Muscle pain treatment using essential oil
Muscle pain treatment using essential oil : Joint pain is usually a result of overuse, but women can also be at higher risk for osteoarthritis due to wearing high heels. Conventional medical treatments such as pain relievers, anti-inflammatory medications, and physical therapy aren’t effective for many of these women, according to Dr. Sandra Newman, a board-certified orthopedic surgeon at Penn Orthopedic Specialists in Chesterbrook.
Women tend to seek conventional treatments first, such as pain relievers, anti-inflammatory medications, and physical therapy, but the root of the problem can often be less obvious. In fact, Newman says, 60% to 80% of women can get relief through a single supplement, essential oil, or massage.
“The Western medicine system is not set up to see this level of pain in women,” she says. “There’s often a misdiagnosis, and when you have the right diagnosis and treatment, it can all be solved with some herbs, essential oils, and techniques from massage and aromatherapy.”
Typically, women tend to come into the orthopedic office for sports-related injuries, such as stress fractures in the hip or knees, or to correct pain in the foot. Osteoarthritis can be misdiagnosed as a sports injury because women tend to be more active in sports than men.
Regardless of the diagnosis, women often shy away from conventional treatments because they can be expensive, require monthly visits to the doctor, and aren’t covered by insurance.
“This is when essential oils really come in handy,” Newman says. “If you want to start your treatment at home, you can purchase a massage oil at your local health food store. You can also take a fraction of the dosage you would with a massage oil, in oils that will be effective for you.”
Newman says she also recommends a supplement called Boteco. It’s designed for women with osteoarthritis. One to two tablespoons a day is all you need to be effective, and the supplement will last about three months, she says.
You can also apply a massage oil to sore muscles for Muscle pain treatment , as well as one or more essential oils, depending on the level of discomfort. For instance, if you feel tightness in the hips and legs, you can apply a massage oil with the properties to the affected areas. For pain relief, Newman recommends a few different essential oils, such as eucalyptus, lavender, and peppermint.
“All of these can help to decrease swelling in your body and inflammation in your joints,” she says. “Many people are under the misconception that they have to live a high-stress life to get arthritis. And that’s not necessarily the case.”
Bone density loss is another common cause of pain in the knees, hips, and back that many women don’t realize is a symptom of osteoarthritis. According to Newman, since women tend to be thinner than men, they lose more bone density in their hips and knees as they age, but they do have more bone density than men.
“It’s important to gain bone density and strength in your legs and bones,” she says. “We need that calcium for our health. However, in order to gain that, we need to be active.”
Newman recommends that women start exercising as soon as they are able to. She recommends low impact exercises like walking, swimming, or using a stationary bike to help women build bone density. She also recommends resistance training for strengthening muscles in the lower body, such as the legs, hips, and thighs.
Muscle pain can also be an indicator of osteoarthritis. Newman says that many women suffer from arthritis in their hips or knees, and they often start by having sore muscles at night. In some cases, they just think they have bad posture, but there are other factors at play.
“It’s important to see your doctor if you think you have muscle pain because it can indicate the possibility of osteoarthritis,” she says. “By taking the proper steps and getting regular exercise, you can get rid of that pain.”
Too much to take care of
Our busy lives and work-from-home schedules make us sometimes forget about the importance of our health.
Loren Letchworth, M.D., board certified in internal medicine and medical director at Valley Naturopathic and Wellness Center in Longmont, says that all of us can be guilty of putting other things before our own health.
“We put so much on the back burner and forget to take care of ourselves,” he says. “The main things we can do is to make it a priority to get enough sleep every night, and exercise regularly.”
Letchworth says that exercise is very important for a healthy lifestyle, especially for people who are on the go for muscle pain treatment
“If you don’t have time to exercise, I recommend a moderate workout that you can do daily. It can be anything from walking to the bus stop to riding a bicycle,” he says.
Letchworth also says that regular exercise is important in the prevention of osteoarthritis.
“When we exercise, we may feel stiffness and pain in our joints after we’ve been sedentary,” he says. “But we also see it happening if we don’t exercise regularly. So, exercise can actually be a prevention.”
But in order to achieve long-term health, it’s also important to slow down a little.
“We need to take better care of ourselves,” he says. “We are living longer, but we need to make sure we are alive, not just physically, but also mentally and emotionally.”
Active lifestyle is also very important in preventing osteoarthritis. Letchworth says he recommends for his patients to work out for 30 to 60 minutes every day to keep their joints healthy and their heart healthy.
Prevention is key
If you are suffering from any symptoms of osteoarthritis, you should schedule a visit with your doctor to figure out the best way to treat the condition.
“Our goal is to find out what’s causing the pain so we can treat it,” Letchworth says. “Osteoarthritis is very treatable, so I encourage my patients to come in.”
Dr. Letchworth says that many of his patients come in because they’ve read that exercise can be an effective treatment for osteoarthritis. But he says that he wants people to come in and talk about their symptoms first.
“You don’t just go see a doctor because you’ve read a study,” he says. “Your doctor will work with you to figure out the best way to treat your symptoms.”
Melissa Newman, M.D., a primary care physician at the local Family Practice of the Rockies in Longmont, also says that the best way to treat osteoarthritis is with exercise. She recommends that patients make it a daily habit to exercise.“If people don’t exercise and become inactive, then we can’t cure osteoarthritis,” she says.If your symptoms are low to moderate in severity, Newman says that low-impact exercise is a great option. In order to prevent osteoarthritis, she recommends that people do exercises that involve weight training and resistance training.“
The best way to prevent it is to do exercise that doesn’t put any pressure on the joint,” she says. “That can be anything from light swimming, biking, or walking, to jogging, swimming, or even weight training.”Newman also recommends that people check with their doctor before beginning an exercise program. She says that sometimes people are surprised that the exercises they are doing are actually causing damage.
“We don’t want patients to hurt themselves,” she says. “We want them to heal.”She adds that some of her patients come in and say they have been doing resistance training for months and that their pain is still the same.“I’m not surprised,” she says. “It’s a change, and if it doesn’t go away, then it’s something to be concerned about.”
Healing
There is no one treatment or medication that can treat osteoarthritis. But she says that diet can help decrease some of the inflammation and pain that a person is feeling. Newman says that she recommends the Mediterranean diet to her patients, and she encourages them to eat a lot of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, fish, beans and lentils, olive oil, nuts, and legumes.
