# Pain-killing gels

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pain-killing-gels/438835>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [February 23, 2008, 10:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pain-killing-gels/438835 "2008-02-23T10:27:05Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![PaulParkhead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7ea924/32.png) [@PaulParkhead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PaulParkhead)\
**Post date:** [February 23, 2008, 10:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pain-killing-gels/438835/1 "2008-02-23T10:27:05Z")

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Hmm, I don’t use these things, but my roommate had a back pain today, and used some (I think) tea-tree oil to ease the pain. She seemed to be using it like that Deep Heat type stuff.

Which led us to wonder: how do these spray/gel/ointment type pain relievers actually work? In fact, do they work at all?

On edit: I’m thinking of these “spray on your sore leg and all will be well for a while” things, not tea-tree oil particularly.

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**Author:** ![conurepete](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a88e57/32.png) [@conurepete](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/conurepete)\
**Post date:** [February 23, 2008, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pain-killing-gels/438835/2 "2008-02-23T19:39:32Z")

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Bio-freeze, Ben Gay, and similar menthol/peppery tingling rubs work pretty well. The ones that tingle and feel hot or cold work by stimulating the nerve endings with a non-pain sensation. Your nerves prefer to “listen” to one kind of sensation, like pain.Distracting them with a non-pain input provides temporary relief.