Having a sore muscle is not going to stop us from being active and continue to strive to be better but of course they can be very annoying and uncomfortable. To help relieve some of the pain, we can use topical solution or pain reliever like ThermaCare vs Icy Hot which is here to help you treat those sore muscles. If you are also looking forward to purchase them, check our article below to see what they can offer to you and which the better option is.
In this article, we are going to give you information about:
– Why using Topical Pain Reliever
– What are ThermaCare and Icy Hot
– What Variants Offered by ThermaCare and Icy Hot
– What ThermaCare and Icy Hot are made of
– What ThermaCare and Icy Hot can offer to you
– ThermaCare vs Icy Hot
Topical Pain Reliever
Sore muscle is a common thing and experienced by many of us no matter if we are an active person in general or mostly spending time sitting in our office chairs all day long. There are times when we have to type or do a report quick so we have no time to stretch those arms and finding the next day it is already sore and hard to move. While this type of problem are not life threatening, having to do a lot of activities with them is uncomfortable.
Many of us are taking over the counter medication or pain reliever to try subsiding the pain which in general can hold some headache, simple aches and pain. But, those who are not into pills are probably preferring to apply some topical medication instead because this might work better for you or faster. There is no general rule whether we should take which solution so in real life, people are choosing the one they prefer better. Topical medication is also easier to use and fairly safe.
However, this type of solution is used mainly when you have sore muscle and simple pain that are not very serious so if you have nerve damage or broken bone, they are not going to be helpful. Most over the counter topical medication are using several ingredients which works by warming and cooling the skin so they are not actually diminishing the pain but distract your brain from the actual pain and makes you feels more comfortable.
In addition, there are also those with an ingredient with a capability to counter the irritant and fooling the nerves into feeling less pain. Topical medication is available mainly in few types, cream, patches and gels but in general they are going to feel the same once you apply in your skin which makes them hot and cold. For those who are going to move a lot, patches can last longer so we don’t have to reapply them more often.
For people who are not suitable with the patches adhesive that can cause some rash may prefer to use cream or gel solution. Those with pain in specific area like joint and knees may also prefer cream or gel pain reliever better because it can be easier to apply. In short, we can use whichever we want depend on your personal preference or taste.
About ThermaCare
If you are also planning to use a pain relieving cream, now is the time to look for the product that not only seem promising but are proven to work dealing with those sore muscles and backache. Among those many option, ThermaCare is a good option to go because this brand is very well-known when it comes to treating sore muscles. It is a product by Pfizer which we already known to offer a huge amount of over the counter medication. Read also: ThermaCare vs Biofreeze here.
ThermaCare Variants
ThermaCare is actually available in various type of solution but in this article, we are going to talk about the topical cream only. Beside this topical cream, they also have what called as heat wrap similar like patches but it is wider in size, so they can reach and better cover the aching area. What’s special from this wrap is they are designed to follow the contour of your body such as joint and back pain so they can sit better and more comfortable to wear compared to a standard rectangular patches.
ThermaCare Ingredients and Benefit
Just like many other solution, there must be several active ingredients here to make sure they can create an effect to reduce the pain whether it is working from the source or on the skin to distract your brain from feeling the actual soreness. The first active ingredient is camphor and this one is present in many other similar solution as well because camphor is known to help by reliving some pain and inflammation. Camphor when applied topically will heat your skin and this can distract your mind from the actual pain.
The second active ingredient is capsaicin and this is familiar if you often eat spicy foods because it is the active component of chili peppers that makes them hot and used topically in skin to produce the same effect. Applying capsaicin will heat the skin and activating a certain nerve cells so with regular use of capsaicin pain reliever, the heating effect is said to reduce the amount of a chemical acting as a pain messenger in our body.
The third active ingredient is menthol and this popular one is almost available in topical product that generate cooling sensation, be it a pain reliever or your dandruff shampoo even in refreshing candies. When mint cream or gel solution applied topically, the molecules called ligands will be absorbed into the skin and then attach to the kappa Opioid which is a receptors in our cells and causing them to change or produce a numbing effect. For inflammation, since it has a cooling effects, it can affect the thermoreceptors and signal the brain to interpret it as cold.
The last is methyl salicylate which is the same like menthol, it will give a warm and cold effect when applied topically. It has an anti-inflammatory action so when we put it on skin, it will distract our brain from the real pain by introducing a new feeling to respond. When the effects wear off, the pain however, may stay there until they disappear naturally or if you took an oral medication to eliminate the pain.
About Icy Hot
Since there are a lot of other options out there, you may want to check them as well just to be sure if you are already picking the one seem promising the most. Another good option beside ThermaCare cream is Icy Hot which is the same pain reliever used for minor arthritis pain, aching joints and sore muscles as well as similar simple pain. Among other similar products out there, this brand is probably the best-selling or among the one we see often used by other people.
Icy Hot Variant
Like many other brands, this one also offers various pain reliever or solution in their catalogue but the one we are picking in this article is the popular Icy Hot Balm version and if you are not fond of rubbing the solution in your skin, this brand also have patches even those with more solution and potent active ingredient in it. If you do sport, their spray may also very useful for we don’t have to directly touch the solution or wearing a patch.
Icy Hot Ingredients and Benefit
As for Icy Hot Balm, the active ingredients are only two and they are actually very common so we are sure you can already guess what they are and yes, these ingredients are menthol and methyl salicylate. Some variant from the brand does also use camphor but the main effects are generally the same. The first ingredient menthol is known as a counterirritants which mean it will distract your attention from the pain by introducing a new sensation so we don’t feel the actual pain anymore.
Similar like menthol, ingredient like eucalyptus or wintergreen oil also have the same effects when applied topically. Menthol will have a warm and cooling effect on skin but it is not going to stay there very long which is why repetitive application is needed as long as you can still feel the pain or not taking any oral pain reliever. The next ingredient is methyl salicylate which is the main ingredient in topical analgesics.
Icy Hot balm use this ingredient to subside pain and reduce joint inflammation because similar like an aspirin, it has a slight anti-inflammatory action when we put it on the painful area. What you have to keep in mind is those who are allergic to aspirin or patients who take blood thinners may want to avoid this ingredient because of some potential side effects, so make sure to consult to your doctor first.
Comparison
Now, let’s compare ThermaCare with Icy Hot. As you may already know, both pain relievers are using common beneficial ingredient that are known to handle those simple but annoying pain. However, there are differences on the ingredients because besides using menthol and methyl salicylate, ThermaCare also use camphor and capsaicin, making it more potent especially when dealing with joint pain.
