Effect of Lavender Aromatherapy Massage on Pain and Wrist Mobility in Rheumatoid Arthritis (LAM-RA)

September 12, 2026 updated by: Ethar Haider Fadhil, University of Baghdad

The Effect of Lavender Aromatherapy Massage on Pain Intensity and Wrist Joint Mobility in Patients With Rheumatoid Arthritis: A Randomized Controlled Trial

This randomized controlled trial aims to evaluate the effect of lavender aromatherapy massage on pain intensity and wrist joint mobility in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Participants will be randomly assigned to receive lavender aromatherapy massage in addition to standard care or standard care alone. Pain intensity and wrist mobility will be measured before and after the intervention period. The findings of this study may provide evidence regarding the effectiveness of complementary therapies in reducing pain and improving joint function in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

Study Overview

Status

Recruiting

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic autoimmune inflammatory disease characterized by joint pain, stiffness, and reduced mobility, particularly affecting small joints such as the wrist. Despite pharmacological treatments, many patients continue to experience persistent pain and functional limitations.

Lavender aromatherapy massage is considered a complementary therapy that may help reduce pain and improve circulation and joint flexibility through both mechanical stimulation and the therapeutic properties of lavender essential oil.

This study is designed as a randomized controlled trial to examine the effect of lavender aromatherapy massage on pain intensity and wrist joint mobility in patients diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis. Eligible participants will be randomly assigned into two groups: an intervention group receiving lavender aromatherapy massage in addition to routine medical care, and a control group receiving routine medical care only.

Pain intensity will be assessed using a standardized pain scale, and wrist joint mobility will be measured using appropriate clinical assessment tools before and after the intervention period.

The results of this study may contribute to evidence-based practice by determining whether lavender aromatherapy massage can be recommended as a safe and effective complementary intervention for managing pain and improving joint mobility in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

120

Phase

  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Locations

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Age 20 to 60 years
  • Diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis meeting the 2010 ACR/EULAR classification criteria
  • Seropositive for Rheumatoid Factor (RF)
  • Stable dosage of RA medications (NSAIDs, csDMARDs, bDMARDs) for at least 3 months prior to enrollment with commitment to maintain the regimen

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Acute joint inflammation or infection in the hands or upper back during screening
  • Recent surgery (within 6 months) affecting hands or upper back
  • Dermal lesions, open wounds, infections, or significant vascular pathology at treatment sites
  • Serious comorbidities (uncontrolled diabetes, renal failure, cancer, severe cardiac/respiratory disease, coagulopathies, anticoagulant use)
  • Pregnancy or breastfeeding
  • Previous lavender aromatherapy massage within 6 months
  • Documented hypersensitivity to lavender aromatherapy massage

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Single

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Lavender Aromatherapy Massage Group
Participants will receive lavender aromatherapy massage . The massage will be applied using lavender essential oil according to the study protocol , twice weekly
Other: Lavender Aromatherapy Massage
Massage therapy using lavender essential oil applied to the wrist according to the study protocol , twice weekly.
Placebo Comparator: Inert Almond Oil (Placebo Massage)
Participants in this group will receive massage using inert almond oil without lavender essential oil according to the same duration , twice weekly and procedure as the experimental group .This serves as a placebo control to maintain participant blinding.
Other: Inert Almond Oil Massage
Massage using inert almond oil without lavender essential oil, applied with the same duration and procedure as the experimental group , twice weekly.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Pain Intensity
Time Frame: Baseline and after completion of the intervention period (e.g., 4 weeks).
Pain intensity will be measured using the Visual Analog Scale (VAS). The scale ranges from 0 to 10, where 0 indicates no pain and 10 indicates the worst possible pain. Higher scores indicate greater pain intensity.
Baseline and after completion of the intervention period (e.g., 4 weeks).

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Wrist Joint Mobility
Time Frame: Baseline and after completion of the intervention period (e.g., 4 weeks).
Wrist joint mobility will be assessed using a goniometer.
Baseline and after completion of the intervention period (e.g., 4 weeks).

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

University of Baghdad

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Serwan Jafar Bakey, Phd, University of Baghdad, College of Nursing

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

April 1, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

October 1, 2026

Study Completion (Estimated)

November 1, 2026

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

March 2, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

March 2, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

March 6, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

September 16, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

September 12, 2026

Last Verified

April 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • Lavender-RA-01

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

IPD Plan Description

Individual participant data (IPD) will not be shared due to privacy and confidentiality considerations and institutional regulations.

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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