Topical extra virgin olive oil provides significant relief from the inflammatory joint pain among individuals with rheumatic arthritis (RA), as per a randomized clinical study in Arak, Iran. Olive oil comprises various phenolic compounds that possess substantial anti-inflammatory effects. This study was aimed to identify the effectiveness of olive oil in managing morning inflammatory pain of knees and phalanges in females with rheumatoid arthritis. 

A total of 60 females were randomly assigned to five classes and performed Disease Activity Score 28, demographic questionnaire, and Visual Analogue Scale. The last two scales were again completed after 12 weeks of treatments. Friedman test, t-test and Kruskal-Wallis test were used to analyze all data.

Friedman test exhibited a considerable difference in the all mean of groups before and after treatments. The group using olive oil for massage over joints showed a significant difference between the mean of Disease Activity Score 28. The analysis also exhibited a remarkable difference in the mean of the number of painful joints, mean of the number of swollen joints, and mean of Visual Analogue Scale rates following treatment in the five groups.

All the five groups comprised Piroxicam gel, dry massaging, paraffin oil, extra virgin olive oil, and medications showed significant efficacies. Applying topical extra virgin olive oil for managing the inflammatory pain of joints is also recommended over other medical ointments because of its cost-effectiveness and easy availability.