Muscle inflammation often occurs in response to some sort of injury, such as a muscle strain or other tissue damage, that can cause swelling and decreased motility of the muscle. Inflammation results from a cellular release of an enzyme known as COX-2. One of the most effective methods of treating inflammation in muscles is by suppressing this enzyme's release by cells, although other methods of treatment also work well.
Thyme Oil
A study reported in the January 2010 issue of the Journal of Lipid Research released findings from a study regarding the suppression of the COX-2 enzyme as a means of reducing inflammation. Several herbs were studied as potential treatments of inflammation, and of those herbs, thyme oil emerged as the most successful. This is attributed to thyme oil's high content of carvacrol, which is the active ingredient that suppressed the COX-2 enzyme. According to the study, thyme oil was able to inhibit COX-2 expression by nearly 75 percent. Other oils found to be effective to a lesser degree were clove, rose, fennel, eucalyptus and bergamot.
Vitamin E
Research published in the December 2008 issue of Experimental Physiology reported that vitamin E could help treat and reduce muscle inflammation by regulating the activity of cytokines in the body. Cytokines are small proteins in cells that work as messengers between other cells. They are key to inflammation because they pass along information regarding an injury to other cells and cause those cells to become inflamed in response to the injury. The study found that vitamin E can cause a significant decrease in the number of inflammation-causing cytokines that were produced by cells. Vitamin E is available as a oral capsule as well as a topical cream that can be applied to the skin.
Bromelain
According to the University of Maryland Medical Center, bromelain can be useful in treating inflammation. Bromelain is an enzyme found in bananas and pineapples and is used in the digestion of certain proteins. It has been approved by the German Commission E as an effective treatment of swelling and inflammation, particularly after surgery. It is recommended that individuals take 80 to 320mg bromelain two to three times daily or as advised by a doctor.
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