This past weekend, we in Philadelphia got dumped with snow. I mean dumped! Almost 27 inches where I am in one day. I guess that is why they call it a blizzard?!! So what does that mean? I went cross country skiing of course, and did a heck of a lot of shoveling of snow! 
So I got to test out whether essential oils do work for muscle aches. And I did have a few aches! Conclusion – they really do work! I can use essential oils for muscle aches. You can too!
Lemongrass – it is commonly known for muscle aches. I have used it every morning if I wake up with a stiff neck. Works almost instantly that I can move my head without any pain. Then I can go ride my bike and not worry about not being able to turn my head to see traffic behind me on a turn!
I have also used it for tight calf muscle before running. Again, put a few drops and rub into the calf and voila, I can go run without the muscle tightening! yeah.
A couple of weeks ago, a friend of mine was going through muscle spasms. I asked her to come over and try the Lemongrass with AromaTouch, the soothing massage blend. She was amazed at how well it worked and came back for a second ‘anointing’ the next day. This weekend, after shoveling and skiing, which I have not done in well, a year,I used both together!
I had plenty of muscle aches and pains even though I know I was shoveling snow 
correctly (lift and hurl 100 times and change sides every 8 hurls and repeat at least twice in 5 hours increments). My back and shoulders ached. So I tried the combination of the Lemongrass and Deep Blue (like IcyHot without chemicals) with AromaTouch and again, I felt relief from the aches…..until I went to shovel again. But each time I shoveled, I came in and applied the oils. I was good to go each time. Yeah. The next morning I had no pain anywhere even when I went skiing again and shoveling one last time. (and maybe the way I eat has something to do with this?? Anti-inflammatory Diet helps with pain! And staying hydrated.)
I always heard that essential oils were great for various purposes, which is why I am starting to teach classes on them. I know they have physical healing properties as well emotional ones. Some work great for boosting the immune system. Others help with scars, or just make the room smell nice!
Little do I know that subconsciously, my body wants to test the oils! Then I ca
n
testify that essential oils do work for muscle aches! Essential oils do work for grief after a break up, too! (that will be a different blog post!)
I also found a new use for Clove bud oil! I did have one those ‘rookie’ running types of experiences. I wore socks that were too thick for my shoes. It was cold out, so I wore 2 pairs – my usual. But both pairs were thicker than I normally wear and I squished my feetsies. oops. Well, I did not notice anything until I was actually home and my toes were killing me most of the afternoon. It hurt to take the shoes off and put my Sorrels on to shovel snow. It hurt even to wear my Ugg slippers! They just ached and burned. So I tried the Lemongrass with AromaTouch and well, that didn’t do enough. I was still suffering! And it was too cold to go barefoot.
Hmm, now what essential oil can I try? I know Clove bud is good for tooth aches and gums as it acts like an analgesic. So what the heck, I might as well try it. IT did help – I did apply it before I went out to shovel and again before I went to bed. Next morning, no toes aching and I was able to go for another 2 hours of cross country skiing and my toes were fine (with thinner socks, too!). Who knew that would work? That Sunday I realized, I had totally bruised my toes and one toe was all black and blue 🙁 No wonder my toes hurt!
Clove bud oil worked its magic!
Every athlete or weekend warrior should have at least these three essential oils in their medicine cabinet. They really work wonders! Essential oils are from plants, so they are natural oils to help bring our bodies back into balance – in this case, without physical pain or muscle aches! I have a list of my favorite essential oils for athletes.
Now I wonder what other ‘ailment’ I may come up with sub-consciously to figure out which combination of oils work best for it. I hope it is minor! Now at least I do know, essential oils do work for muscle aches. Really.
For more information on the essential oils I use, please visit here to purchase, or here to learn more about doTerra essential oils. Or call me I can help figure out which oils would be best for you…Or come to one of my classes. I hope to have some webinars in the future so you can learn more about how to use oils for what. Based on my personal experiences 🙂
Joanna Chodorowska, BA, NC, TPTH is a holistic sports nutrition coach, providing nutrition for body, mind and soul. She works with athletes and is an athlete. She provides support you need to help bring our body into balance with nutrition, movement, energy work and essential oils.