Best Ways Of Using Peppermint Oil For Joint Pains

Pain in any part of the body can be gruesome. No one certainly enjoys it and sometimes it happens to last forever. After a long day, we all tend to reach out for medicines, ointments or balms that would help us relax and shed off the weariness. For those suffering from joint pains, they reach out for stronger medicines or maybe even sleeping pills to wind themselves down.

Could there possibly be a natural solution to these ever occurring joint pains? We surely need one ‘cause medications can only do good for a few hours. We all want to enjoy the liberty of movement and no one wants to suffer from lifelong problems related to their joints. In this article, we have curated the best natural solutions for curing joint pains using peppermint essential oil and other natural therapies.

Before we jump on the solution of using peppermint oil for joint pains, let us discuss the reasons behind the joint pains and then route you to the right treatment.

What causes joint pains?

Joint pain or arthralgia can be induced by an injury that affected the ligaments, tendons, or bursae surrounding the joints. The injury could have had a direct impact on cartilage, bones, and ligaments within the joint too. This might be another reason for joint pains. The most common form of injury that causes joint pain is a sprain. While a sprain might be the most common cause, it is not the only one. Joint pains can be results of inflammation in the joint. This could mean the pain is a result of arthritis – rheumatoid arthritis or osteoarthritis, bursitis, septic arthritis, tendinitis, gout, or pseudogout.

In extremely rare cases, your joint pain can also be a result of cancer of the joint. Typically, one experiences joint pain in their fingers, wrists, shoulders, knee, and ankles. Though this is not so common, yet sexually transmitted diseases like gonorrhea and chlamydia can also lead to joint pain.

In the section below, we have highlighted the most common causes behind joint pains and have listed the symptoms one suffers from during such situations. These joint pains are curable using peppermint essential oil.

Symptoms of joint pains: One can suffer from either of these symptoms of joint pains: Joint swelling, joint tenderness, joint redness, joint warmth, lack of motion within the joint, stiffness, weakness, joint being locked, and limping.

Arthritis: Arthritis refers to the problem of inflammation in joints. It can affect more than one joint in the body and can be a lifelong problem. There is no permanent cure, however, the right treatment seems to help.

Osteoarthritis: A chronic condition of joints, also known as the degenerative joint disease, osteoarthritis occurs when the flexible tissues surrounding the bones wear down.

Rheumatoid arthritis: This condition of arthritis can last for the entire lifetime if not treated right. It is a result of body’s immune system attacking its own tissues, joints, and internal organs. Rheumatoid arthritis can be painful, cause swelling, and lead to joint deformity and bone erosion.

Sprain: Typically, a sprain refers to tearing or stretching of ligament tissues that connect joints and the bones. This is a common reason behind joint pains especially amongst athletes and sports enthusiasts.

Bursitis: Bursitis can be defined as swelling on the cushions that protect your joints. These cushions are fluid filled pads known as bursae. Bursitis can affect your soft tissues and cause pain in the elbow, hip, knee, wrist, shoulder, or ankle.

Septic Arthritis: Another form of joint pain could be induced via septic arthritis. This is an infectious form of arthritis that is primarily a result of bacteria, or fungus. The microbes affect the joint and cause inflammation. Generally, large joints in the body are more prone to septic arthritis like hip or the knee.

Tendinitis: When tendons that connect your bones to the muscles get inflamed, they can cause terrible pain. Such a condition is known as tendinitis.

Gout: Another type of arthritis that attacks suddenly and leaves one in pain. It leads to joint stiffness, swelling, and burning pain. The attack, typically, happens in the big toe and should be treated soon to avoid harm on other joints, tissues, and tendons.

Pseudogout: This form of arthritis is a result of crystal formation in the fluid that lubricates joints. These crystals lead to inflammation, and thus, pain.

Now that you know the primary causes behind the pain in your joints, let us learn how peppermint oil is beneficial for joint pains, its properties that help you heal, and natural remedies to use the oil of peppermint for relief from joint pains.

Why use peppermint oil for joint pains?

Literally, there are only a few mind, body, and health issues that peppermint oil cannot resolve. Be it taking care of your muscles and joints, to your digestive system, to promoting hair growth, peppermint essential oil is the answer to most of your regular woes. Rich in antimicrobial properties, revered for its topical uses, and being a natural energizer, the oil of peppermint is the second most versatile essential oil in the world

1. The high menthol content in peppermint essential oil provides a cooling sensation, calms the body, relieves the inflammations in joint pains and soothes the swelling.

2. The microbe fighting properties present in the oil help in killing the bacterial and fungal attacks, curing skin infections and ailments, and promote a healthy immune system. These antiseptic & antimicrobial properties make peppermint oil for joint pains a blessing.

3. Menthol, a biochemical present in high quantity in peppermint essential oil, is an active and must have ingredient of a majority of ointments and pain relief balms and over the counter treatments.

Natural remedies using peppermint oil for joint pain relief:

Wintergreen essential oil + Peppermint essential oil for joint pains:

Wintergreen oil is a well known analgesic that has properties similar to that of an aspirin. It contains an organic compound known as the methyl salicylate – a compound similar to acetylsalicylic acid present in aspirin.

When a blend of wintergreen oil mixed with peppermint oil in a carrier oil is applied topically to the skin, the magical mix is believed to provide relief better than any other ointment or solution available. Plus, both these oils complement each other with their analgesic and anti-inflammatory properties work the magic.

Eucalyptus essential oil + Peppermint essential oil for joint pains:

This natural remedy is another way of using peppermint oil for joint pains.It may go a long way in helping you soothe chronic problems like arthritis. But, do not forget that you would be required to take other medications and physiotherapy sessions alongside as well.

Prepare a blend of eucalyptus oil and peppermint oil in the same proportion and mix them in a carrier oil. We recommend olive oil for being able to provide the joint strengthen and serve as a lubricant. Apply this blend on your joint pain thrice a day at least for four weeks. You would see the difference. Also, you can prepare the blend in advance and save it in a dark colored glass bottle away from direct sunlight.

Lavender essential oil + Peppermint essential oil for joint pains:

Lavender oil is an all time favorite amongst the essential users. It has soothing and calming properties. When your joints start to ache, massage them with a blend made out of pure peppermint oil with lavender oil. Make sure you cover the area really well and help it stay dry and warm for best results.

Precautions you must take while using peppermint oil for joint pains:

Pregnant women and nursing mothers should avoid using peppermint oil.
Also, children under the age of 6 should not be exposed to these essential oils.
Always cover the joints where you massage the peppermint oil for relief. Warm and dry atmosphere promotes healing and exposure to air might worsen the situation.
Never apply peppermint oil directly on your skin. Always mix it with a carrier oil before application.
If you are a first time peppermint oil user, introduce it drop by drop to your skin. Peppermint oil is highly potent and can irritate your skin if you don’t use it right.
Talk to your medical practitioner about using this oil alongside other recommended treatments.
Typically, peppermint oil does not have any side effects, yet it is better to be cautious and stay aware of how the oil is responding to your body. Quit using it if an allergic reactions start to occur.

Note: Remember, if you get hurt, always go to the doctor first instead of trying to treat yourself. It can be a fracture that may never heal if first aid is not provided at the right time. These therapies should come to use when you have understood the root cause behind the pain.

While the essential oil of peppermint for joint pains is an amazing natural therapy, it is not the only thing that calms a sore muscle down or reduces the joint pain. It is a series of steps that you must take to ensure the pain goes away permanently. Along with naturopathy, physiotherapy is equally important. You medical practitioner would be able to guide you the best.