Topical Pain Relievers - What Do They Do?

Topical pain relievers are applied to the skin over painful joints. Compare this to systemic, or system-wide, treatment you get from taking pills by mouth. Pills must be digested, absorbed by your intestine, processed by your liver, and then circulated via the bloodstream throughout your whole system. Topicals act right at the scene of the crime.

Topical pain relievers are a valuable addition to the cache of treatments on hand to alleviate your osteoarthritis (OA) pain. Many varieties of creams, rubs, and salves are available. They offer relief through one or more of the following ingredients.

• Counter-irritants: Counter-irritants distract your brain from your OA pain. Menthol, wintergreen, camphor and eucalyptus oil stimulate nerve endings in the same body area as your arthritic joint. A warm, tingly feeling diverts your brain's attention away from the pain in the joint itself. This "interference" happens where you apply the salve (say, at your knee). One of the additional benefits is that you don't become sleepy or confused like you could with some pain pills.
• Capsaicin (cap-Say-sin): Capsaicin is derived from cayenne peppers. This natural ingredient soaks into the nerves around your painful joint and depletes their supply of Substance P, the neurotransmitter that sends the pain message to the brain. Interestly, only the nerves that transmit pain are affected; normal sensation pathways are not involved. You aren't numb like you would be with novocaine.
• Anti-Inflammatories: Anti-inflammatories can either resemble the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS) you take in pill form, or the natural anti-inflammatories like omega-3 "good fats." These block inflammation at the site where it smolders and prevent the ensuing pain.

Don't expect these treatments to penetrate all of the tissue layers to reach inside the joint itself. OA pain can also arise from strain on the soft tissues that are trying to stabilize a worn, wobbly joint: muscles, tendons, liagments. Topical pain relievers work here.

Comments

[Ajlouny]

I have always been sceptical of topical pain relievers until I tried one. It gave some relief but not to the extent of making the pain just go away.