Soothe pain, with essential oils too! According to a study, inhaling the essential oil of globular eucalyptus reduces pain and reduces inflammatory reactions after total knee replacement! Let's discover how the subtle power of Essential Oils is able to alleviate the pain of suffering patients.
Context :
Total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is a surgical procedure that involves replacing the lower end of the femur and upper end of the tibia with artificial implants. Inflammation control and pain management are necessary for rapid recovery of functionality 2 . Neuropathic pain, unfortunately, responds little or not to analgesics such as paracetamol, nor to non-steroidal anti-inflammatories. The effectiveness of tramadol has been established mainly in sensory polyneuropathies and the effectiveness of strong opioids (morphine, methadone, etc.) has been established for peripheral neuropathic pain 2 .
Eucalyptus globulus is very rich in 1.8 cineole. Oral administration of Eucalyptus globulus EO suppressed edema formation and reduced inflammation and pain in mice 3 . It appears that 1,8-cineole inhibits the secretion of cytokines by lymphocytes 4 . Eucalyptus EO was not only analgesic but reduced the formation of edema and the inflammatory reaction in rats subjected to the sensitivity of a hotplate 5 .
Can we obtain the same results in patients who have undergone TKA?
A randomized clinical trial 1
The following clinical study, conducted in 2013 by the Korean research team 'Yang Suk Jun et al 1 ', evaluates the effect of inhalation of Eucalyptus globulus EO on pain and inflammation in patients. having undergone TKA.
Experimentation :
Patients accepted for the study were divided into two groups who must inhale a solution placed on a gauze pad. This is placed between the nose and the philtrum (= dimple located in the middle of the upper lip ).
- Experimental Group 'Exp.' (n = 25), proceeds to an inhalation of a solution of 3% EO of globular Eucalyptus + 97% of HV of sweet almond for 30 min on 3 consecutive days, from the third day after the operation.
- Control Group 'Cont.' (n = 27), inhalation of sweet almond OV only.
To study the effects of eucalyptus EO, before and after inhalation, Yang Suk Jun 1 's team examined the following parameters: pain (visual analog scale ' VAS Pain Score' ), blood pressure systolic ' sBP' and diastolic 'dBP', heart rate 'HR', concentration of C-reactive protein (CRP, produced by the liver and released into the blood following inflammation or infection ) and blood cell count whites. 
Results which prove the action of Essential Oil on pain
Results :
General summary- For pain, 'VAS' values were significantly lower during all three days in the 'Exp.' group. than in the group 'Cont.' (Fig. a). Comparing these results to the studies of Santos and Rao 3 and Silva et al. 5 , we can say that the subjective pain-relieving effects of eucalyptus EO are due, at least in part, to eucalyptol (=1,8-cineole).
- Systolic 'sBP' and diastolic 'dBP' blood pressure were significantly lower in the 'Exp.' group. than in the group 'Cont.' (Fig. c and d). Eucalyptus EO could therefore promote relaxation by reducing sympathetic activity and increasing parasympathetic activity. Olfactory stimulation by eucalyptus EO modulated autonomic responses such as blood pressure via the central nervous system and the autonomic nervous system.
- For heart rate 'HR' (Fig. b), there is no significant difference between the two groups.
- For markers of inflammatory reactions, the concentration of C-reactive protein and the leukocyte count did not differ significantly between the 2 groups. However, comparisons before and after inhalation showed that white blood cell counts tended to be lower in the 'Exp.' group. than in the group 'Cont.'
Conclusion :
This study showed that inhalation of globular eucalyptus oil is effective in reducing subjective pain and lowering blood pressure in patients who have undergone TKA. The authors suggest that inhalation of eucalyptus EO can be used as a nursing intervention to relieve pain after TKA. The concentration of the eucalyptus EO and/or the frequency of application must be rechecked. To complete the action of your pain-relieving treatments, also discover the Aromalgic range of topical treatments which soothe quickly and well!
References:
1 Yang Suk Jun et al. Effect of Eucalyptus Oil Inhalation on Pain and Inflammatory Responses after Total Knee Replacement: A Randomized Clinical Trial, Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine Volume 2013, Article ID 502727, 7 pages
2 F. Trouillet et al. Understanding pain after TKA. A distraught but supported patient, a disappointed but involved surgeon. Albert Trillat Center - North Hospital Group - Lyon 69004.
3 FA Santos and VS Rao, “Antiinflammatory and antinociceptive effects of 1,8-cineole a terpenoid oxide present in many plant essential oils,” Phytotherapy Research, vol. 14, no. 4, pp. 240–244, 2000.
4 UR Juergens et al. Inhibitory activity of 1,8-cineol (eucalyptol) on cytokine production in cultured human lymphocytes and monocytes. Pulmonary Pharmacology and Therapeutics, vol. 17, no. 5, pp. 281–287, 2004.
5 J. Silva et al. Analgesic and anti-inflammatory effects of essential oils of Eucalyptus. Journal of Ethnopharmacology, vol. 89, no. 2-3, pp. 277–283, 2003.
