# Topical treatments/remedies for non-topical pain **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 1, 2024, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/topical-treatments-remedies-for-non-topical-pain/998327 "2024-03-01T20:12:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2024, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/topical-treatments-remedies-for-non-topical-pain/998327/1 "2024-03-01T20:12:32Z")
I’m talking about stuff like Aspercreme, SalonPas, various creams that have “freeze” or “cool” in the name, Arnica gel, etc., for muscle aches, not remedies for painful scratches or surface injuries. Do you swear by (or at) any of them? I use Aspercreme with Lidocaine occasionally at night on my ankle where I had surgery a bazillion years ago. Sometimes it’s a bit achy. Does it help? I dunno. Maybe. I do manage to fall asleep. There are lots of creams sold for peripheral neuropathy/nerve pain. I never found any that helped much. After my lumpectomy in 2015, I took an estrogen blocker (Arimidex) for five years and at night I’d get all kinds of pins and needles and aches in my lower legs, from the knees down. I attributed this to the Arimidex, but who knows. I got this cream called [“Lasting Touch Advanced Therapy Gel”\*](https://www.amazon.com/Lasting-Touch-Gel-Advanced-Therapy/dp/B07TS8MWG3/ref=sr_1_1?crid=362QLOC7Y34WR&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.mnKsKqb6tP7D-czquTr5Ogqw1CdiM2OltoQ4A3XtqsoPbqKM5zz4JQbkZbDxPKk077LVxJ0BFO_v-RLLCM4XzQV220mtWwpj05-HgZdJFGJ70t_ZT0XMkGL66jXa1Mw_NRYgNVaNZaC2aEiFqepx6a98Wq3rQbEuW4pwfRf190L0tX4gfc52brXWxtc0o5Da2KKRiSR-EtHoprP4-DFvmfMSl0TNaJu8RdN5H6yooDGehUas-a5tOxrVNttpc9YCnMjXF-bMyEYIWQ7Cf53ioZu8lHJp-vqH7GEx-bI1glk.jtjfvAaVk9xVXzVkn4k64Hrc9JVgBQonBhr0_rZoDMc&dib_tag=se&keywords=lasting+touch+advanced+therapy+gel&qid=1709323690&sprefix=lasting+touch%2Caps%2C203&sr=8-1) from a place that sold wheelchairs and scooters and it _really_ did help. It’s one of the “cooling”-type products and boy, is it _strong_. You feel like wherever you apply it to is enclosed in blocks of ice. Not sure if it helps with the pain, but it’s certainly distracting. (Note to self: do **not** touch your eyes or any other delicate places until you wash your hands very thoroughly.) Opinions on any products? * * * \*Amazon link for information. It’s definitely cheaper than this when bought at HEB. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2024, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/topical-treatments-remedies-for-non-topical-pain/998327/2 "2024-03-01T20:14:36Z")
When my shoulder is bothering me, the only topical thing I’ve found to work is Icy Hot with Lidocaine. Granted, I’ve only tried a handful of things, but that one generally does the trick, even if it doesn’t last all that long. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2024, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/topical-treatments-remedies-for-non-topical-pain/998327/3 "2024-03-01T20:18:30Z")
Thanks for the reply. Looking on amazon, I see that it comes in a cream, a patch, and a rollerball applicator. Which one do you recommend? ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2024, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/topical-treatments-remedies-for-non-topical-pain/998327/4 "2024-03-01T20:24:26Z")
This is the one I have. [![](https://russmillsafety.com/cdn/shop/products/Icy-Hot-Cream-with-Lidocaine-plus-Menthol-Cream-2-oz-russmillsafety.com_1200x1200.png?v=1634244350) ](https://russmillsafety.com/cdn/shop/products/Icy-Hot-Cream-with-Lidocaine-plus-Menthol-Cream-2-oz-russmillsafety.com_1200x1200.png?v=1634244350) ---
**Author:** ![Treppenwitz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treppenwitz/32/3445_2.png) [@Treppenwitz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Treppenwitz)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2024, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/topical-treatments-remedies-for-non-topical-pain/998327/5 "2024-03-01T20:48:49Z")
Just to clarify: is there a specific reason that NSAIDs weren’t mentioned in the OP? I believe\* ibuprofen and diclofenac gels are available without a prescription in the US. I use them for arthritis and achilles problems. j \* - Ibuleve is one of the (UK) brand names. No pun intended - honest! ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2024, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/topical-treatments-remedies-for-non-topical-pain/998327/6 "2024-03-01T20:50:35Z")
The topical diclofenac gel can be effective for muscular and arthritic pain but needs to be used regularly, often 4 x a day for at least a week to give significant benefit. ---
**Author:** ![Dogginit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dogginit/32/16920_2.png) [@Dogginit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dogginit)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2024, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/topical-treatments-remedies-for-non-topical-pain/998327/7 "2024-03-01T20:56:01Z")
My grandparents swore by, and got me started on, [Bigeloil](https://absorbine.com/products/bigeloil-liniment?variant=41063765344417) horse linament. Wonderful stuff, I use it for sore muscles, knees, and other joints. As per an earlier comment, wash hands thorougly after applying, so as to not get it on _ahem_ sensitive areas. Available online, or at most local feed/farm stores in the horse aisle. Edited for typo 😳 ---
**Author:** ![Treppenwitz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treppenwitz/32/3445_2.png) [@Treppenwitz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Treppenwitz)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2024, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/topical-treatments-remedies-for-non-topical-pain/998327/8 "2024-03-01T21:04:25Z")
I use NSAID gels as required - say a couple of applications through the course of an evening - and they work fine for me. That said, there is a huge placebo effect with topical analgesics, big enough to make clinical studies extremely difficult; and if I’m simply benefiting from a placebo, that’s fine with me. 😉 j ETA: I should probably have said, career spent in medicines licensing, so I’m not completely ignorant on this. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2024, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/topical-treatments-remedies-for-non-topical-pain/998327/9 "2024-03-01T21:15:05Z")
Go with what works for you! Medical science still doesn’t know how a lot of meds really work. And I’d love to hear your anecdotes about med licensing, @Treppenwitz ---
**Author:** ![Treppenwitz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treppenwitz/32/3445_2.png) [@Treppenwitz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Treppenwitz)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2024, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/topical-treatments-remedies-for-non-topical-pain/998327/10 "2024-03-01T21:21:30Z")
I have one on this very topic, but it would be -uh - difficult to do without embarrassing people. As an aside, though, I did the lead reclassification\* (changing classification from “prescription only” to “non-prescription”) for a topical analgesic. There was persuasive evidence (I still remember my surprise) that drug lost to systemic circulation “finds it’s way back” to the site of injury. I mean, very strange, huh? (At this point, if not before, you will have guessed that I am not a doctor.) Better stop - this was borderline relevant to the OP but tending to hijacky. j ETA \* - the “lead reclassificatio” is the first time it has been done for that type of analgesic, and requires, in Europe, a full clinical expert report. For reasons to boring and confidential to go into, it was actually a shoo-in, but I had to go through the motions of preparing the report anyway. ETA2 And it was then signed by The Expert ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2024, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/topical-treatments-remedies-for-non-topical-pain/998327/11 "2024-03-01T21:21:58Z")
> [@Treppenwitz](#): > > Just to clarify: is there a specific reason that NSAIDs weren’t mentioned in the OP? Nope. That was covered under _“etc.”_ Just fighting my own ignorance. > [@Treppenwitz](#): > > I have one on this very topic, but it would be -uh - difficult to do without embarrassing people. > > …snip… > > Better stop - this was borderline relevant to the OP but tending to hijacky. Dear God, man! We’re adults here-- speak up! 🤦🏽‍♀️ ---
**Author:** ![BrickBat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac91a4/32.png) [@BrickBat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrickBat)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2024, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/topical-treatments-remedies-for-non-topical-pain/998327/12 "2024-03-01T21:29:29Z")
With me, I’ve found that using Lidocaine patches work better when I use them in a preventive way, that is, applying them before I’m likely to get into a situation that will cause a flare-up of pain, rather than applying the patch after the pain actually occurs. As to the freeze, “icy hot” type gels, I find a product called Biofreeze has the longest lasting effect of all of them I tried. The others cold/hot fades after 10-15 minutes while it hangs in there 30-45 minutes. I do find as well that the effect is magnified by having the affected area covered. ---
**Author:** ![xtenkfarpl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/c2a13f/32.png) [@xtenkfarpl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xtenkfarpl)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2024, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/topical-treatments-remedies-for-non-topical-pain/998327/13 "2024-03-01T21:39:43Z")
Personal report: none have ever worked for me. I had a period of shoulder pain in my right arm a year or two ago, and tried some of the creams. No effect at all. I’m not really sure how they are supposed to work anyway? Are they really going to diffuse through your skin and significant layers of muscle to get to nerves fairly deep inside your body? I doubt it. ---
**Author:** ![Treppenwitz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treppenwitz/32/3445_2.png) [@Treppenwitz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Treppenwitz)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2024, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/topical-treatments-remedies-for-non-topical-pain/998327/14 "2024-03-01T21:47:59Z")
Not very deep, obviously. But my achilles (for example) is pretty close to my skin. As an aside, a pharmacist I know well tells me that, despite the difficulty in showing that they work, topical NSAIDS are largely replacing oral NSAIDS. Note that, in the UK oral diclofenac, having been reclassified from prescription to non-prescription, has subsequently been returned to prescription only. j ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2024, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/topical-treatments-remedies-for-non-topical-pain/998327/15 "2024-03-01T21:54:08Z")
> [@Treppenwitz](#): > > in the UK oral diclofenac, having been reclassified from prescription to non-prescription, has subsequently been returned to prescription only. I assume that was for all the cardiac side effects from the oral med. ---
**Author:** ![Nyvaak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Nyvaak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nyvaak)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2024, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/topical-treatments-remedies-for-non-topical-pain/998327/16 "2024-03-01T21:54:59Z")
> [@BrickBat](#): > > With me, I’ve found that using Lidocaine patches work better when I use them in a preventive way, that is, applying them before I’m likely to get into a situation that will cause a flare-up of pain This. But with a topical NSAID. I use topical Diclofenac on the base of either thumb, where I have developed arthritis, typically before a major session of snow shoveling, firewood stacking or other manual tasks. If they become sore enough, I may repeat the application afterward. It does seem to reduce the pain and increase my mobility, but that’s a subjective impression. Is it the medication, or just the massaging action of rubbing it in? Or totally due to a placebo effect? I’ve never done a randomized trial where my wife sneaks a sham cream into the tube and I rub that in. Overall, I’m relatively sure it helps. ---
**Author:** ![BrickBat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac91a4/32.png) [@BrickBat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrickBat)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2024, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/topical-treatments-remedies-for-non-topical-pain/998327/17 "2024-03-01T22:02:59Z")
> [@Nyvaak](#): > > It does seem to reduce the pain and increase my mobility, but that’s a subjective impression. Is it the medication, or just the massaging action of rubbing it in? Or totally due to a placebo effect? I’ve never done a randomized trial where my wife sneaks a sham cream into the tube and I rub that in. Good question. I wonder if it’s that if pain flares up, and muscles go into spasm, it’s harder to get the muscles to relax after the fact because we get to thinking ( overthinking ) about it and this mind-induced tenseness just aggravates the condition to where you need more pain relief to kill the pain than would be needed to prevent it from happening to begin with. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2024, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/topical-treatments-remedies-for-non-topical-pain/998327/18 "2024-03-02T00:40:27Z")
> [@Treppenwitz](#): > > …topical NSAIDS are largely replacing oral NSAIDS… What is a topical NSAID that is available without a prescription in the USA? Would that be Aspercreme? > [@xtenkfarpl](#): > > I’m not really sure how they are supposed to work anyway? As I said above, maybe the icy-hot types just stimulate the skin enough to distract you from the pain. \<_shrug_\> ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2024, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/topical-treatments-remedies-for-non-topical-pain/998327/19 "2024-03-02T00:57:25Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > What is a topical NSAID that is available without a prescription in the USA? Topical diclofenac is OTC in the US, as is Aspercreme (trolamine, a salicylate related to aspirin). ---
**Author:** ![Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a88e4f/32.png) [@Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Digital_is_the_new_Analog)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2024, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/topical-treatments-remedies-for-non-topical-pain/998327/20 "2024-03-02T03:49:12Z")
Voltaren Gel is the brand of topical diclofenac OTC I use here in South Florida. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/topical-treatments-remedies-for-non-topical-pain/998327.md?page=2)