Every day, our legs withstand enormous loads. Ever since our distant ancestors - humanoid primates - have stood on their hind limbs, it is on their feet that the whole body weight lies. And since the knees are involved in bending the legs, it is most often they who are the first to let you know that something undesirable is happening with the legs. Of course, the best fight against knee diseases is disease prevention (moderate exercise, caring for the right weight, healthy lifestyle). But let's say we already have a situation where our knees hurt a lot : what to do in this case?
To begin with, let's look at why knees can hurt. The human knee is the largest joint of the body. The bones of the knee are separated by two menisci (discs), they are braided by tendons, ligaments and muscles. To ensure that this entire extremely mobile structure is freely bent and unbent, there is articular cartilage inside the knee joint, which acts as a kind of “machine lubrication”. It also serves as a shock absorber for bruises and falls on the knee. So, if violations occur in at least one part of this complex joint, a person’s knees hurt. What to do and can I help my legs?
Of course you can, and even at home. Although self-medication without consulting a doctor will bring more harm than good. After all, only a specialist can identify the reason why the knee hurts, what to do and how to treat it. If you are a fan of traditional medicine, you can help the basic treatment, but only the doctor will determine what your knee needs - physiotherapy, medical treatment, or he needs surgical intervention. Indeed, treatment depends on the causes of pain.
Now consider the main causes of pain in the knee joint. The most common cause is knee injury. But what exactly is damaged in the knee joint - a fracture or crack in the patella or tibia, a rupture of one of the menisci, dislocation or sprain of the ligaments or tendons - should be said by the surgeon after an X-ray. So, we will consider a situation when a swelling or a hematoma appeared at the site of the injury, you feel numbness, tingling, your legs become pale or turn blue; or, on the contrary, the place of the bruise becomes hotter than other parts of the body, and the knees really hurt, what should I do before visiting a doctor? Apply a cold compress (ice pack) to the site of injury and take pain medication. Try not to step on your sore foot. Do not rush to put on a tight bandage or elastic bandage - for some injuries this is contraindicated. And in no case should you apply heating or alcohol compresses.
Often, knee joints suffer in athletes due to hard training (weightlifting, cyclists, weightlifters). But even ordinary people sometimes have such troubles due to stress: it is worthwhile to bear too much weight during pregnancy, or because of excess body weight - first of all, knees suffer and hurt. What to do in such a situation? It is appropriate to apply an elastic bandage to fix a loose joint. In pharmacies, a variety of knee bandages are now sold, which one is needed for your leg - the doctor will tell you. If you are a young girl and only recently discovered the benefits of heels, then most likely your knees hurt due to the displacement of the patella. You will have to give up high heels until your legs are strong.
But what should I do if there seemed to be no injury, we didn’t carry heavy loads and don’t put on heels, and knees hurt anyway? The cause of this phenomenon may be the drying of the joint fluid. With age or due to a genetic predisposition, this fluid, which is responsible for the smooth gliding of the bones in the knee joint, dries out, and the person feels discomfort, his knees hurt. Treatment should be aimed at forcing the body to produce this fluid. The drug "Teraflex" has shown its effectiveness, although it needs to be taken for a long time. Of folk remedies, a tincture of 3 tablespoons of eucalyptus leaf, infused for 2 weeks on a half liter of vodka, has proven itself well. This tincture should be rubbed into the knee. Kefir and chalk compresses and baths with buttercup also help. Inside, you can take on an empty stomach a mixture of grated celery root, lemon, a small head of garlic and 2-3 tbsp. tablespoons of honey.