The dangers of refusing treatment
If your knees are cracking, you should never ignore the violation. The consequences of untimely treatment can be:
- swelling of the problem area;
- development of pain syndrome;
- joint swelling;
- deformation of the knee structures.
Lack of quality diagnosis and adequate treatment increases the risk of cartilage destruction. In especially severe cases, partial or complete immobility, and even disability, occurs.
The appearance of a crunch in the knees requires a mandatory visit to the doctor. Only an experienced specialist will be able to determine the factor that caused the development of the pathology.
What is the cause and what other signs are there?
A crunch is considered normal when a limb is bent, because the joint capsule should stretch and relieve tension. As a result, fluid accumulated in the joints creates air bubbles, which burst and create a creaking sound. This phenomenon is also observed during intense physical activity. But, unlike the first case, there is not enough fluid and the joints rub against each other, accompanying the friction only with characteristic clicks. Sometimes a person experiences pain. The reasons for this are:
- inflammatory processes in muscles;
- incorrect body structure;
- joint diseases (arthrosis);
- salt deposits;
- sedentary lifestyle and excess weight;
- consequence of the injury;
- poor lifestyle and nutrition.
How to treat crunchy knees?
If your knees are cracking, you need to decide what to do together with your doctor. Before selecting an effective treatment for the patient, the specialist will conduct a detailed diagnosis and clarify the presence of associated disorders.
At the initial stage of the pathology, drug therapy is prescribed, based on the use of local drugs. If such remedies do not lead to the disappearance of negative symptoms, there is a need for complex therapy.
Local painkillers
Products for topical use (ointments, gels) can relieve pain and eliminate the inflammatory process. Effective medications for knee crunch include:
- Indomethacin.
- Ortofen.
- Artrosilene.
- Diclofenac.
- Nise gel.
- Fastum gel.
The listed medications are intended for daily use. On average, a treatment course with such medications takes at least two weeks.
Knee injections
Injections are most often prescribed if knee crunch is associated with diseases such as arthrosis, gout or bursitis. Also, injections become necessary if there is severe pain.
Therapy is based on the use of corticosteroids (Ketorolac), drugs based on hyaluron (Hyalux), chondroprotectors (Chondrolone).
After injection into the joint, such medications enter the synovial fluid. Injections act directly on cartilage and joint tissue, relieve discomfort, and promote faster recovery.
Tablets and capsules
Patients who have pain and a crunch in their knee are advised to take internal medications such as non-steroids and chondroprotectors. The use of such drugs as Meloxicam, Karipain, Structum, Teraflex has a positive effect. Aspirin is widely used in the treatment of knee joints, helping to relieve inflammation and swelling and slow down the destruction of cartilage.
The duration of the medication course is determined individually, based on the severity of the existing symptoms. To have a strengthening effect on the entire musculoskeletal system, additional vitamin and mineral complexes and dietary supplements are prescribed.
Physiotherapy
Among the most effective physiotherapeutic procedures are:
- electrophoresis, during which medications are delivered to the joint under the influence of an electric current;
- UHF is a method that affects the pathological area with electric field pulses;
- laser therapy based on the use of infrared rays;
- ultraviolet irradiation (UV);
- inductothermy, the essence of which is the use of a magnetic field.
The listed methods increase blood circulation in the area of the problem joint, accelerate the removal of harmful substances, and activate regeneration processes. Thanks to a full course of physiotherapy, it is possible to accelerate the onset of remission and avoid relapse of the disease.
Exercise therapy and diet
Therapeutic exercise relieves discomfort, accelerates metabolism, and improves nutrition of joint tissue. Specific training should be performed daily. A set of exercises is prescribed by a doctor, in the absence of certain contraindications.
A diet for crunchy knees involves eliminating spicy, sweet, canned, and animal foods from the diet. Seafood, grains, a variety of fruits and vegetables, fresh herbs, low-fat milk and fermented milk products are beneficial.
To ensure normal production of lubricant in the joints, it is important to drink sufficient amounts of fluid. At the same time, you should refrain from strong coffee and tea, give preference to clean water without gas, natural juices, fruit drinks, and compotes.
TOP 3 remedies for crunching from available home remedies
Compress of honey, salt, mustard
Such a compress will help get rid of painful sensations if you use it every day for 4-5 days.
To prepare it, you need to take in equal quantities (1 tbsp is enough):
- honey;
- mustard (preferably spicy);
- fine salt.
Mix all the ingredients, apply to the problem area, secure with a bag or cling film, insulate with a woolen scarf and leave for 2 hours. You can leave it overnight - the effect will be better.
In the morning, the mixture is simply washed off with warm water.
Gelatin
This product is considered one of the best for getting rid of crunching and pain. The fact is that in its properties it is similar to drugs - chondroprotectors, which restore cartilage tissue. Moreover, the sooner therapy is started, the faster pain and other unpleasant symptoms will go away.
Preparation:
- Take 5 g of the product, add water and dissolve (either in the microwave or over low heat on the stove). The main thing is not to boil.
- Pour the resulting mixture into the mold and place in the refrigerator.
- You can add your favorite jam for taste. You need to eat this dish every day for 30 days.
You can add fruits and berries to the jelly to make it tastier (Photo: cake-lab.net)
According to the observations of those who have treated crunching in the joints, visible improvements occur in about a week.
Eggs and ammonia
A good pain reliever that is very simple and quick to prepare:
- Take 2 tsp. ammonia, combine with two eggs, mix everything thoroughly and beat.
- Add 2 tsp to the mixture. turpentine and move carefully again.
You just need to lubricate your knees or other compounds with it before going to bed. The maximum period of treatment with this remedy is 5 days.
When is surgery required?
If there is severe crunching in the knees, treatment may include surgical methods. The operation is mainly required for patients with complex injuries.
This procedure is also used if restoration of the joint is considered impossible. In such cases, specialists perform arthroplasty, arthroscopy or prosthetics.
Kinesitherapy for the treatment of crunchy knees
Kinesitherapy allows you to completely eliminate unpleasant creaking in the knees, prevent possible complications, and avoid the need for surgery. The method is used with great success in our center.
Patients note its high effectiveness, complete safety and comfort. Thanks to the sessions, it is possible to gradually stop taking medications or reduce their amount. In addition to improving the health of the problem joint, kinesitherapy has a beneficial effect on the entire body and relieves associated pathologies.
Our centers offer effective medical care in different cities of Russia. We work in Dubna, Tver, Zelenograd, Klin. Kinesitherapy brings relief at any age, does not have many contraindications, and significantly reduces the risk of recurrence of the disease.
MESSAGE FROM THE CHIEF DOCTOR:
Often, when examining a patient, doctors pay attention only to the bones, ligaments, and joints. At the same time, nothing is said about muscles
, the function of contraction of which plays a significant role in human life. Weakened muscles lead to thinning and deformed bones.
Unfortunately, common methods of therapy only aggravate the situation, leading to even more severe pain, muscle atrophy and a deterioration in the quality of life of patients.
Effective treatment is impossible to imagine without muscle restoration. Unique kinesitherapy technique
consists in a therapeutic effect, which implies, first of all, muscle activity during the methodical execution of a set of exercises on special simulators.
All exercises are performed by patients sitting or lying down, so there is no excessive stress on the joints and circulatory system, and our instructors-methodologists correct the technique of movements
and monitor the correct execution of actions.
Remember that diseases of the spine and joints are not a death sentence; if the patient wishes and the right approach to treatment, everything can be corrected!
TOP 9 foods you need to give up
Having noticed unpleasant symptoms, it is better to try to minimize the consumption of the following products (or better yet, at least not the time to give them up):
Milk and dairy products
The danger is that they contain casein. This substance is dangerous for those who have problems with joints, as they promote inflammation and pain.
Corn
It contains a lot of Omega-6 fatty acids. Although unsaturated fatty acids are very beneficial, they increase inflammation. Therefore, if you have problems with joints, you should avoid this product - it is not suitable either fresh or canned.
It is better to replace corn with products containing Omega-3: olive oil, flaxseed, red fish.
Red meat
It should be consumed, but in small portions and not regularly. If you abuse this product, the risk of developing inflammatory processes increases. Another disadvantage is the presence of iron, which “produces” hemoglobin.
If the level of hemoglobin in the blood increases, this provokes pain.
You should try to minimize the amount of red meat in your diet (Photo: pixabay.com)
It is better to choose chicken or turkey.
Eggs
Yes, of course, they are useful, but in reasonable quantities. The fact is that the yolk contains a large amount of arachidonic acid - it enhances inflammatory reactions, causing pain and crunching.
Sweet soda
It is generally better to avoid these drinks, since they contain nothing beneficial for the body as a whole. But in case of crunching and pain in the joints, you should definitely avoid it due to the large amount of sugar, which will only worsen the health situation.
Coffee
This drink is very good for health, especially for blood vessels, heart and brain. But those who complain of bad joints should give it up for a while. The fact is that caffeine is a common cause of aches and crunches.
Fast food
You should avoid any trips to McDonald's and other fast food restaurants - such food is really dangerous due to the content of large amounts of sugar, saturated fat, and fast carbohydrates. Their constant use overloads the body, leads to the accumulation of toxins, excess weight, which threatens severe stress on the ligaments.
In principle, everyone should avoid such food products (Photo: pixabay.com)
Potato
This root vegetable contains a lot of potassium, however, due to the solanine content, potatoes should not be consumed during inflammatory processes in the body. This substance will only worsen the situation, as it damages tissue, tendons, and ligaments around the joints.
There are products that, on the contrary, will improve the situation. So, the diet should include sea fish, dietary white meat, whole grain bread, and cereals. Be sure to drink at least 1.5 liters of water a day - often it is dehydration that causes such a crunch.
