For a wide variety of joint-related pain, the most popular treatment entails the use of pain medication. But by using essential oils for joint pain relief, we can by-pass the dangerous long-term side effects of synthetic pain killers.
Why Do Joints Pain?
Joint pain, scientifically known as arthraglgia refers to pain experienced in one or more joints in the body. There are various reasons why joints pain, including:
- Physical trauma (such as a fall or accident)
- Drug-induced joint pain
- Rheumatoid arthritis
- Osteoarthritis
- Gout
- Lyme Disease
- And others
While some join pain is short-term (such as the kind from physical trauma), other forms of joint pain, especially age-related joint pain, may be chronic.
Chronic joint pain is often hard to deal with, both physically and psychologically. It can affect the way you walk, move and carry yourself. It causes stiffness, inflexibility and slowness in movement.
Pain is a sensation of hurt that is transmitted via the nerve cells to the brain. It can vary between two types:
- Acute pain – This arises as a result of trauma or injury and is short term. It goes away once the injury is healed.
- Chronic pain – This is when the sensation of acute pain lasts more than 3 months. Its severity may fluctuate from day to day.
Joint pain is where the sensation of pain is being experienced in one or more joints in the body, such as knee joints, foot joints, elbow joints and finger joints.
Now it’s important to known the root cause of joint pain. At the root of pain is a main culprit called inflammation . Inflammation, in simple terms, is nothing more than swelling. But when this swelling occurs in the joints, it presses upon the nerve cells and transmits pain messages to the brain. In severe cases, the excess fluid caused by inflammation leaks outside the joints and causes acute pain and swelling around the joints.
Many people accept joint pain as a normal part of ageing and reach out for conventional pain killers like ibuprofen. But these pain killers come with worrisome side effects with long term use including the risk of heart attacks and kidney failure.
How Do Essential Oils Help Alleviate Joint Pain?
Essential oils can be used to address joint pain in 3 main ways:
Reducing inflammation: Essential oils are rich in unique oil terpenes which have powerful anti-inflammatory properties. These anti-inflammatory compounds help suppress and reverse excess inflammation and help to encourage proper immune system function. (1)
Stimulating blood circulation: Stimulating compounds such as menthol, found in oils like peppermint and eucalyptus help to relieve joint pain by encouraging blood flow to the areas where they are applied. More efficient blood flow helps supply vital nutrients and oxygen to the joints which eases inflammation and pain. (2)
Diminishing pain: Essential oils are also rich in anti-analgesic compounds like eugenol, found in oils like clove and cinnamon, which are naturally analgesic and antinociceptive. This means they have pain-reducing properties that can relieve joint pain when applied topically. (3)
The Best 15 Essential Oils for Joint Pain Relief
1. Lavender (where to get it)
2. Rosemary (where to get it)
3. Peppermint (where to get it)
4. Frankincense (where to get it)
5. Eucalyptus (where to get it)
6. Clove (where to get it)
7. Ginger (where to get it)
8. Basil (where to get it)
9. Chamomile (where to get it)
10. Camphor (where to get it)
11. Geranium (where to get it)
12. Vetiver (where to get it)
13. Juniper Berry (where to get it)
14. Cypress (where to get it)
15. Wintergreen (where to get it)
16. Thyme (where to get it)
17. Fennel (where to get it)
18. Niaouli (where to get it)
19. Yarrow (where to get it)
20. Marjoram (where to get it)
How to Use Essential Oils for Joint Pain Relief
1. Total Body Massage Treatment Oil
If you already have a massage oil, try adding some of the above essential oils into it before getting a massage. Otherwise it’s really easy to make your own massage oil! Here’s how to do it:
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup of olive oil (where to get it)
- 20 drops of vetiver essential oil
- 20 drops lavender oil
- 5 drops of ginger oil
Directions
- Measure out and pour all the ingredients into a suitable glass jar.
- Screw on the lid and shake or gently swirl the jar to get all the oils evenly mixed up.
- Use this oil to give your joints a massage whenever needed. You can even ask your partner or friend to give you a relaxing massage.
2. Hot Compress for Swollen Joints
A hot compress does wonders for relieving swelling, inflammation and pain in the joints. All you need is a cotton wash cloth, some hot water and a few powerful essential oils.
Ingredients
- 3 cups of hot water
- A large bowl to hold the water
- 10 drops of chamomile oil
- 10 drops of clove oil
- 5 drops basil essential oil
Directions
- Place a large bowl containing hot water on a stool near by your seat.
- Stir in the recommended essential oils using the wash cloth.
- Now soak the wash cloth into the hot water, wring it out and apply this hot cloth onto your aching joints (such as knees) with firm pressure.
- Repeat the procedure until the water gets warm (at which point you can replace with more water) or until the swelling starts to reduce.
3. Healing Bath for Tired Joints
A healing bath, once a week is a must for rejuvenating tired, painful joints. This bath is highly detoxifying and it pulls out toxins and inflammation from your joints, lowers stress-related hormones and balances your pH levels.
Ingredients
- 2 handfuls of Epsom salts (where to get it)
- 1/2 cup of baking soda (where to get it)
- 10 drops of lavender oil
- 10 drops of niaouli oil
- 5 drops of geranium
Directions
- Run a hot bath and while the water is still running, slowly pour the Epsom salt and the baking soda under the tap so that it gets dissolved faster.
- Add in your essential oils and stir.
- Now soak in your bath for at least 20 minutes every week.
4. Joint Pain Relief Blend
You can make and store this customized joint pain relief blend so that you can pull it out and use it for any joint pain related issues. For example, you can use this blend in a bath, in a diffuser or for a hot compress. It must be diluted before use. Use this guide: How to Dilute Essential Oils
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons of frankincense essential oil
- 3 tablespoons of lavender oil
- 2 tablespoons of eucalyptus oil
- 1 tablespoon of wintergreen essential oil
- 1 teaspoon of ginger essential oil
- 1 teaspoon of geranium oil
Directions
- Get a tinted or amber glass bottle and using a pipette, measure out and pour in all the oils carefully into the bottle.
- Place on the lid firmly and then shake to get it all combined.
- This is a powerful blend that can be used as soon as you need something immediately for your joint pain, without having to mix up a blend from scratch.
5. DIY Joint Pain Cream
Conventional joint pain creams often contain synthetic fragrance substitutes, preservatives and petroleum-based oils. You can totally by-pass these nasty ingredients by making your own natural homemade cream with essential oils.
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup of shea butter (where to get it)
- 1/4 cup of coconut oil (where to get it)
- 1 tablespoon of beeswax pastilles (where to get it)
- 10 drops of frankincense oil
- 10 drops of peppermint oil
- 5 drops of ginger oil
- 5 drops of camphor oil
Directions
- In a double boiler, melt the shea butter, coconut oil and bees wax pastilles until they are all fully liquefied. Stir to get them all mixed up.
- Allow the oil mixture to cool a little (until it becomes warm, but is still in liquid form).
- Transfer to a suitable glass jar and then drop in the essential oils.
- Stir the oils thoroughly and allow to set in the refrigerator overnight.
- You can now use this joint pain cream by applying it all over the joints in question. Apply twice a day, in gentle circular motions.
Diet for Joint Pain Relief
There are many natural ways to relieve joint pain including appropriate exercise and high quality vitamin D supplementation. But here, I’m stressing on a joint-pain relieving diet because the food you eat can greatly affect your joint health and pain levels. Your diet should be rich in foods that support the bones, joints and muscles. In a good joint pain-relieving diet, you will also eliminate bad foods such as highly refined processed foods and soft drinks.
Some of the foods that support better joint health include:
- Pineapple – Rich in a unique plant enzyme called bromelein pineapples are actually a great food for the bones! Studies have shown that pineapples are great for those suffering from osteoporosis. Pineapple is also a great inflammation-busting food and helps in the efficient absorption of calcium, which is crucial for bone health.
- Bone broth – Although bone broth is only recently getting some lime light, it is an ancient drink that was revered for its healing properties. My own grandfather was a regular bone broth drinker and had strong, perfect, white teeth and a strong stature even in his ending days. Bone broth is rich in precious bone-supporting minerals like potassium, calcium, phosphorous and zinc. It is also rich in regenerative antioxidants like collagen and glutathione. The best part is, all the nutrients in bone broth are bio-available and are easily absorbed into the body, even in those with weak digestive system.
- Kefir – Try to integrate as many fermented foods as possible into your diet. One fermented food that is a must is kefir, which is far better than yogurt, in my opinion. Kefir has more sturdy bacteria that will actually permanently lodge into your colon and offer their amazing services life-long, if you take good care of them. The good bacteria in yogurt are temporary and are passed through the gut and excreted, unlike the good bacteria in kefir. Kefir is also rich in bio-available nutrients that support bone health.
- Nuts – Nuts like almonds are incredibly nutritious and contain many bone supporting nutrients like calcium, zinc and phosphorous. Studies have shown that eating a cup of almonds relieves pain, including headaches. My only suggestion is that you soak the nuts overnight before consumption to release the phytic acid within them and to make the nutrients more bio-available.
References
(1) https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Flavia_Santos11/publication/12456687_Antiinflammatory_and_antinociceptive_effects_of_1_8-cineole_a_terpenoid_oxid_present_in_many_plant_essential_oils/links/5446689b0cf2f14fb80f3896.pdf
(2) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3612440/
(3) www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/16/3/2233/pdf
