
Arnica montana 30ch is such a lovely homeopathic medicine – and it usually works across the board for any injury whether it’s a sprained ankle, a bump to the head, or a fall, a big bruise – and yes, even after surgery. Arnica seems to ease pain with the injury, shortening healing time and helping the body recover faster. Another great time to use Arnica is for overuse of muscles – for instance after a marathon run, an unaccustomed hike or even a sore back after gardening too long. BUT I’ve heard some people say that Arnica is an anti-inflammatory – and in homeopathy it’s never quite that simple. It’s not always the anti-inflammatory remedy because in homeopathy it depends on the symptoms. As a result, it’s not for every backache and many sprains and strains need additional remedies that follow Arnica for best results.
How do you know when to switch? True to homeopathy, its medicines always depend on the symptoms that present themselves. Arnica is a bit of an exception because you can use it early on right after the injury before symptoms even clearly set in – BUT for really good results, the best anti-inflammatory homeopathic medicine is the one that truly fits the symptoms you experience. While it is good practice to start with a few doses of Arnica montana 30ch, know Arnica is not always the best fit, and if it’s not working, then it’s time to re-evaluate and choose a better fit.
When Arnica fails, check symptoms
First of all, check symptoms because you may need a different remedy – and in my experience, that remedy will be often be either Bryonia or Rhus toxicodendron instead. You can easily tell these three apart because they present quite differently. And you can see these differences even in an animal that’s been injured. Animals and children will clearly tell you what their symptoms are even if they can’t speak. Just follow these key symptom pictures and you’ll see clearly what is needed.
Arnica montana: When you need Arnica, the presenting symptoms are sore, aching, bruised type pain. The person doesn’t want you to touch them or come too close, just in case you accidentally bump them (which hurts). Resting usually helps and movement or exertion will aggravate symptoms, so pains are usually better in the morning and worse in the evening. Icing the injury may help with the pain (and not just because they think it’ll be good for them). If there’s been a big fall or accident, there may be some shock, with the person saying they’re okay, even when they’re clearly not. The bed will feel too hard and they won’t be able to get a good night’s rest. Arnica will bring the person back into their body and hasten recovery. In fact Arnica can be such a little miracle remedy, especially if you give right away, that if you don’t rest, you’ll re-injure the part. So make sure to take a break after taking Arnica even if you feel better.
Bryonia: Follow with Bryonia when Arnica is no longer helping manage the pain especially when the pain is still intense. In fact the pain has ramped up, and is now it’s sharp, stitching, and the person just wants to be as immobile as possible. Even moving different limb may hurt the injured part. Binding the injury tightly may help. The injury may have affected the person’s mood and they’ll be grumpy and just want to be left alone. Question a person who needs Bryonia and you’ll get one word answers. I’ve needed Bryonia for a backache and I can tell you it was so intense that I could barely move across the living room floor. While Bryonia is not the only intense back pain remedy, it’s a good one – and after just a few doses I was back up and about after being immobile for two days – needless to say, I was unable to figure out which remedy I needed myself. I’m hopeless at self prescribing when I’m in pain.
Rhus toxicodendron: Follow a sprain or backache with Rhus tox. instead if the symptoms worsen with rest and improve with movement. Notice that this is quite opposite Bryonia. You’ll find the person needing Rhus tox. will hardly be able to rise from a chair or get out of bed in the morning, but as soon as they get going, they’ll be okay. Applying a heating pad or taking a hot shower also limbers up the joint and eases pain and stiffness. The person will also find themselves constantly needing to shift and change positions whether they’re trying to get some sleep at night or just can’t stay sitting for any length of time. I can remember a student of mine who had to excuse herself because she could not stay in her seat with her aching back for more than a few minutes, she just had to get up to move or stretch, or go to the washroom. If she stayed in any position for any length of time she couldn’t manage the pain, she felt like the tin man, all rusty. A few doses of Rhus tox. put an end to the back pain and she was able to sit normally again. Check out more remedies for back pain in this blog.
Get a diagnosis
On the practical side, if you’ve had more than the mildest of injuries, know that you may need a diagnosis to know what to expect. I can’t tell you how many times Arnica seems to be a great fit and work temporarily only to have the symptoms return to quickly. Each time, the person didn’t believe it could possibly be a fracture – and in three cases, it was broken despite their insistence that it wasn’t. In that case, Arnica was still the right remedy to facilitate bone healing and manage pain, but the bone had to be immobilized in a cast. If it’s not broken, but it’s a tendon injury, or a tear, that can take time, and may need additional remedies like Rhus tox or Ruta. I can remember another case where a client was taking Arnica 200ch for a torn achilles tendon and the pain started to get worse instead of better – after switching to Ruta graveolens 3och to repeat instead, there was some relief. Tendons take a long time to heal though. No matter how well the remedy fits, it can only work with the body’s ability to heal.
Sometimes Arnica is a little miracle, and sometimes it isn’t
In conclusion, know that Arnica can work like a miracle sometimes but not all the time – it just depends on the injury and the body’s ability to heal itself. Homeopathic remedies work on animals as well as on people, and for elite athletes as well as infants and the elderly. Always give at least three doses of Arnica before switching remedies and usually you need to take it for a few days at least to see results – but always pay attention to see if the symptoms fit. Sometimes you just need a little more remedy and a little more rest to see those results – and sometimes you need to switch remedies altogether. Can’t figure it out yourself? Find a homeopath that can help guide you. Sometimes we just need a little help!