# Sore Muscle Ointment **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 1, 2004, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sore-muscle-ointment/277484 "2004-12-01T14:07:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Ephemera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8baadc/32.png) [@Ephemera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ephemera)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2004, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sore-muscle-ointment/277484/1 "2004-12-01T14:07:52Z")
Can someone suggest a really good brand for me? I just slathered some storebrand stuff on my ankle (it’s swollen and sore from a recent surgery) but all it’s managing to do is make my eyes water and nose run from the fumes. I appreciate any help. Thanks in advance. ---
**Author:** ![slortar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6bbea6/32.png) [@slortar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slortar)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2004, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sore-muscle-ointment/277484/2 "2004-12-01T14:16:29Z")
I assume you’re talking about muscle soreness? I use Icy Hot. A friend of mine raves about Tiger Balm. Really up to you and how pungent a solution you can live with. Even though I really like how Icy Hot works, I do get sick of smelling minty all the time… ---
**Author:** ![slortar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6bbea6/32.png) [@slortar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slortar)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2004, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sore-muscle-ointment/277484/3 "2004-12-01T14:18:48Z")
Okay, I’m a moron. You did say in the thread title. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_T](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Gary\_T](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_T)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2004, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sore-muscle-ointment/277484/4 "2004-12-01T14:22:17Z")
Emu oil. It penetrates skin and can be very effective for joint and muscle pain relief. Google on it for more info. ---
**Author:** ![spingears](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ebca7d/32.png) [@spingears](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spingears)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2004, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sore-muscle-ointment/277484/5 "2004-12-01T15:40:18Z")
> [@Aesiron](#): > > Can someone suggest a really good brand for me? I just slathered some storebrand stuff on my ankle (it’s swollen and sore from a recent surgery) but all it’s managing to do is make my eyes water and nose run from the fumes.I appreciate any help. Thanks in advance. “Zosterix” is the brand name for capsaicin the hot factor in hot peppers. Odorless and not expensive. ---
**Author:** ![lachesis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@lachesis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lachesis)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2004, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sore-muscle-ointment/277484/6 "2004-12-01T18:22:38Z")
i’ll give a testimonial for Tiger Balm. it comes in two formulations-- red and white. the white is the milder version, is the more odorless of the two, and doesn’t bear a warning about possibly staining materials. the red still smells much less strongly than something like Absorbine, and i’ll personally vouch that it does a wonderful job of neutralizing deep joint aches and muscle pain. i originally picked up a little jar because the packaging carried an endorsement from someone like Joe Montana (or maybe it was some other quarterback). anyway, [here’s](http://www.g-domain.com/tiger-balm-products.htm)one link out of many regarding it. oh, and i just recently discovered that they are now making patch versions of it too, though i’ve yet to try them out. ---
**Author:** ![Hunter\_Hawk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/50afbb/32.png) [@Hunter\_Hawk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hunter_Hawk)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2004, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sore-muscle-ointment/277484/7 "2004-12-01T18:37:15Z")
IMO Tiger Balm is basically useless (yes, the stronger version). You should go to your nearest Chinatown and look for something called “dit da jow” (aka “hit medicine”, aka “liniment”, aka “medicated balm”, aka however they choose to tranlate it). It has a very strong smell but is highly effective (if you get the right brand, of course–you’ll have to play around with your choices). ---
**Author:** ![Hunter\_Hawk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/50afbb/32.png) [@Hunter\_Hawk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hunter_Hawk)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2004, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sore-muscle-ointment/277484/8 "2004-12-01T18:42:28Z")
:smack: Or you could look on the Web if you don’t have a convenient Chinatown. Try contacting [these folks](http://www.kuenway.com/2003new/page1.html) and asking for the “Wing tsun tincture”–I thought it was pretty good for a store-bought version. ---
**Author:** ![Wile\_E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c37758/32.png) [@Wile\_E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wile_E)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2004, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sore-muscle-ointment/277484/9 "2004-12-02T01:33:58Z")
> [@Gary T](#): > > Emu oil. It penetrates skin and can be very effective for joint and muscle pain relief. Google on it for more info. I’ll second this. I’ve tried it and it seems to work but then again my pain comes and goes so I can never be sure if something worked or it just got better on it’s own. Anyway, look for Blue Emu ointment. Another plus is it doesn’t smell bad.