Aromatherapy is the therapeutic or medicinal use of essential oils that are absorbed through the skin and/or inhaled. Recent years have seen further investigation of aromatherapy for pain management. Furthermore, these findings indicate that aromatherapy is indeed helpful for certain kinds of pain management. In this post, we will be discussing and summarizing the article, “The Effectiveness of Aromatherapy in Reducing Pain: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.”
(Disclaimer: I am not a medical professional and all information provided in this post is from the article which is available in the “references” section at the bottom of the page. This post is meant only to provide a synopsis of the information covered in the original article.)
Table Of Contents
Traditional Aromatherapy Usages
Chronic Pain In Older Adults
Chronic Back Pain
Chronic Neck Pain
Chronic Knee Pain
Menstrual Pain
Labor and Birth Pains
Post-Cesarean Section Pain
Episiotomy Pain
Post Operative Pain
Hemiplegic Shoulder Pain
Pediatric Pain
Hospice And Cancer Pain
Hemodialysis Pain
Renal Colic
Multiple Sclerosis Pain
Summary
Traditional Aromatherapy Usages
Aromatherapy is claimed to have many benefits, but most research has been focused on things such as pain, sleep disturbances, nausea, depression, muscle tension, and anxiety. Some evidence suggests that the olfactory (smell) stimulation from essential oils can not only change physiological factors such as brain activity, pulse, blood pressure, and skin temperature, but also provide an immediate reduction in pain.
Typically, aromatherapy is used either through smell alone or applied topically through a carrier oil that is used for massage. The tactile and smell stimulation provided by essential oils can enhance activities such as sexual contact, eating, and social interactions. Although many different essential oils have been identified, peppermint, rosemary, chamomile, lavender, and eucalyptus are used most frequently.
Past studies on the use of essential oils are inconclusive because they were typically used in conjunction with therapeutic massage. The integration of massage along with the essential oils made it impossible to decipher which one was causing the intended effect. Although few to no studies have been conducted on aromatherapy alone as a pain management technique, inferences can be drawn from the aromatherapy massage studies regarding the pain reduction effects. Throughout the rest of this article, we will be examining the impacts of aromatherapy on various kinds of pain.
Chronic Pain In Older Adults
Over 80% of elderly people living in nursing homes experience chronic pain. This pain was frequently associated with poor coping abilities and stress. Additionally, the presence of chronic pain typically causes a reduced quality of life overall as a result of things such as anxiety, depression, and poor sleep.
In a study conducted on several groups of older adults in nursing homes, two groups received hand massages while a third group received more frequent nurses visits, but no hand massages. The results of this study showed that both massage groups experienced an increased sense of well-being, but the aromatherapy did not produce any significant effects. One hypothesis is that older adults have a decreased sense of smell, so the group that was treated with aromatherapy was not impacted because they could not smell the oils.
Chronic Back Pain
Lower back pain is one of the top 5 most common reasons for doctor visits. Treatment of lower back pain can be difficult due to the fact that fewer than 15% of patients experience back pain with a known cause. Because it is so difficult to know exactly what is causing back pain, treatment is usually centered around symptom management. Although massage is a common treatment for lower back pain, the impact of aromatherapy massages is unknown.
Even though there have not been many studies done on aromatherapy massage, the ones that have been done look promising. One study was conducted with acupressure massage and lavender oil while a second study was done with ginger oil and Swedish massage. Both studies showed greater improvement in patients whose treatments included the oils.
Chronic Neck Pain
Similar to chronic back pain, chronic neck pain is a common problem that can significantly impact the patient’s quality of life. An experimental study compared standard conventional treatment for neck pain to acupressure aromatherapy with electrode stimulation in addition to the conventional treatments. The group that was treated with acupoint and acupressure therapies showed more improvement than the group that was treated with traditional methods. This suggests that aromatherapy may be a viable complementary treatment option for chronic neck pain.
Chronic Knee Pain
Like many other chronic pain conditions, treatment for chronic knee pain typically focuses on symptom management. One study used three groups with one group receiving ginger oil massage, one group receiving regular massage, and one group receiving standard treatment. The results showed that. Between the groups, the group who was receiving ginger oil massages showed the greatest improvement, but none of the groups reported any significant increases in their quality of life.
Menstrual Pain
In one study on menstrual pain, one group was treated with abdominal aromatherapy massage, while a second group was just treated with acetaminophen. The group that was treated with aromatherapy reported a significantly higher degree of relief than the group that was treated with just acetaminophen. Although these results look promising, the results are unclear because it is possible that massage alone helps to relieve menstrual cramps.
Labor And Birth Pains
In addition to being a natural pain management technique, aromatherapy during labor may also reduce pyrexia, headaches, hypertension, vomiting, and nausea. An added benefit of using aromatherapy during labor is the reduced cost of medical care.
Post-Cesarean Section Pain
One study indicated that lavender aromatherapy was effective in reducing pain after a cesarean section. Furthermore, another study showed the same results, but this time it was also seen that the group that was treated with lavender reported a 90% satisfaction rate with their treatment whereas only 50% of the placebo group was satisfied with their care. The group that was treated with lavender also experienced less dizziness and nausea, but heart rates were the same among both groups.
Episiotomy Pain
An Episiotomy is a common procedure used to prevent vaginal trauma and lacerations during childbirth. A sitz bath is a commonly recommended treatment for this. One study compared a standard sitz bath to a sitz bath with lavender and found that while the lavender did not seem to reduce pain, it did reduce inflammation and redness. One other study also found that women who treated episiotomy pain with lavender used fewer analgesics for pain management in the period that followed.
Post Operative Pain
Two studies that have examined the use of aromatherapy in postoperative care found that patients who used aromatherapy for pain management reported significantly higher satisfaction with their pain management. One study examined lavender while the other used eucalyptus for aromatherapy.
Hemiplegic Shoulder Pain
Many patients who experience strokes suffer paralysis of one-half of the body (hemiplegia). Hemiplegic shoulder pain is usually caused by decreased motor strength, muscle weakness, and subluxations. One study examined the benefits of peppermint, lavender, and rosemary oils on relieving hemiplegic shoulder pain. One group was treated with just acupressure while a second group was treated with acupressure and aromatherapy. The results showed a pain reduction in both groups, but the aromatherapy group reported a 15% higher rate of pain relief.
Pediatric Pain
Children undergoing treatment for serious illnesses often experience distress, so a holistic care approach is an important part of treatment. One study looked at soothing infants with lavender aromatherapy during a blood draw and found that the infants were soothed faster with the aromatherapy than without. Another study examined children recovering from a tonsillectomy and found that children who were given lavender aromatherapy required less painkillers and slept better than the children in the control group. However, a third study of children who had undergone craniofacial surgery found that aromatherapy provided no benefit. Factors such as children being hesitant of strangers massaging them and massages being administered too soon after anesthesia may be to blame for the results of the third study.
Hospice And Cancer Pain
Few quality studies exist on the benefits of aromatherapy for hospice or cancer patients, but it seems that aromatherapy can reduce depression, anxiety, and pain. Aromatherapy is a good option for treating hospice and cancer pain as it is cost-effective and easy to administer. Overall, the study concluded that aromatherapy can provide short-term relief for cancer patients.
Hemodialysis Pain
Hemodialysis is a stressful and painful process. Because it is easy to apply and low-cost to use, aromatherapy seems to be a viable option for pain management. One study demonstrated a significant decrease in pain and anxiety among hemodialysis patients treated with lavender aromatherapy.
Renal Colic
Renal colic involves severe pain in the groin and abdomen. Narcotics and opioids are often used to treat this pain. One study examined renal colic patients who were treated either with conventional treatments or conventional treatments along with aromatherapy with rose oil. Patients reported significantly less pain after the first half hour when treated with aromatherapy.
Multiple Sclerosis
Multiple sclerosis is a neurological disorder that involves inflammation throughout the body and myelin sheath loss throughout the central nervous system. The majority of multiple sclerosis patients experience chronic pain. One study examined the use of aromatherapy massage on multiple sclerosis patients. The location of the massage was based on the pain location of each patient and the patients were given a single aromatherapy massage each month for four months. The results were a 7% reduction overall in pain medication among the patients.
Summary
Overall, the results of these studies showed that aromatherapy is a safe and cost effective method for pain management. Although there is not yet enough evidence to say whether or not aromatherapy is an effective treatment method by itself, it does seem to be effective as an additional therapy alongside standard treatments. The majority of studies used lavender, but other oils have also been seen to have a positive impact as well.
References
Lakhan, Shaheen E, et al. “The Effectiveness of Aromatherapy in Reducing Pain: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.” Pain Research and Treatment, U.S. National Library of Medicine, 2016, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5192342/.
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