Muscle rubs may not be best for pain

Muscle pain often sends people scrambling for muscle rubs -- but do they actually work?

Not in all cases, according to a recent Cochrane Library study, which reviewed previous studies comparing muscle pain relief via rubefacients -- topical rubs that cause skin redness by dilating the capillaries and increasing blood flow -- to topical nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. Here, in part, is what the BBC had to say about it:

"They looked at 16 studies involving nearly 1,300 patients using creams containing salicylate -- a close drug relative of aspirin.

"Results from four of the studies showed topical salicylates performed better than dummy (placebo) creams against acute pain, but when lower quality studies were excluded, the results were not statistically significant.

"Again, when used for chronic conditions, salicylates performed better than placebos.

"But only one in six patients with chronic pain from conditions like osteoarthritis benefited substantially from using the muscle rubs compared with one in three using non-steroidal anti-inflammatory painkiller gels like ibuprofen or diclofenac."

The review concluded that more research -- specifically large, good-quality clinical trials -- is needed to determine the effectiveness of muscle rubs.

Considering how many athletes and exercisers (including weekend warriors) use these rubs, the study's conclusion is worth considering. But keep in mind that topical NSAIDs are not without their side effects, such as gastrointestinal problems, although some studies show they have fewer complications than oral NSAIDs.

-- Jeannine Stein

Photo credit: Charles Bush

Comments

[Jenni]

I was a Pharmacy Technician for 18 years. I had to quit because of Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Immune Deficiency Syndrome. Many of the pharmacists told me that part of the reason the muscle rubs help your pain is because of the scent. A strong scent from menthol or camphor takes your mind off of the pain. I use BioFreeze. It does help me but not for an extended period of time. NSAIDs do nothing for my pain. I have to take a CII narcotic to get relief.

[Margo]

I have been using Diclonafenac for 6 months on my knees and it has helped me a lot. Margo