Lavender oil may help manage pain after surgery, according to a study. Fifty patients undergoing breast biopsy surgery received either oxygen supplemented with lavender oil or pure oxygen. Patients in the lavender group reported better pain management than those in the control group. Inhaling lavender oil may lower the number of severe headaches in migraine sufferers according to Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. Topical application of lavender oil will not help long-term pain or anxiety in patients with advanced cancer.
Preliminary research suggests that lavender oil may lessen the intensity of lower back pain. Lavender aromatherapy when used in combination with acupressure may offer temporary relief of lower back discomfort. Larger studies are needed to substantiate these early findings.
Therapeutic massage with lavender oil may diminish pain associated with rheumatoid arthritis (RA,) according to a small study. However, participants in the study took more pain relievers after the massage which may have contributed to the improvement. There is not enough concrete evidence to recommend lavender aromatherapy to ease RA pain.
Placing a few drops of lavender oil in bath water slightly reduced perineal pain after childbirth according to UMHS. The perineum is the area between the vulva and the anus. Pain relief was not “statistically significant” according to researchers. The analgesic effects of lavender may be due to a component called 1,8-cineole or eucalyptol. Eucalyptol is a liquid CjoHj80 with a strong, aromatic odor of camphor — a waxy, white or transparent solid — that occurs in other essential oils including eucalyptus, rosemary and cardamom.
Adding a few drops of lavender oil to your bath or applying it directly on the affected area may help ease pain in women who underwent a an episiotomy after childbirth, reports MayoClinic.com. An episiotomy is a surgical cut made at the opening of the vagina to aid delivery and prevent rupture of tissues. Lavender oil may also diminish discomfort if a woman experiences a vaginal tear during delivery.