Massage for arthrosis of the knee joint

How does massage work?
How is the procedure performed?
Why does massage reduce pain?
Is it possible to do self-massage?
Massage after endoprosthetics

Knee joint massage for deforming arthrosis is part of complex therapy for patients with the initial stage of the disease. This disease develops gradually and progresses constantly, but usually very slowly. For advanced arthrosis, surgical treatment is performed. But the operation is usually performed several years, or even several decades after diagnosis. Until this time, they are limited to conservative measures, including massage.

massage

elimination of painful muscle spasms;
improvement of muscle tissue trophism;
some authors report an improvement in the trophism of articular cartilage due to regular massage sessions;
improving the transmission of nerve impulses.

Massage sessions should be repeated at least 2 times a year. Only regular exposure can lead to a positive result.

Arthrosis is characterized by a wave-like course. From time to time the symptoms worsen. After an exacerbation, remission occurs when the pain goes away or decreases significantly. During periods of exacerbation, massage is not used.

Features of massage for arthrosis of the knee joint:

the impact is more intense than with other diseases;
the massage therapist acts on the nearby muscles, and not the knee joint itself, which can be painful on palpation;
if arthrosis is accompanied by rheumatic inflammation, then massage for arthritis of the knee joint begins no earlier than 1 month after the exacerbation of the process has stopped;
if there are signs of insufficient blood supply to the lower limb, massage techniques are used to improve hemodynamics.

Massage effects begin at 7 minutes. The procedure is then carried out over a longer period of time. It gradually increases to 15 minutes. Sessions are performed every day or every other day. The course consists of 15-20 procedures.

You should take breaks between courses. Massage cannot be carried out constantly and continuously. The breaks last for at least 1 month.

Massage goes well with other conservative methods. First of all, with physical therapy. In this case, the procedure is performed immediately before physical activity. They can vary significantly in intensity between patients. It all depends on the severity of the symptoms, the stage of arthrosis, the physical capabilities of the person, and his body weight.

Contraindications to massage sessions

When performing self-massage of the knee joint with arthrosis, you should take into account some points that serve as a contraindication to the procedure:

if bleeding occurs, the procedure cannot be performed;
at the acute stage of pathology development;
with possible or diagnosed vascular thrombosis;
general or local increase in temperature;
feeling unwell (feverish);
oncology;
infectious diseases.

In other cases, you can perform a massage, which alleviates the general condition of arthrosis, and at the same time helps restore joint functions.

You can perform self-massage of the knee joint, as shown in the video below, but you must adhere to the following rules:

massage movements should be performed in the direction of the lymph nodes;
Efforts during the massage must alternate with light stroking movements;
all the time allocated for the procedure should be filled with continuous massage movements, without breaks;
if pain is felt during certain movements, then you need to switch to another area;
the force during movement that is applied in a session must be calculated individually.

Self-massage is used not only as a therapeutic and restorative technique for arthrosis, but is used as a preventive measure.

massage

massage
Massage the lower limb first. The muscles above the knee are affected. Sometimes the underlying tissues are also massaged. Some authors recommend additional back massage for arthrosis of the knee joint. The lumbar area is affected. This is due to the fact that the spinal nerves responsible for the innervation of the lower extremities pass here. The procedure often helps reduce pain and eliminate muscle spasms.

Start the massage from the back. Then move on to the thigh muscles. Do stroking, rubbing with the base of the palm, as well as with the fingers. After this, kneading is done with both hands simultaneously: both transverse and longitudinal. For a massage therapist, it is important to create tissue hyperemia and achieve dilation of blood vessels. At the same time, tissue metabolism improves, which has a beneficial effect on trophic processes.

The knee itself is not always massaged. It all depends on the patient’s condition and the severity of the pain syndrome. Sometimes massage for arthrosis of the knee joint of the 2nd degree is not carried out, limiting the impact on the hip and lower back. If the knee is not painful, it is massaged. But they do this very carefully, performing gentle movements. Planar continuous stroking and semicircular rubbing in various directions are used. Rubbing is carried out on painful areas. The force of impact is adjusted individually. It depends on the sensitivity of the tissue.

Some specialists perform massage for grade 2 gonarthrosis of the knee joint in water. This allows you to further ensure vasodilation, reduce pain, and relax muscles. Take water at a temperature slightly higher than the human body. This procedure better ensures the outflow of lymph, so it is used for severe swelling.

Classic procedure scheme and its features

The main technique used in medical institutions is classical. The session consists of 3 stages:

Preparation. The patient assumes a relaxed position. Massaging begins from the lower spine with a gradual transition to the hip area. The muscles are rubbed and warmed up, prepared for further exposure.
Main stage. The therapist moves to the area of the sore knee. Using rubbing, the lateral parts of the joint are worked out. The knee is alternately bent and extended, and rotational movements are performed with a small amplitude. The kneecap does not receive direct impact. This avoids pain and does not provoke an inflammatory process.
The final stage. The session ends with light shaking of the knee joint and stroking.

One of the options for a classic massage is in warm water. In this case, the patient is placed in a bath of water heated to a temperature of 37°C.

During the procedure, it is important to follow the sequence of standard movements. Manipulations begin with stroking with a full palm and are completed with them. The result of each stage is warming up, optimizing blood supply, relieving tension, and stimulating lymph outflow.

massage

reflex changes in muscles, their spasms;
friction of detected articular surfaces of bones on which there is no longer full hyaline cartilage;
tissue hypoxia due to circulatory disorders.

At first the pain is dull and aching. Then they become sharp. A person is forced to constantly take painkillers. But they all affect his health in one way or another. The most common side effects remain abdominal pain and gastrointestinal bleeding.

Although the drugs can reduce pain, taking them in large doses for several years is undesirable due to toxicity. Bleeding that develops under the influence of drugs can be very serious, causing hospitalization and even death. The greatest risk of bleeding is observed in the first year of taking the drugs.

The purpose of non-drug methods, including massage, is to:

reduce pain by increasing the effectiveness of drug treatment;
reduce doses of medications and frequency of taking them;
If possible, stop taking medications completely.

Massage for gonarthrosis of the knee provides an analgesic effect due to its effect on muscle tone and blood supply to tissues. Thus, it eliminates or reduces the influence of two of the three main mechanisms of pain.

Additionally, other methods of combating pain syndrome can be used:

injection of synovial fluid into the knee prosthesis allows to reduce friction of the articular surfaces for several months;
physiotherapy – has the same mechanisms of action as massage;
physical therapy – allows you to strengthen the thigh muscles and improve their blood circulation in the long term;
Weight correction – reduces the load on the knee;
quitting smoking has a beneficial effect on blood circulation and tissue trophism, reduces the severity of hypoxia (oxygen starvation).

In most cases, knee massage alone for arthrosis does not help to completely relieve pain for a long time. But it reduces pain. Using the procedure in conjunction with other methods, you can get rid of chronic pain and reduce the need for medications. Unlike medications, massage is good because it has no side effects and does not threaten serious complications.

massage

massage
1. You must be able to do this. Without mastering the massage technique, you will not be able to do it correctly. The procedure is highly likely to not give the expected result.

2. You should reach your knee. This can be prevented by excess weight or concomitant pathologies of the spine. During the massage, the leg should be straight. If you bend it, it is much easier to reach your knee with your hands. But at the same time, the thigh muscles become tense, which limits the effectiveness of the massage.

3. Massage for knee arthrosis often begins from the back. Obviously, you won’t be able to massage your lower back yourself.

Thus, not every person will be able to perform the procedure on their own. Therefore, it is better to turn to professionals. You can get a knee and hip massage in our clinic. We employ professionals who specialize in various types of massage. The technique of exposure is selected individually, based on the characteristics of the disease and the patient’s condition. Along with massage, we use other effective treatment methods that can reduce pain and slow down the progression of the disease.

Briefly about the knee joint.

We have a patella - this is a bone that should move in different directions. It often happens that the inside of this bone is covered with a thick layer of cartilage. The thickness can reach up to 6 mm. Under constant loads, this cartilage is constantly worn away.

The load on the patella is just crazy. For example, the patellar tendon and quadriceps ligament can withstand 17 human weights when ruptured.

The patellar ligaments that prevent it from moving sometimes become stretched with age. Especially internal. The patella tends to move outward.

Massage after endoprosthetics

At a certain stage in the development of the disease, a person may require endoprosthetic surgery. Most often it is performed in old age, after 70 years. After surgery, long-term rehabilitation is required. It takes several months. During some periods of rehabilitation, massage may be used.

Massage procedures are not performed in the early postoperative period. This is due to the fact that the risk of thromboembolic complications remains for several days. During the massage, a specialist can move a blood clot, which gets into large arteries and causes circulatory problems in one or another part of the body. In addition, to prevent thromboembolic complications, doctors administer anticoagulants to the patient after surgery.

Massage is also not used in the early postoperative period due to the possibility of increased pain. Therefore, in the early phase of rehabilitation, doctors usually limit themselves to kinesiotherapy. Passive movements are performed, as well as isometric contractions of the thigh muscles. These procedures help improve blood circulation and reduce tissue swelling.