Wax ointments for joints have long been used as a remedy. Wax is useful for joints; it has a warming, bactericidal effect, and ointments based on it are very effective. But we should not forget that there are contraindications to the use of wax for joints - the presence of pus in the joint area, neoplasm, hemorrhage. Before any therapy, we recommend consulting with your doctor. Today we will talk about how to use wax ointments for joints. Read the following article on the pages of the magazine.
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.
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.
Wax for joints
The positive properties of bee products are known not only to beekeepers, but to all people in general. It is probably difficult to find a person who did not have at home at least one product based on one or another substance obtained from bees. One of the most striking examples of this is an ointment based on beeswax, which is intended for the treatment of joints. Let's look at it in more detail - but let's go in order and get acquainted with the features of wax, its properties and components that make it so valuable.
It is difficult to single out some of the most striking examples of the positive effects of wax, because it affects the body on a number of levels at once.
It is difficult to single out some of the most striking examples of the positive effects of wax, because it affects the body on a number of levels at once. In particular, it copes well with psoriasis, severe manifestations of varicose veins, eczema, lesions caused by fungus - and much more. As for pathological conditions of the joints and problems with the musculoskeletal system, this product is quite universal, acting on several levels at once. What is important is that it can be used not only in the form of creams and ointments (although they are perhaps the most convenient form of application), but also in the form of wax applications in its pure form.
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.
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.
Recipes and methods of wax treatment
Let's consider some methods of treatment with beeswax in relation to joint diseases, the different pathologies of which require a different approach.
Hot wax applications and compresses
Hot wax procedures, according to experts, are effective and useful in the treatment of arthritis, joint inflammation, and pain in the elbows, knees, legs or arms.
Method No. 1
Pre-melted wax (heated to a temperature of 39-40 degrees) is applied to a thick cotton cloth, which must be applied to the sore joint for 15 minutes.
During the procedure, the area where the compress is applied must be covered with something warm and try not to overcool. It is recommended to do the treatment procedure for 10-14 days daily.
In the treatment of polyarthritis, compresses made of fabric impregnated with wax enriched with honey and beebread in a ratio of 10:1:1 are used, which are applied to the affected areas at night.
Method No. 2
Feet or hands with sore joints should be placed in wax melted to a liquid state. Then remove from the bath and allow the wax mass to harden. The limbs treated in this way are placed in a bag and, wrapped in a wool scarf or blanket, kept in this state for about 15 minutes. The recommended course is from 3 to 30 times (depending on the disease and its severity).
If this method is not convenient, you can apply liquid wax in several layers with a brush to the inflamed areas without waiting for the previous layer to harden. Then wrap with film, a towel and leave the compress for an hour.
Method No. 3
A cake is formed from heated and slightly cooled wax, which is applied to the diseased area. Hot wax gradually releases its heat. As a result, the sore spot warms up well, tissue nutrition improves, blood flows, and oxygen is enriched.
This method is good for osteochondrosis. The wax application is applied to the affected part of the spine, secured with a film and wrapped on top, warming up the desired areas well.
The duration of the warm-up session should not exceed 20 minutes. It is recommended to make hot compresses in a course of 6-8 to 10-14 days daily (depending on the disease).
To enhance the therapeutic effects, you can add additional components to the melted wax (for example, ginger or fir oil, honey).
Treatment of arthritis with honey and wax
From the heated wax, you need to prepare a hot cake (at a temperature comfortable for the skin) and apply it to the sore joint, after applying honey to it. Then wrap the sore spot with a woolen item or terry towel. For the first procedure, it is enough to hold the wax cake for about 5 minutes. For each subsequent procedure, we increase the time by another 5 minutes, but not exceeding a total of a quarter of an hour.
The joints react quite pickily to various treatment methods. Excessive heat exposure can also lead to unexpected results. And not always positive. If the patient feels worse, the course of treatment should be immediately interrupted until the clinical picture is clarified at the moment.
And, of course, before trying beeswax treatment at home, you should consult with a physiotherapist or your doctor to exclude contraindications taking into account your individual health condition.
Ointments for treating joints with wax
Recipe No. 1
Compound:
- beeswax – 100 g
- mumiyo – 10 g
- cedar oil – 50 ml
- aloe juice – 10 ml.
The wax melts. A mixture prepared from oil and mummy dissolved in aloe juice is added to it. Everything gets mixed up. The finished ointment should be rubbed into the spine and sore joints until complete recovery.
Recipe No. 2
Required:
- shungite mineral – 20 g (can be replaced with resin – spruce resin or amber chips)
- cedar oil – 20 ml
- aloe juice – 10 ml
- mumiyo – 10 g
- wormwood tincture – 10 ml
- beeswax – 100 g
- wheat germ oil – 20 ml.
The ointment is prepared similarly to the scheme in the first recipe. You need to dissolve the mummy in the wormwood tincture and add all the ingredients except the wax. Dissolve it separately in a water bath and then add it to the mixture.
Recipe No. 3
This warming ointment-compress is recommended for the treatment of arthritis and joint pain.
It is prepared from 200 grams of beeswax and honey (1 tbsp), which can be replaced with golden mustache tincture (in a 1:1 ratio) or 1 tbsp. l. crushed sweet clover flowers (per 100 g of wax).
Melt the wax and honey (40-50 degrees) and dip a piece of fabric into the prepared mass, which is then placed on the sore joint for 20 minutes. We cover it warmly. It is recommended to use a warming compress for 10-14 days.
Drug therapy
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.
The healing properties of wax for joints
The medicinal properties of the product in question include:
- Softening the top layer of skin, which contributes to a better effect during the procedure.
- Pore expansion. This leads to accelerated penetration of heat into the affected area and the removal of toxins accumulated in the tissue. In addition, positive effects include an increase in the space between cells, which leads to the removal of unnecessary moisture from tissues.
- Due to prolonged heating of joint tissues, blood circulation improves, which helps reduce inflammation.
- After the procedures, the skin in the area of application becomes elastic and moisturized.
The maximum time for which a wax pancake can be left on a warmed-up joint is no more than 20 minutes. You should start with 5 minutes and add 5 minutes at each session. Course – 6-8 sessions. The results of such procedures can be obtained in the treatment of arthritis, as well as osteochondrosis, myositis and radiculitis.