The five fundamental things to know about lower back pain patches
A lower back pain patch productis a lot like a bandage you would apply on a cut. However, these patches include some medication that penetrate the skin to fight lower back pain and soreness.
This post discusses the most common issues that low back pain patients have with these patches.
What types of medicine is inside these products?
Several medicines are frequently found within these patches.
Methyl salicylate is a common medicine in these products. It comes from the wintergreen leaf, & closely resembles aspirin. This is why methyl salicylate works as a pain fighter. Regrettably, there are 2 challenges with methyl salicylate.
One potential drawback with methyl salicylate is actually that this medication does not give the warm feeling that other ingredients do.
The next difficulty is actually that people who are allergic to aspirin should probably not use this in their back patches.
Another medicine frequently found in back pain patch products is capsaicin, or capsicum.
When applied on the body, capsaicin imparts a warming feeling, similar to a heating pad. This works fine for back pain that responds well to heat, like back pain caused by muscle strains.
These back pain patch products are very common with professional athletes, like golfers, who need medication on the lower back while also remaining in motion.
A third ingredient is actually a combination of camphor and menthol Menthol & camphor. are also found in lotions and roll ons, but they are also included in patches.
Menthol & camphor work fairly well against a lot of forms of pain, including lower back pain.
Camphor and menthol are sometimes blended with methyl salicylate in the same patch. This is a great combination because this combination of ingredients fights the pain by means of a multitude of complimentary methods.
Are patches very safe?
Yes, these patch products are quite safe to use. The biggest challenge can be removing the patch from the backing & using it, because sometimes these patch products can coil up onto itself.
And, always wash your hands after using the patch.
Can I utilize these pain patches along with my prescription pain killers?
Generally speaking, lower back pain patch products can be utilized in conjunction with oral pain medications.
There are no identified drug interactions between the oral pain products and the medications in these lower back pain patches.
If you take aspirin (also known as acetylsalicylic acid) for your aches and pains, then you should perhaps not apply a patch that contains methyl salicylate.
Can these products be used elsewhere?
Of course.
Back pain patches really work perfectly in various different kinds of pain, such as shoulder pain, upper back pain, and hip pain.
These patch products can be trimmed to size, depending on where they will be used, e.g, the hand and wrist.
Which brands should I look for?
The choice to choose one product over another one really depends on the pain itself.
For instance, for a muscle strain due to lifting, a methyl salicylate patch such as Imbue is a great selection.
Imbue also works for arthritis and inflammation pain in other areas, like the shoulder & the knee.
If the kind of pain responds well to a heating pad, then a Salonpas Hot pain patch which has capsaicin will really work well.
Conclusion
Back pain patches are an affordable, safe way to take care of pain, including lower back aches and pains.
They can be used along with prescription drugs, and are incredibly safe to use.
Unlike lotions and gels, they are easy to apply, and are scent free.
Plus, they can be left on for hours at a time.
So if you have constant lower back pain from arthritis and inflammation or any other cause, look into using back pain patch products.
You'll be happy you did!