When you are in pain, the only thing that you are concerned about is immediate relief. Pain relief technology is constantly changing, and the aspirin your grandparents took is no longer the best option. There are so many treatments for aches and pains available these days it can be a bit overwhelming. Read on for some tips on your best options today.

Oral Medications

We have all taken aspirin, ibuprofen, or acetaminophen at some point in our lives. These medicines provide a general anti-inflammatory affect that relieves discomfort and can definitely knock out a headache or muscle soreness in a pinch. 

There are some downsides to these traditional treatments that you should be aware of. For one, oral analgesics are not location specific. This means that they provide a general reduction in inflammation, not a direct treatment for the problem. This can actually be counterproductive. For example, if you have a headache due to an infection like the flu, taking an NSAID medication like acetaminophen or ibuprofen will help with the headache, but it will also cause your fever to reduce. If your fever is extremely high, this might be helpful, but a low-grade fever is just your body fighting the infection, so NSAID medications can lengthen the time you are sick.

In addition to the lack of specificity, oral medications can have many side effects. Most of them can cause kidney or liver issues if taken in excess, and regular use without sufficient water can also cause stomach problems like ulcers. Aspirin can cause neurological problems if used to treat children with fevers. It is important to know the side effects of any oral medication, as it can be potentially dangerous. These medications also have to work their way through the digestive system a bit before the advantages is felt, so you might be sitting in pain for a bit before you feel relief. 

There are many herbal treatments on the market, with varying degrees of effectiveness. Willow bark, for example, is really just a natural version of aspirin. Since Herbal supplements are not regulated by the FDA, it is vital that you do the research on what each herbal remedy is and how it is helpful, so that you can avoid the negative pitfalls and receive the positive benefits. 

Topical Treatments

One way to avoid many of the concerns with oral medications is by using a topical treatment. Topicals allow you to target the specific location that is causing trouble, and typically the concerns about overdosing and side effects are dramatically reduced, since you absorb much less into your system. 

Topicals come in many different types, and each has a specific purpose. There are large patches that can be placed on sore muscles. These are typically for larger muscle groups like the lower back, shoulders, or upper leg. The benefit is felt much quicker than with oral medications, and it can be targeted to the sore spots. The downsides are that these patches are only good for fairly large areas, so they aren’t much good for a sore wrist or headache. 

There are also gels and creams that provide the same immediate relief, but you can apply them in more controlled ways. These gels can be rubbed on the temples and behind the ears for a headache, or just across the top of your knee, for example. The biggest downsides to these treatments is that you get as much of them on your hands as you do on the spot where it hurts. This leads to a lot of waste, as well as having your hands get a little numb. They also make everything you touch smell like the medicine until you have washed your hands several times. Many of these gels also come in single use pouches, which is great unless you need more or less than a dose”.

The best option for 2021 might be a stop pain roll on treatment. These roll-ons give all the benefits of a topical gel, in a format that you can apply without touching directly. This keeps your hands from smelling and getting numb, and eliminates the waste of traditional gels. 

To quote REM, everybody hurts sometimes. When you are considering options for pain relief, a roll-on gel pain reliever may be exactly what you need!