Janu basti : An effective solution for Osteo Arthritis Knee

The term ‘janu’ denotes ‘janu sandhi’ meaning knee joint and ‘basti’ meaning to reside to abide or to retain. This means janu basti is a procedure done on knee joint where medicine is made to retain over the knee for a prescribed time. This procedure is evolved from Shirovasti procedure where oil is retained in head for a prescribed period.

This procedure comes under Baahyasamana Chikitsa (External therapy). On the basis of mode of application Baahyasamana procedures are of different types such as

1. Abyanga which means massaging

2. Sekam or Dhara meaning pouring type

3. Pichu or Aalepa meaning just application type

4. Basti/kabala/ Gandoosha where medicine is retained

In this procedure the healing property of the medicated oil used are especially useful to restore the lubricant fluid in the joint and maintain integrity of the structures involved in the joint.

In Janu Basti two Basti Puta are prepared on the two Knee joints .This can be planned for one knee joint alone  if only one of the joint is involved in the disease process. The main precaution to be taken in this procedure is to stabilize the knee joints so that these could not swing internally or externally. The patient is made to lie on his back on the Droni. Circular ridge made of black gram paste is built up on the Knee Joint. The ring should be of such a size that it covers the whole knee joint.After ensuring that the ring is leak-proof, lukewarm medicinal oil, which alleviates pain and strengthens the joint, is slowly poured into it. The oil used will be according to the clinical condition of the patient.When the oil cools down, it is squeezed out with cotton gauze and the procedure is repeated a few times may be in every 5 minutes.The oil and the receptacle are kept on for about half an hour. After removing them, the affected area may be gently massaged with the same oil. The patient is then made to take rest for a short while.

The healing property of herbal oil used for this basti deeply clean and fortify the blood, build strong muscle and connective tissue, and lubricate the joint especially in treating Osteo arthritis and other knee related diseased conditions.