to rest, so the best time for a massage is late evening.