Suffering from bouts of intense back pain can be debilitating, but a lidocaine based back pain cream can give you relief instantly. Not many people realize the power of this key ingredient, but it has been in use for centuries for a variety of medical procedures and anesthetic purposes. Now, it is available over the counter for the everyday consumer to take advantage of.

Many people take oral pain medications, but the main problem with this course of pain relief is that it can take a long time to achieve relief. The medication needs to be absorbed into the blood stream first, which can take up to an hour. An hour can be a lifetime if you are suffering from intense back pain and need relief immediately.

A lidocaine based back pain cream can provide relief right away, because it is absorbed into the skin, and is applied directly over the area where you experience pain. The back pain cream works to block the nerves that transmit pain to the brain, providing much needed pain relief very quickly. Many people report almost instant easing of pain or complete relief in only a matter of minutes after using.

These creams are widely used for cosmetic procedures, such as tattooing, piercings, laser procedures and hair removal. They are also used in some dental procedures and to treat burns, insect bites, hemorrhoids, poison oak, minor cuts and scratches, and mouth sores. If you receive stitches, it is likely that lidocaine will be applied before hand.

Lidocaine can be sold in many forms, such as creams, lotions, sprays, films and patches. People with chronic kidney diseases cannot use pain medications such as pain relief patches, so a back pain cream can help in these cases.

When applying these topical solutions, you should thoroughly cleanse the area, dry it and apply the cream, but do not "rub it in". More importantly, the area should not be covered with a bandage, but left open to the air. Another thing to note is that heat should not be applied to the area, so if you are used to using a heating pad for back pain, you should not use it after applying this type of cream.

A good lidocaine based cream can provide up to three hours of pain relief; whereas an oral pain medication may last up to an hour. It is important to thoroughly read the package and recommendations before you apply any type of cream and to follow the directions carefully. If you experience any redness, swelling, rash, etc. discontinue use immediately.

Most people do not have any adverse side effects to this type of cream, so it is a widely used and very effective treatment option for back pain. Often you can obtain this type of medication over the counter from a pharmacy, and without a prescription. The common percentage of the active ingredient is around 4%, so if you see any with less, know that you are not going to get the maximum results from using it.