It is knee rejuvenation therapy of Ayurveda. ‘Janu’ means knee joint and ‘basti’ means to hold (compartment which holds), thus Janu-basti means a treatment in which medicated oils are poured and pooled for a fixed duration of time in a compartment or a cabin constructed around the knee joint / joints using wet flour of black gram.
The knee joints are under constant stress as they participate in all our activities throughout the day. Knee pain is often associated with stiffness, swelling, burning sensation, click sounds and limitation of movements. Degeneration, inflammation and injury are the most common causes of knee pain. This therapy is beneficial for knee pain related to osteoarthritis and other related painful conditions. It is a knee joint health maintaining for athletes, hikers, and the aging body. It provides a long standing relief.
1. Sandhigata Vata (osteoarthritis) of knee joint –
This is a degenerative disease of the joint and many people find it difficult to manage their day to day activities when they suffer from this condition. Generally it occurs most often in people 50 years of age and older and may occur in younger people also. In this disease, the cartilage in the knee joint gradually wears away. This leads to pain, stiffness, swelling and disturbance of movements along with click sounds when the joint is mobilised.
2. Osgood-Schlatter disease –
In this disorder there is a painful bump below the knee, where a tendon from the patella connects to the tibia. It is usually caused by overuse and irritation at the tendon insertion known as the tibial tubercle. It is common in teenage boys and girls. The pain may come and go over time.
3. Ilio-tibial band syndrome –
It is a band of rough tissue that runs from your hip down to the outer part of your knee. If it is irritated by overuse or other problems, it becomes inflamed and cause pain on the outer side of the knee.
4. Loose bodies in the knee joint –
Sometimes a knee injury can break loose cartilage. These pieces can get stuck in the joint, causing it to freeze and producing pain and swelling.
5. Patellar tendonitis –
It results from inflammation of the tendons surrounding the knee joint. Tendons are tough bands of tissue that connect muscles to your bones. Overuse can make the tendons inflamed and sore. The most common type of patellar tendonitis is called ‘jumpers knee’. Those who are involved in jumping sports and activities like runners, skiers, cyclists, etc. are prone to develop inflammation in the patellar tendon which connects the quadriceps muscle on the front of the thigh to tibia bone.
6. Patello-femoral pain syndrome (Chondromalacia patellae) –
It results from issues associated with muscle imbalance, tightness and alignment of the legs, rather than an injury. Pain is present between the patella and the underlying femur bone. It is common in athletes, young adults especially those who have a slight misalignment of kneecap. In older adults develop this condition due to arthritis of patella bone.
7. Runner’s knee –
It refers to a number of overuse injuries involving pain around the patella bone, such as Patello-femoral pain syndrome.
8. Knee Bursitis –
Bursa is a small sac of fluid that is located below the skin overlying joints. The bursa overlying the patella bone gets irritated due to overuse, fall or repeated bending and kneeling. This will lead to its pain and swelling. It is also called as Housemaid’s knee or Preacher’s knee since they are often caused by repetitive kneeling.
9. Torn meniscus –
The meniscus is formed of tough rubbery cartilage and acts as a shock absorber between tibia and femur bones. It can be torn if the knee is suddenly twisted while bearing weight on it.
10. Knee injuries such as Anterior cruciate ligament injury –
It is the tearing of the anterior cruciate ligament, one of the four ligaments that connects tibia to your thigh bone. It is common in people playing basketball, soccer or other sports that require sudden changes in direction.
11. Old (chronic) knee injury which was not properly treated, sprained ligaments and cartilage tears, etc.