Homeopathy is a natural, safe and effective way to treat joint pain. It can provide adjunct care to musculoskeletal conditions and contribute to healing based on the underlying cause of pain. The physical symptoms of joint pain can be described as burning, swelling, aching, throbbing, shooting, stiff and hot. After you rule out causes of joint pain that need urgent attention, homeopathic remedies may be able to alleviate your acute and chronic joint pain.
Acute Pain
For sudden onset of trauma to the joints, Arnica is the first homeopathic remedy to try. It relieves soreness in the area of injury, reduces chance of swelling and bruising in the joint and helps calm you down from the shock of the injury. Belladonna is the next remedy to use for sharp acute pain and inflammation in the joints accompanied by swelling, heat, redness and spasm. Apis is another remedy for acute joint pain that has a stinging and burning quality but wanders from place to place with swelling around the joints. Pullsatilla can also be used for joint pain that moves around. Take pulsatilla when migrating pain in the joint flares up powerfully and then suddenly disappears.
Chronic Pain
For chronic joint pains, Asa Hersoff, N.D., D.C., recommends Causticum, Lycopodium and Rhus tox in her book, "Homeopathy for Musculoskeletal Healing." Use Causticum when your pain is deep in the joint and is a burning, raw and drawing pain. The joint can have deformity and feel stiff and contracted. Use Lycopodium for rheumatic pain that is worse when first moving the joint and improves with movement. The pain may be accompanied by stiffness and cracking in the joint. Use Rhus tox when your pain is arthritic, with chronic inflammation in the joint. The pain is burning, stitching and shooting and worse in cold, damp weather.
Dosing Instructions
Homeopathic remedies come in varying potencies or dosages. The potency is correlated with a number and a letter, which indicates how many times it has been percussed, or diluted. As a general rule, the higher the number, the more dilute and the more powerful the remedy. The more powerful the remedy, the deeper it acts. Deeper actions are reserved for long-standing mental and emotional ailments. On an energetic level, physical musculoskeletal pain is generally closer to the surface, so lower potencies, like 6C and 12C, are appropriate. AbcHomeopathy.com recommends placing five homeopathic pellets under your tongue, and letting them dissolve. Repeat doses every 15 minutes for acute joint pain and every few hours for chronic pain until symptoms resolve. Make sure you have not had any food or drinks for 20 minutes before or after taking the remedy. Avoid all strong aromatics, like mint and coffee, which can interfere with the acting remedy.
References
- Homeopathic Educational Services: First Aid with Homeopathic Medicines
- "Homeopathy for Musculoskeletal Healing," Herschoff, Asa, N.D., D.C., 1996.
- ABC homeopathy: Guide to Potency and Dosage
