Essential Oils for Muscle Soreness 

Muscle soreness is a natural part of life for athletes, the elderly, fibromyalgia sufferers, and many other individuals. It is often symptomatic of playing or working too hard, and is usually harmless or can be indicative of some underlying condition.

However, muscle soreness can get in the way of everyday life, making it difficult to perform simple activities like walking or even driving. Due to this, a safe and effective cure for muscle soreness is best to help you feel better in no time at all. If you struggle with muscle soreness, aromatherapy is a natural, effective option to try.

Aromatherapy is the process of using essential oil scents from plants for their mental and physical healing properties. To understand more about how essential oil scents can help your muscle soreness, read on.

One of the more prominent forms of natural medicine, aromatherapy relies on the relationship between the brain and the body to work. Much of this medicine is innate and inherent, a visceral reaction to smells and tastes that isn’t always easy to understand. You may have experienced the connection between feelings and outside sources like smells and tastes at different times in your life.

For example, you may have smelled a perfume that reminded you of a lover, or a smell that brought back memories of your parents or your grandmother’s house, or even inhaled a scent that instantly transported you to a vivid memory. This connection is the backbone of aromatherapy because this treatment relies upon the relationship between the mind and body reactions to smells.

The essential oils used to treat muscle soreness are thought to promote feelings of calm and relaxation as well as possess properties for relaxing sore muscles, reducing tightness and spasms, and improving pain from inflammation.

• Lavender: Sweet, cooling, and gentle, lavender oil is great for relaxing your sore muscles. This oil has anti-inflammatory properties, is a well-known analgesic, or pain killer, an antidepressant, and an antispasmodic. This oil will target a number of problems associated with muscle soreness, making it a catch-all solution for your aches and pains.

• Blue Chamomile: This oil holds many of the same properties as lavender. It is an anti-inflammatory, an antiseptic, and an antispasmodic. These should help with tired, swollen joints that are both painful and stiff.

• Peppermint: Sharp and invigorating, peppermint is known to help you feel alert and awake. This oil is also an anti-inflammatory as well as an antidepressant, anesthetic, and an analgesic. The uplifting feeling prompted by this oil is great for those who are not only feeling sore but also sluggish and tired.

• Eucalyptus: This oil is especially helpful due to its combination of cooling, heartening, and pain killing properties. It also contains anti-inflammatory and antispasmodic properties, which help loosen tight muscles and relieve soreness, tenderness, and aching joints.

How you use your essential oils are as important as having them around. Some oils work better in certain ways while others should only be used one way for the best relief and results. Try these following ways to use these essential oil scents:

• Massages: When applying essential oil directly to the skin, always be sure to dilute with a carrier oil before applying. There are many different carrier oils, canola, olive; jojoba, hazelnut, and grapeseed are all great choices. Once in use, massage deeply into the problem areas when in need. The healing touch combined with these essential oils should result in lasting relief.

• Bath/Shower: One of the most effective ways to enjoy the healing effects of essential oils is to use bubble baths and shower gels with essential oil scent extracts. A soak in a warm tub is a surefire way to relieve muscle soreness and joint pain as well as swelling and inflammation. Bubble baths saturated with lavender, blue chamomile, or eucalyptus are especially effective as the combination of the warm water and the luxurious scents offer double the healing power. If you are not using bubble bath or shower gel, you may use between 10 and 14 drops of diluted oil in the bath. Be sure to avoid peppermint in the bath, however, as this can lead to irritation.

• Incense/Candles: Burning candles or incense are also an effective way to engage in aromatherapy. This unobtrusive practice allows the effected to enjoy the healing scents of these oils without applying them directly to the skin. Be sure to keep the room ventilated to ensure the scent can circulate and not overwhelm you.

• Diffuser: Aromatherapy diffusers fill the room they are in therapeutic vapor and can be used with all essential oils.

If you experience muscle soreness regularly, try these solutions to get instant relief. Proper rest, a balanced diet, and of course stretching before exercising or engaging in rigorous activities is always a good way to avoid muscle cramps and soreness. However, lotions, creams and other products can also be used to help you when you don’t have the time for a massage or a bubble bath.