Natural Remedies for Joints: How to Soothe Stiff, Achy Joints

January 29th, 2024

By Dr. Edward F. Group

Guest Writer for Wake Up World

As you get older, aches and discomfort can start to creep up, stopping you from doing the things you love and turning your once active lifestyle sedentary. And while it can be tempting to head to your doctor for a prescription, the truth is that those painkillers and drugs they prescribe come with their own extensive list of side effects.

Luckily, it is possible to soothe those stiff achy joints naturally, so that you can get back to your life.

In this article, we’ll take a deep dive into the symptoms and causes of joint and muscle discomfort. And we’ll give you a list of the most effective natural home remedies available that you can use to calm your irritated joints, ease muscle aches, and get moving again.

What is Joint and Muscle Discomfort?

Discomfort of the joints and muscles is one of the most common issues that affect people of all walks of life and ages. While any joint in the body can be affected, many people experience problems with the joints of the hips, knees, elbows, wrists, and shoulders. The joints of the lower body are often affected due to the job they do in weight-bearing, which can put strain on tendons, ligaments, and cartilage. Joints of the upper body tend to be affected due to repeated strains, such as typing or sports.

Muscular discomfort, on the other hand, generally involves an overall soreness of muscles, such as those in the neck, back, arms, or legs. This can occur following activity or even simply from sleeping in a bad position.

Often times, you can experience discomfort of the joints and muscles simultaneously, causing general discomfort. The good news is you can use the same natural remedies that help ease stiff and irritated joints to improve muscular discomfort.

What are the symptoms of joint and muscle problems?

Problems with your joints or muscles can lead to a number of common symptoms. These include:

• Discomfort in the affected joint
• Stiffness or difficulty in moving the affected joint
• Swelling around the joint
• Warmth or tenderness in the affected area
• Redness or discoloration of the skin around the joint
• A feeling of aching in your muscles

You may experience only one of these symptoms or many of them together, depending on the severity of your condition.

8 Natural Home Remedies to Soothe Joints and Muscles Fast

While the bad news is that joint and muscle issues are so common that most of us will experience them at some time in our lives, the good news is that there are natural remedies available to help. These remedies can not only help ease that discomfort, they can actually help promote healthy movement, which could help keep your problems from getting worse.

Let’s take a look at the natural remedies that are most recommended for joints and muscles.

#1 – Coconut Oil

Although many people think of coconut oil as only a skin moisturizer, the truth is that when applied topically, it is also a great way to reduce muscular and joint aches and stiffness. The oil is packed with potent fatty acids that help calm irritation in both muscles and joints and help maintain healthy inflammatory levels. It can be massaged into the affected area to soothe aches and even improve post-workout recovery.

#2 – Jojoba Oil

Like coconut oil, jojoba oil also provides a natural source of moisture that helps keep skin hydrated and nourished. Yet, it also powerfully nourishes joint tissue with its rich vitamins and minerals, while easing muscular discomfort. It’s also a potent source of antioxidants that can help reduce the free radical damage that is associated with tissue aging.

#3 – Arnica Oil

This oil is rich in sesquiterpene lactones which are known for their ability to support inflammation levels in the normal range. Because of this, arnica can be used to offer targeted relief of sore muscles and joints. Naturally soothing, the oil can be applied topically, where it goes to work fast, offering a simple solution for discomfort.

#4 – Camphor Oil

Another powerful remedy used to provide relief from muscle and joint aches, this oil is easy to apply, readily absorbed into the skin, and doesn’t leave any greasy residue on clothes. With its dual hot and cold action, camphor creates a cooling sensation when first applied that helps calm discomfort. This cool feeling is followed by a deep warmth that helps ease stiffness and overcome aches.

#5 – Peppermint Oil

Peppermint is especially good for sore or aching joints and muscles, because it provides relief on two levels. With its cooling sensation, the oil reduces the discomfort of sore muscles and joints on contact, as its aromatherapy benefits go to work to calm tension and relax stress, This makes it the perfect choice for post-activity comfort and relaxation.

#6 – Wintergreen Oil

Wintergreen oil contains a potent compound known as methyl salicylate. It’s a compound that helps support healthy inflammation and ease irritation and tension. Used in combination with other oils, wintergreen helps powerfully ease muscle discomfort.

#7 – Eucalyptus Oil

Like peppermint oil, eucalyptus can help both muscle and joint issues on two levels. First, its soothing scent helps calm stress, which in itself can help overcome discomfort. And it also helps ease joint and muscle aches on contact.

#8 – Juniper Oil

Juniper oil is excellent for calming the soreness and discomfort caused by irritated and inflamed joints and muscles. The oil also naturally improves relaxation. Together these benefits make juniper perfect for anyone who wants to overcome joint and muscle problems, whether used alone or in combination with other oils.

Closing

Joint and muscle aches and discomfort are common problems. Luckily, natural home remedies can provide safe and effective relief, without the worries of prescription side effects. By using coconut oil, jojoba oil, peppermint oil, arnica oil, camphor oil, and other powerful oils, you can calm joint and muscle aches and soreness, get back to doing the things you love, and stay active.

Originally posted at Global Healing and reproduced here with permission. 

About the author:

Dr. Edward F. Group III (DC, ND, DACBN, DCBCN, DABFM) founded Global Healing Center in 1998 with the goal of providing the highest quality natural health information and products. He is world-renowned for his research on the root cause of disease. Under his leadership, Global Healing Center earned recognition as one of the largest natural and organic health resources in the world. Dr. Group is a veteran of the United States Army and has attended both Harvard and MIT business schools. He is a best-selling author and a frequent guest on radio and television programs, documentary films, and in major publications.

Dr. Group centers his philosophy around the understanding that the root cause of disease stems from the accumulation of toxins in the body and is exacerbated by daily exposure to a toxic living environment. He believes it is his personal mission to teach and promote philosophies that produce good health, a clean environment, and positive thinking. This, he believes, can restore happiness and love to the world.

For more, please visit Global Healing Center.