Bursitis: The Essential Oils That May Help Relief Bursitis
Bursitis is an inflammation of the bursa. The bursae are small sacs containing lubricating fluid which is situated between moving joints. Essential oils have been shown to help in alleviating the discomfort and get you back up and active as soon as possible.
Treating bursitis is the main challenge here because you must rest the joint that was damaged and protect it from trauma. Thankfully, essential oils might be able to help you as well.
They will help alleviate pain naturally with great results.
What is Bursitis?
Bursitis means irritation of a bursa. Bursa is the fluid-filled sac that helps to protect the muscles, ligaments, tendons or skin that can rub against the bone and generate friction.
There are about 160 bursae in the entire body. But the bursae which are present near the heels, knees, elbows, shoulders, and hips get inflame more frequently than the other ones.
This uncomfortable, motion-reducing condition is most often exacerbated by repetitive motions you perform with a specific joint. For instance, your bursitis may flare up from doing gardening or repair work around the house, such as painting or raking leaves.
Exercising also falls in this list of catalysts.
If your bursitis is caused by activity, you should be able to rehabilitate on your own or with the help of a therapist. Keep in mind that the condition can also arise from infection. In this case, you may have to visit your doctor to examine your options.
More often than not, bursitis is a result of overusing a joint throughout the years. In any event, you’ll want to monitor how the condition unfolds.
6 Best Essential Oils for Bursitis
1. Thyme Essential Oil
Starting with the anti-inflammatories, thyme. Sporting a reddish-brown hue in color and spicy, warm aroma thyme is well known for its anti-inflammation and pain relief applications.
It also tends to be used to treat respiratory issues, stimulate blood circulation, and serve as a natural antidepressant. The oil is often extracted via water or steam distillation of the thyme plant and has been used for centuries.
2. Rose Essential Oil
Rose oil is typically used for skincare.
It has a dark yellow color and has a sweet, rich floral smell – as you would expect, and it works so well because it’s jam-packed with nutrients, antioxidants, and minerals.
Rose oil is an incredibly old essential oil, having been discovered during the 10th century in Iran. However, it quickly gained popularity with the antique market.
Rose oil can be extracted two ways yielding different results, rose ottos (the more medicinal form), or rose absolutes (more so used in perfumes).
3. Eucalyptus Essential Oil
Similar to clove oil, Eucalyptus is clear to light yellow in color, but unlike clove oil, it has a clean, pleasant, lemony scent.
It’s excellent for treating respiratory issues, chesty coughs, and the like, but it also serves as an excellent treatment for inflamed, pained joints.
The oil is distilled from the leaves of the eucalyptus tree and is used in a variety of products such as lozenges, cough sweets, and inhalants – hence the lemony smell and taste.
The oil has a myriad of constituents, terpineol, pinene, sabinene, limonene, camphor, and citronellol, to name a few. In short, eucalyptus, like the other oils on this list, is a great anti-inflammatory and pain relief for those suffering from bursitis, and can also be used to treat other, more minor illnesses you may encounter.
4. Clove Essential Oil
It’s usually colorless or light yellow and flaunts an overpowering bitter and spicy scent (and taste – as previously mentioned).
It has a plethora of health benefits, including its anti-inflammation properties, pain killer applications, and treating respiratory issues, among many others.
However, Clove is a powerful oil to treat bursitis. It both numbs the pain and helps reduce the swelling.
Read Also: Essential Oils for Ingrown Toenail: How to Prevent Ingrown Toenails
5. Cinnamon Bark Essential Oil
Cinnamon tastes beautiful– let’s just get that out of the way. It’s sweet, dark, and everything you want from a spice. Cinnamon bark oil, however, is not as palette-pleasing as it’s the sugary counterpart.
Cinnamon bark oil is known to reduce inflammation, but it also alleviates aches, stiffness, and pain in the muscles.
This will help ease the discomfort caused by bursitis. It can also be used to treat depression, faintness, and exhaustion, as well as boost immunity, revive your skin tone, and assist circulation.It’s a powerhouse of an oil.
6. Clary Sage Oil
Clary sage oil has a pale yellow color and an aromatic floral scent. Historically the seeds of the clary sage were believed to have health benefits for the eyes and to improve vision, which earned it a name meaning “clear eye.”
Clary sage essential oil is gotten using the process of steam distillation using the leaves and tops of the flower.
Along with these medicinal benefits, clary sage oil can also be use to reduce the effects of depressive episodes and anxiety, lower blood pressure, and improve mental function when used in aromatherapy.
Clary sage oil is a powerful essential oil and one you should definitely consider when looking at possible oils to treat your bursitis.
Benefits of Essential Oils for Bursitis
When using essential oils for your bursitis, your primary concern will be to reduce the intensity of the condition so that your body can do the rest.
Reduce Inflammation
Try using thyme, fennel or cinnamon bark for their anti-inflammatory properties. If you don’t have any of these available, you can use lavender, basil or rosemary which you’ll be more likely to have in your home.
Heat the Area
Black pepper, ginger and juniper berry are great for heating. Peppermint will do the job if you don’t currently have any of the others in your pantry.
Promote Circulation
Your body repairs itself by transporting necessary nutrients and chemicals to the affected area. Promoting blood circulation in the inflamed region will ensure the spot gets all the help it needs from your immune system. Corriander, clove and eucalyptus are effective at aiding circulation.
Conventional Medical Treatments For Bursitis
Generally your doctor will advise you to avoid activities that tend to aggravate your bursitis (e.g. gardening or tennis). That is to rest the affected joint, and to apply a cloth-covered ice pack on the day of the injury.
Sometimes they will also prescribe over-the-counter anti-inflammatory medicines. Like all medications, these too have side effects.
If your bursitis doesn’t reduce in a week’s time, your doctor may also prescribe corticosteroids to decrease the inflammation and pain. Sometimes, they are injected. These medications come with the risk of severe side effects.
Physical therapy can be recommended (e.g. range-of-motion exercises and splints). Surgery is sometimes perform when bursitis does not respond to other treatment options.
What Are Alternative Treatments For Bursitis?
Some say taking apple cider vinegar and temporarily changing your diet to more acidic foods may help decrease the accumulation of calcium in your joints. Others say avoiding processed foods and eating a good organic diet with lots of greens helps.
Apparently, calcium supplements are generally not the cause of calcium deposits. In fact, it is more likely to be that you were deficient in calcium, so your body took calcium from the bones and it ended up in the joint.
Others say that rubbing the joint with DMSO (dimethylsulfoxide) or warm castor oil may help. Acupuncture can be use to relieve the pain.
Bottom Line
There are many great essential oils that you can use to alleviate bursitis pain. Some of them might even help you get rid of bursitis in the long run. However, it’s important to study their dosage and how you should administer every essential oil.
Some of these need a carrier oil, others will work on their own without issues. Take your time, study everything and you will be heavily impressed with the experience!
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