Topical Pain Relief and Muscle Creams

Topical pain relief or muscle creams are commonly used to soothe aching muscles. They have been popular with athletes for many years and are currently used more and more by the general public.

These creams work because they distract you from your original pain. The hot or cold sensation they provide travels along your nerve receptors faster than the pain. This causes your brain to notice that sensation and not the pain.

Muscle creams use various ingredients to give you a hot or cold sensation. Among these ingredients are menthol, which comes from mint plants. This is often used in products to give a cooling sensation. Another ingredient that is commonly used is capsaicin, which comes from hot peppers. It is used to provide a hot sensation to the skin.

I use topical pain relief creams on clients when I do massages. Most of the people I work on like it. Even though I use muscle creams on clients and on myself, I know that beyond the sensation they give they really don't do anything to heal your muscles. They make a lot of claims but the best way to facilitate healing in aching muscles is with massage, rest and time. However, the use of these creams can help get you through the day.

If you decide to use a muscle cream it's important that you always follow the directions on the label. These products can be dangerous if overused. They will also cause problems if applied to broken skin and rashes. Don't mix creams and don't use them with other heating or cooling devices.