The knee joint is a system of bones, cartilages, muscles and tendons that allows the leg to perform flexion and bending movements at the knee.

The bones that meet are the femur and the tibia and their movement is made possible by the presence of muscles and cartilages .

The task of the latter is to reduce the friction that is generated in the movement of the two bones, thus avoiding their wear.

Cartilages, however, undergo, in turn, degeneration and wear; when this happens we are in a situation of arthrosis .

Osteoarthritis of the knee: causes

Knee osteoarthritis is the wear of the cartilage of the knee joint. The cartilage is, naturally, brought to wear after repeated use over time; however, osteoarthritis of the knee may also occur following re-anterior traumas due to excessive stress on the joint.

The causes can be the following:

• natural senescence of the locomotor system;
• overweight;
• sports that lead to repeated traumas and super work of the joint (skiing, tennis, running, etc.);

• wrong posture;

• lack of movement;

• unbalanced nutrition with gout, hyperacidification of blood, diabetes.

Knee arthrosis: symptoms

The main symptom is pain ; we often realize that we have a knee arthrosis problem only in cases of advanced degeneration: the simple rigidity that can be a premonitory symptom is, more often than not, ignored by the mind and compensated differently by the body. As long as there is no pain it is difficult to pay attention to the small signals that the body sends us.

When there is pain, unless it is a consequence of a sudden trauma, the degenerative process is already in an alarm phase, and it is necessary to find remedies for pain and solutions that allow to recover the elasticity of the joint.

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Knee arthrosis: natural remedies

Assuming that rest is an absolute remedy, in the acute phase, one in which rigidity leads to immobilization of the limb, and pain is constantly present, the area can be disinfected using clay .

How to use the clay: a spoon of ventilated green clay is mixed in a liter of water; it is then applied directly to the area or soaking a cloth of cotono or other natural fiber in the clayey water. It is left to rest on the limb for about 30 minutes, reaching up to an hour in the most painful cases. The clay must be removed when it becomes dry, it must be thrown away and never reused.

The clay allows to deflate the joint and relieve pain and is also useful when you are not in the acute phase, as it remineralizes and regenerates ; you can apply cataplasms and tablets even when the symptoms of knee arthritis are mild.

Even the use of essential oils can relieve pain: a light massage with a mixture of essential oils can work on the knee joint

How to use essential oils : in 30ml mountain arnica oil diluted 4 drops of cypress essential oil and 6 drops of ginger essential oil. It is massaged lightly on the knee and allowed to absorb.

Essential oils are also useful in the baths : a mixture containing 8 drops of rosemary and 10 drops of ginger is dissolved in a spoonful of honey. Honey is diluted in hot bath water and dipped in it. It is recommended not to use other detergents in conjunction with the use of essential oils.

Finally the distal massage, be it shiatsu or reflexology, can help; mobilizations are not recommended in the acute phases : they can further inflate the joint.

Diet and lifestyle against knee osteoarthritis

Another natural remedy is given by the diet . Blackcurrant is a powerful anti-inflammatory, as are omega-3s, which are found in supplements based on linseed oil.

It is also necessary to detoxify the body, eliminating foods of animal origin, cooking too fat and processed, increasing the use of cooked or raw vegetables and whole grains.

Finally, a lot can be done against knee osteoarthritis by adopting an active and respectful lifestyle for one's body : rest when one feels the need and not subject the body to excessive traumas, but also to avoid static.

There are many physical activities that can be performed against knee osteoarthritis: yoga and pilates, under the supervision of a teacher who knows the problem, as well as swimming, are excellent for maintenance and prevention .