OA Knee joint is mainly the form of Osteo-Arthritis which is a degenerative joint disease due to the lack of lubricating (Synovial) fluid in the joints, leading to damage in cartilage, bone, joint capsule, ligaments and muscles.
What is Osteoarthritis?
Osteoarthritis, the most common form of arthritis, is a condition when the cartilage cushioning the ends of bones in a synovial joint gradually deteriorates resulting in pain, tenderness and stiffness of the joints. Osteoarthritis affects millions of people worldwide and eventually ends up in loss of movement of the effected joints. The condition is more common in weight bearing joints like knees, hip etc., affecting the normal routine lifestyle. The risk factors identified by modern medicine include old age (wear and tear), obesity or extra body weight, injuries and bone deformities. OA is seen more commonly in women compared to men. The treatment targets to control the pain and inflammation at the effected joint. Surgical methods like joint replacement or lubricator injections are also used in modern medicine to treat the condition.
Ayurvedic Treatment for Osteoarthritis:
In Ayurveda, this condition is referred to as Sandhivata. Among the three doshas, vata dosha is considered to be the one responsible for all movements. Imbalance in vata causes the ama (toxins) to move into the colon from where it reaches the circulatory system and gets deposited in the weak joints resulting in stiffness and pain characteristic of arthritis. Thus, the main objective in Ayurveda to treat Osteoarthritis is to remove ama by Ayurvedic treatments of Panchakarma and also improving the digestion and at the same time reducing the vata by relieving the pain and inflammation. Along with elimination of ama from the body, it is also important to follow fasting or a controlled diet so that the body reduces release of harmful toxins and the immune system is able to eliminate harmful toxins from the body. Certain Ayurvedic herbs are beneficial as they act as free radical scavengers and help fight against toxins. Massage with certain herbal oils also to reduce vata and get rid of pain and inflammation. A regular routine of yoga and mild exercise further helps achieve the right balance of physical and mental stress.
What Ayurveda Offers:
Ayurveda specializes in detoxification. Some of the detoxification treatments involve a mild sweating action to help open the physical channels of the body and help push out the toxins. Also, Ayurveda offers special knee joint massage and external treatment for relieving knee pain. In this particular Ayurvedic procedure, the warm medicated oil or herbal decoction is used to bathe the knee. This may be followed by hot fomentation of the knee joint.
Janu Basti:
Ayurvedic This is an authentic Ayurveda procedure to relieve you from knee pain and is generally performed at Ayurvedic Centres. Two trained therapists will lightly massage your knee with warm and medicated oil which is vata balancing. And then warm medicated oil is filled over the knees, by making a doughnut shape area encircling the knees. This entire procedure takes about 30 minutes. This is one of the best known Ayurveda treatments for knee pain.
