Pain Relief Products to Keep Around the House

Pain Relief Products to Keep Around the House

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Sprained ankles, pulled muscles, headaches, and toothaches all have one thing in common: they present with pain that can make doing ordinary things unbearable. Keeping pain relief products around the home is essential for when accidents and injuries occur. Don't remain in pain after an injury; keep these pain relief products on hand and get feeling better soon.

Hot and Cold Packs

Immediately following an injury, medical professionals recommending applying ice or cold packs to the injured area for the first 48 hours. When an injury occurs, the body reacts by sending blood and fluid to the area to help heal the injury. Unfortunately, this excess fluid puts more pressure on the injured area. This can significantly increase the pain that is felt. Applying ice to the area slows the swelling and inflammation at the injury site, speeding recovery, and decreasing pain.

Conversely, medical conditions, or chronic injuries that cause pain without swelling typically respond better to heat. Re-usable packs that can be frozen or warmed in the microwave can help in a variety of painful situations. Make sure to apply ice packs for no longer than 20 minutes at a time to allow healthy blood flow to continue.

Muscle Rub

If you frequent the gym, you probably understand the muscle pain that comes along after a grueling workout or after pulling a muscle while running on the treadmill. Don't let these injuries sideline you from your fitness goals. Instead, try using a muscle rub on your minor aches and pains. Most muscle rubs use menthol, methyl salicylate, and/or diclofenac gel to reduce muscle pain. The rub can be used before going to the gym as a preventative measure or soon after your workout to prevent the pain from occurring. Those with chronic medical conditions, such as arthritis, may also benefit from using a muscle run on their stiff, painful joints.

Pain-Relieving Spray and Roll-ons

One downside of muscle rubs is the pain-relieving medications in the rubs can smell strongly and could have some unwanted side effects. This may include the body getting used to them over time, which will reduce their effectiveness. Natural pain spray and roll-ons may be a more acceptable substitute for getting pain relief fast. These sprays can help with back pain, stiff joints, arthritis, sprains, muscle cramps, and sore muscles. As these sprays work very quickly, they can be tossed in a gym bag and used soon-after your workout.

Compression Braces

Doctors recommend the RICE method after an injury. This acronym stands for rest, ice, compression, and elevation. Immediately following an injury, get to a safe place and rest and ice the injured area. Compression braces or wraps can also be beneficial. Using a compression brace or wrap can help minimize the swelling and provide stability to an injured ankle or wrist until it can be checked out by a doctor.

Make sure when wrapping the injury that the wrap or brace is very snug but isn't too tight. After wrapping, check the skin below the wrap. If it feels cold, numb, or tingly, loosen the brace or wrap to allow blood to flow. Ice can then be used on top of the brace or wrap to further prevent swelling.

Over-the-counter Pain Medications

After treating an injury or sore muscle with first aid care or topical treatments, sometimes the pain is still unbearable. Over-the-counter pain medications can be helpful and bring you the relief you need. There are several types of medications available without a prescription:

-Aspirin

-Acetaminophen

-Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)

The right medication to take depends on the injury and medical background of the individual. For example, those with swelling may do best with an NSAID to reduce swelling; however, NSAIDs should not be taken by those with kidney disease. For a headache or arthritis pain, acetaminophen is often recommended for those who don't also have liver disease. Talk to your doctor or pharmacist to ask which pain medication may be best for you and for the correct dosage.

Painful conditions often strike at the wrong moment. Don't let an injury or chronic condition keep you from living your life to the fullest. Keep these pain relief products on hand to stop the pain and get back to enjoying your life.