- Ayurveda
- Chavutti Thirumal An Intoduction To A Unique Massage Therapy
- Removing Toxins The Natural Way
- Complementary Therapies
- Gentle Touch Produces Miracles
- Removing Toxins The Natural Way
- The Magic Pill Within
- Health
- On Site Massage & Complementary Therapy in the workplace
- Stress, and why we need massage therapies
- The Magic Pill Within
Aromatherapy & Sports Injuries
04/05/2008 - By Carole Preen A lot of people participate in sport, not just competitively but also for recreation and fitness. As stated by the Edinburgh Physiotherapy Centre "The definition of sporting injuries is vast.
From rugby to ballet, professional to amateur, athletes at any level require specialist treatment dependent on the types of stresses they need to cope with".
It is likely therefore that all body work therapists will come up against a sporting injury on a fairly regular basis, ranging from simple sprains, strains, ligament damage and muscle tears to more serious traumas. However, few have undertaken any specialist CPD training in the area and it would appear that "Few medical schools include compulsory training in sports medicine" Br J Sports Med (2000), so it is likely that diagnosis by the GP may not always be forthcoming.
It is therefore advisable that all massage therapists and aromatherapists add to their skills to enable the client's needs to be addressed to the optimum effect. A client who books in for aromatherapy or Swedish massage, who really needs deeper work, will be disappointed if the therapist does not adjust the treatment to suit. You can also advise the use of aromatherapy blends to help prevent sport injuries, such as muscle blends to help warm up the area beforehand and bath blends to use after. Vickers (1996) cites a clinical trial by Smith et al. (1994) that showed "massage interferes with the emigration of cells from the circulation into the tissue spaces by increasing blood flow to exercised muscle". Essential oils are particularly useful for long distance runners, such as marathon runners, but can apply to almost anyone. Correct training in sports injuries will enable you to advise your clients about effective stretching before and after exercise, known as warm ups and cool downs. According to Cash (1996), this is a commonly neglected area that subsequently leads to injury.
I have found that you can combine remedial massage and trigger point therapy in a treatment and include the use of certain essential oils that work in specific ways to help the presenting symptoms as well as treating the client holistically and improving their general wellbeing. Davies (2001) cites Travel & Simons (1999) stating that trigger points are the primary cause of pain. She goes on to quote that "trigger points are the biggest cause of disability and loss of time in any workplace or office, in any professional or amateur sport or simply around home". Of course I adhere to safety data and contraindications of essential oils and adjust dilution ratios to suit and would not offer deep tissue massage to frail old ladies, but I have had more robust 80-year-olds who have really benefited from a bit of a pounding! If you are treating sports injuries though, it is important to understand what caused the problem if it is an over-use injury, in order for it not to reoccur. This will mean a change from the type of training that is causing the damage. Cash (1996).
An important note here is that only qualified aromatherapists should be using essential oils in massage treatments as their training allows them to understand the chemistry and toxicity of essential oils, the safety data and contraindications and possible interactions with medications. As a qualified aromatherapist, these are the essential oils I have found useful for sporting injuries, combined with deep tissue techniques, in my own practice:
Eucalyptus citriodora
This is lemon scented eucalyptus, a member of the Myrtaceae plant family. It is high in aliphatic aldehydes (up to 80%), mainly citronellal. It is very stimulating and anti-inflammatory so is indicated for arthritis. It does have antispasmodic properties and it blends well with other oils. I have found it to be very useful for cleansing the emotions as well. One of my students has found that her skin reacted to this oil, so caution must be used for those with sensitive skin.
Syzygium aromaticum
Clove bud oil should also be used in low dilutions as it can irritate sensitive skins and also diseased or damaged skin. Tisserand/Balacs (1995). It contains 90% phenols including eugenol, isoeugenol and aceteugenol. It belongs to the Myrtaceae family and is antiviral as well as antiseptic. It is also an analgesic and antispasmodic, as well as being very stimulating and warming to the muscles. It is indicated for arthritis and sprains.
Piper nigrum
This oil contains mainly monoterpenes (up to 70%) including limonene, ?-pinene, ß-pinene and sabinene. A member of the Piperaceae family this oil is very warming and promotes localised blood flow through muscle tissue. It has analgesic, antispasmodic and antiseptic properties and is indicated for muscular aches and pains, poor muscle tone, poor circulation, sprains, stiffness and rheumatoid arthritis.
Jasminum officinale
A member of the Oleaceae family, it contains esters 54% (benzyl acetate, linalyl acetate etc.) and alcohols 24% (linalool, nerol, geraniol etc.) and is antispasmodic, and antiseptic. I have found this to be excellent for reducing muscle spasm and like to blend it with black pepper and lavandin (Lavandula x intermedia). It is indicated for muscle relaxation, muscle spasm and sprains.
Vetiveria zizanoides
This oil is very calming and contains alcohols 40% (vetiverol) and ketones 15% (vetiverone). It actually stimulates blood flow and is indicated for aches and pains and arthritis. It is particularly useful when the patient is also severely stressed.
Mentha piperata
A member of the large Lamiaceae family, peppermint oil is high in alcohols (42% menthol, isomenthol, linalool) and ketones 30% (menthone, isomenthone etc.), so this oil needs to be used with care in low dilutions and not on sensitive skin. It is also contraindicated for people with atrial fibrillations. Tisserand/Balacs (1995). It is an excellent analgesic for muscle pain and antispasmodic too. Add 1 or 2 drops for a stimulating blend.
Betula alba
An unusual aroma, this oil is white birch as the % sweet birch is highly toxic. White birch contains mostly sesquiterpenes and is quite safe. It is anti-inflammatory and antiseptic.
It is indicated for reducing accumulation of toxins in muscles, for arthritis, muscular sprain, oedema in muscle tissue (inflammation) and poor circulation. I have found it particularly useful for tendonitis.
Origanum Marjorana
Another member of the Lamiaceae family, marjoram contains mainly monoterpenes (40% pinenes, myrcene, limonene etc.) and alcohols (50% linalool, borneol, a-terpineol and terpinene-4-ol). The oil is analgesic, antispasmodic and very calming. It dilates capillaries in muscle tissue allowing blood to flow through so great for microtraumas common with sporting injuries.
Lavandula hybrida (or x intermedia)
For remedial massage this is better than true lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) as it has more camphor content, but this does mean that you need to use lower dilutions than true lavender. Tisserand Balacs (1995). It contains 45% alcohols and 30% esters and about 10% -15% camphor ketone. It is a very stimulating oil and great for stimulating the circulation. It relaxes muscles and is indicated for cramps.
Zingiber officinale
Mainly sesquiterpenes (55% sesquillandrene, zingiberene) and monoterpenes (20% pinenes etc.) ginger oil has analgesic, antispasmodic and antiseptic properties. It is a wonderful spice oil that blends well with many oils mentioned here and is particularly useful for osteoarthritis. It is also indicated for back spasms and muscular aches and pains in general. Be aware that very, very occasionally it can upset some sensitives, so check this when taking their case history.
Helichrysum angustifolium
A member of the Asteraceae (Compositae) family this is a very safe oil that is under utilised in my opinion. It contains 30 -50% nerol and neryl acetate, plus geraniol, pinene, linalool etc., so blends well with many other oils. It has anti-inflammatory and antiseptic properties and is indicated for muscular aches and pains, sprains and strained muscles.
Anthemis nobilis
(Chamaemelum nobile)
This is Roman chamomile and like German chamomile oil (see below), is a member of the Asteraceae family. High in esters (75%) this chamomile oil is well known for being calming. It is antispasmodic and analgesic but not anti-inflammatory.
Matricaria recutica
German chamomile contains 35% sesquiterpenes (chamazulene, farnesene), 35% oxides (a-bisabolol oxide) and 20% alcohols (a-bisabolol) so you can see it is a very different oil despite also being a chamomile. It is the high chamazulene content that turns this oil dark blue and gives it its powerful anti-inflammatory effect.
It is also an effective analgesic and antispasmodic and this makes it a wonderful tool for us when treating muscle pain, inflamed joints, arthritis and sprains. It has quite an unpleasant aroma (in my opinion) so is best blended with other oils. One important note is that although it is often indicated for soothing skin conditions, both chamomiles can cause contact dermatitis in some individuals.
Bibliography.
Br J. Sports Med 2000; 34:73
The British Journal of Sports Medicine
Davies C. The Trigger Point Therapy Workbook 2001 pp16-17 New Harbinger Publications Inc.
Cash M. Sports & Remedial Massage Therapy 1996 pp 61-62 Ebury Press
www.edphysio.com/sports_injuries.htm
Lawless J. Encyclopaedia of Essential Oils 1995 Element Books
Tisserand R., Balacs T. Essential Oil Safety - A Guide for Health Care Professionals 1995 pp 131, 144, 160 Churchill ivingstone.
Vickers A, Massage and Aromatherapy A Guide for health professionals 1996 p100 Stanley Thornes (Publishers) Ltd.
By Carole Preen
For further information on regulation of the Aromatherapy Profession or to join the register, contact Carole Preen
at the Aromatherapy Consortium
0870 7743477
or view the website at
www.aromatherapy-regulation.org.uk