The muscles and the joints, if in pain, are usually given heat therapy to relieve them. This can be done in two ways:
- By using a hot compress to the joint, or
- By applying liniments and solutions that provide heat to the skin and the joints.
For treating the muscles of the joints, often solutions and liniments made with a base of alcohol like rubbing alcohol or vodka, are required. These solutions are topical and are often toxic when ingested, so make sure of the instructions before you ingest any joint medication. Applying these solutions and liniments is much easier than using a hot compress because you can simply apply the solution and then carry on with your other work; whereas with a hot compress, you have to constantly heat the affected area by reheating the compress.
These liniments, though usually made with alcohol, can also be made with essential oils since they have many healing properties and can often be used in the form of massage oils. Oil also heats up faster than the other liniments and is also absorbed well by the skin, which provides lasting effects. Alcohol on the other hand evaporates quickly and does not provide lasting effects which means that it has to be reapplied repeatedly.
Essential Oils for Joint Pain Treatment
You can use peppermint, clove, and cinnamon essential oils to make liniments that can relieve joint pains. All of the famous liniments that are known for fast muscle pain relief action as they contain either camphor or peppermint essential oils. These have both heating and cooling properties that help stimulate the endings of nerves, when applied to the skin.
Oils that relax the muscles or have an anti inflammatory effect can also be used by adding them to these liniments. Some of the essential oils that can be used for this purpose are lavender, rosemary, and marjoram. The effects of these oils easily permeate into the skin and begin their work on the muscles almost as soon as they are applied.
If you are suffering from an inflammatory condition like arthritis, you can use birch, marjoram, chamomile, fir, ginger, clove, peppermint, cypress, rosemary, or even juniper berry essential oils. These oils can be added to a bath to give additional comfort.
To create a liniment that soothes and relieves joint pains, mix eight parts of eucalyptus essential oil with equal parts of peppermint and rosemary essential oils. To this, add four parts of essential oils of marjoram, cinnamon, and juniper berry. Mix all these oils well and then add a few ounces of rubbing alcohol to dilute it.
Even after dilution, this mix of several oils is still quite concentrated and therefore, should be used carefully and sparingly. To dilute the liniment, you may use vegetable oils instead of
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