Arthritis Answers

Does Arthritis Cream Work?

Many sufferers of arthritis have tried, often without success to reduce their pain and discomfort with the use of topical creams. These creams are often easily purchased over the counter, although others will require a prescription. Many of these creams contain salicylate, although some use more traditional ingredients to try and reduce pain. This article will cover some of the more common, and not so common creams on the market.

Tiger Balm; A fairly well-known cream that is used to treat pain and general muscular discomfort. Tiger balm contains ingredients such as clove oil and menthol and is one of the more popular analgesics in the world. It is easily purchased over the counter from both chemists and traditional herbal remedy stores, and comes in two main varieties, one containing mint whilst the other contains cinnamon.

Icy Hot; The world famous sports patch is also a common treatment for many forms of arthritis. Although it's creators claim that it first cools pain using it's icy formula, then uses warmth (hot) to relax and massage pain away, there is a little more to it than that! Made primarily using methyl salicylate and menthol, the product actually interferes with the pain signals your central nervous system sends to your brain, hence the sensation of reduced pain so quickly. It is a temporary pain cure that doesn't do much to 'fix' arthritis, but for those suffering it is a quick and easily obtained treatment.

Bengay; Another famous and popular cream that is used to treat conditions including arthritis and repetitive strain injury (RSI). Bengay is very similar to Icy Hot, but has been used worldwide since the late 1800s and is trusted by millions. Bengay is made using methyl salicylate and menthol and is a temporary measure to sooth muscular and joint pain that genuinely works.

Sportscreme; Using salicylate, this product doesn't contain the 'clinical' smell associated with a lot of the other products discussed here, but does go some way to providing temporary relief from severe muscle and joint aches.

Zostrix Arthritis Cream; This product's main ingredient is capsaicin, a product used to directly target pain. This product limits the production of a chemical known as 'substance P'. When produced, this chemical transmits pain signals direct to the brain, so limiting the amount of this chemical that is produced goes a long way to relieving the suffering of an arthritis patient.