Knee osteoarthritis is a prevalent degenerative joint disorder that significantly impairs physical function and daily activities. Patients with knee osteoarthritis experience chronic pain, fatigue, muscle weakness, and joint stiffness, which lead to significant functional impairments in daily activities such as walking, stair climbing, standing, and personal care. While conventional treatments focus on symptom management, complementary therapies such as aromatherapy massage have gained attention for their potential benefits. Several studies have explored the potential benefits of complementary and alternative therapies, including massage therapy, physical therapy, hydrotherapy, and aromatherapy, in improving pain, quality of life, and functional mobility in osteoarthritis patients. Among these interventions, massage therapy is widely recognized as one of the safest and most commonly used complementary approaches. Over 80 massage techniques exist, with effleurage being particularly suitable for osteoarthritis patients due to its gentle nature. Essential oils are frequently incorporated into massage therapy with popular choices including lavender, Deep Blue, sweet almond, ginger, rosemary, black seed, and peppermint oils.
Peppermint oil, rich in menthol, exhibits anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antibacterial, anticancer, and analgesic properties. Additionally, it induces a cooling sensation, which may contribute to its pain-relieving effects. Several studies have reported positive effects of essential oils on osteoarthritis symptoms. These studies demonstrated that lavender oil massage administered over nine sessions improved functional outcomes in osteoarthritis patients. Also it was found that a blend of lavender, eucalyptus, ginger, sweet almond, and apricot kernel oils significantly reduced pain, stiffness, and functional impairments after nine 30-min massage sessions. According to recent studies, a randomized controlled trial was conducted on 120 Knee osteoarthritis patients at Shahid Beheshti Hospital, Kashan, Iran at October 2024 to December 2024. Participants were randomly assigned to three groups: intervention (peppermint oil massage), placebo (paraffin oil massage), and control (no intervention). The intervention and placebo groups received biweekly 15-min knee massages for four weeks. The intervention group demonstrated significant improvements in pain reduction, symptom relief, and daily function over time. Peppermint oil aromatherapy massage significantly alleviates Knee osteoarthritis related pain and functional impairment, enhancing daily activities and overall well-being. The findings of this study demonstrate that peppermint oil massage effectively reduces functional impairments, alleviates osteoarthritis symptoms and knee pain, and enhances daily activity and quality of life in knee osteoarthritis patients.
www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1878124125000668