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Pain creams

Medical expert of the article

Neurologist
, medical expert
Last reviewed: 03.07.2025

Universal pain cream helps eliminate discomfort and pain caused by dislocations, bruises, injuries, stretches, skin inflammations, as well as joint and muscle diseases. Such creams can become an effective first aid after receiving an injury.

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Pharmacological group

Ненаркотические анальгетики, включая нестероидные и другие противовоспалительные средства

Pharmachologic effect

Анальгезирующие (ненаркотические) препараты

Indications pain creams

Pain creams are used to eliminate painful spasms, inflammatory processes, act as a bactericidal and antiseptic agent. Medicines help eliminate swelling and restore damaged fibers. They also reduce the duration of the rehabilitation period after injuries. These creams are used in the following conditions:

  • Sprains and dislocations;
  • Hematomas and bruises;
  • "Shooting pains" in the lower back or back;
  • Aching pain in the joints;
  • As an external medicinal product in the complex therapy of closed fractures.

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Release form

Non-steroidal pain creams

The group of non-steroidal pain-relieving creams includes the following drugs: Voltaren Emulgel, Diclac, Diclofenac, Ortofen, Dolgit, Bystrumgel, Nise, Deep Relief, Fastumgel, Ketonal and Finalgon, as well as indomethacin ointment.

The basis of these drugs is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory component (such as ibuprofen, indomethacin, diclofenac, and nimesulide), in addition to which auxiliary substances are added. The highest quality in terms of impact are considered to be drugs whose main component is diclofenac.

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Cream 911

Cream 911 is used as an auxiliary drug in the treatment of joint diseases. It reduces the intensity of pain and eliminates swelling, promotes the production of synovial fluid, as well as the restoration of cartilage tissue. In addition, it has an antirheumatic and anti-inflammatory effect. The cream stabilizes metabolic processes in the joints, improves tissue trophism, and also returns joint mobility.

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Creams for joint pain

It is quite difficult to fight inflammatory processes and joint pain (such diseases as gout, arthritis (reactive, rheumatoid or deforming)). But special creams for joint pain contribute to the process of successful treatment.

The most effective drug of this type is considered to be Voltaren Emulgel, followed by Bystrumgel, Fastumgel and Indomethacin. All these creams are of high quality and can relieve severe pain.

The drug Gymnastogal provides an anti-inflammatory and anesthetic effect - thanks to its complex, multi-component composition, it helps treat sprains, bruises, manifestations of radiculitis, etc.

Comfrey cream helps with joint pain, rheumatism, osteochondrosis, radiculitis, sprains and closed fractures.

Dikul's ointment for the treatment of diseased joints copes well with arthritis and osteochondrosis. The drug has a warming, anti-inflammatory and anesthetic effect, and also improves blood circulation.

Medicinal cream for joint pain from chestnut

A cream made from chestnut helps with joint pain.

Peel 300 g of chestnuts, then cut them and pour them into a 0.5 l bottle. Then pour vodka into it and close it. Infuse for 2 weeks in a warm, dark place, shaking every day. Rub the joints with the resulting mixture. This medicine can be stored for several years.

Pour the chopped peeled chestnuts into a glass and add ammonia (0.5 l). Leave for a week. Rub the medicine onto your knees, then wrap them in cotton cloth.

Chop 5 chestnuts (or 5 tablespoons of flowers) and mix with vegetable oil (1 cup), then cook in a water bath for about 30-40 minutes. Rub the joints with the resulting cream.

Take the same amount of ingredients as in the previous recipe and pour 0.5 l of vodka over them. Infuse for 7-10 days in a dark place, shaking the container occasionally. After taking a contrast shower, apply compresses to the sore joints for 2-3 hours.

Creams for pain in joints of legs

Painkillers contain analgesics that can quickly and effectively relieve pain. After applying such a cream to the sore spot, a person feels warmth and a decrease in pain intensity. Cream for pain in the joints of the legs improves blood circulation, relieves inflammation.

Cream "Honda" is a chondroprotector - a new modern medicine with a natural basis. It is used in case of inflammation of the joints on the legs. The medicine has an anesthetic effect. With the help of this cream, knee cartilage is usually restored. The main component of the drug is chondroitin sulfate, which is extracted from the cartilaginous tissue of fish, birds, and mammals.

Creams for knee pain

Warming creams are effective for knee pain, including Kapsikam, Espole, Menovazin, Nikoflex, etc.

Such drugs help improve blood flow in the knee joints, relieving discomfort and pain in meniscus injuries, arthrosis, tendon inflammation. These drugs are especially effective for vascular pain, as the warming effect has a positive effect on diseases of this type.

Creams containing bee and snake venom. Among such preparations are Ungapiven, Apizatron, Apiveren, Virapin, and Viprosal (with snake venom). Such medications have a strong warming effect - entering the systemic bloodstream through the skin, they affect the ligaments and muscles, increasing their elasticity, and improving blood circulation in the tissues around the damaged joint. These creams are more effective than warming preparations.

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Creams for hand pain

Cream of shark fat and wormwood effectively eliminates numbness and pain in the hands, as well as swelling of the tendons. All this helps to restore the full functioning of the upper limbs. Among the active components of the drug: shark fat, extracts of wormwood and laurel, rosemary, lavender, fir, cedar oil, as well as menthol and camphor.

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Back Pain Creams

There are many different types of medicinal creams available to relieve back pain.

Homeopathic preparations improve the process of tissue metabolism, which prevents degeneration of cartilaginous tissues, and also contribute to their rapid recovery. In addition, such drugs act as an anesthetic. The modern pharmaceutical market offers Ziel T cream, which helps with osteochondrosis, as well as Traumeel S, which is used for sciatica, radiculitis or lumbago - in general, for inflammatory and degenerative diseases of the musculoskeletal system.

Warming, irritating, pain-relieving creams, which, due to their properties, help to expand blood vessels and increase blood flow to the place where the medicine is applied. It is these actions that cause the anesthetic effect. Improved tissue trophism, as well as improved metabolism at the site of rubbing, help eliminate inflammation and severe pain. These drugs are most effective in cases of hypothermia, myalgia, "lumbago", and sciatic nerve entrapment.

Chondroprotectors stimulate rapid tissue regeneration, preventing the destruction of cartilage tissue. They also improve the trophism of ligaments and muscles in the spine. These medications contain the active component chondroitin sulfate, which promotes the regeneration of cartilage tissue.

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Creams for lower back pain

Among the creams for lower back pain, there are many drugs of various pharmacological groups. Some of the most popular and effective drugs are non-steroidal drugs with an anti-inflammatory effect, including, for example, Fastumgel. The effectiveness of the effect is increased by such components as menthol and lavender oil.

Among the creams that provide an analgesic effect, Dolgit, Ketonal, Nise, and Febrofid stand out.

Dolobene cream eliminates inflammation and also has a thrombolytic effect.

The drugs Kapsikam, Finalgon, and Nikoflex have an analgesic effect. They stimulate the process of blood flow to the inflamed area, which helps relieve pain.

Creams for leg pain

Creams for relieving pain in the legs are also able to relieve heaviness in the limbs, swelling and rapid fatigue. They are effective in the early stages of varicose veins, accelerate the healing of trophic ulcers, and effectively eliminate corns and calluses on the feet.

To eliminate inflammations that occur after injuries and rheumatism, Olfen-gel is used, which is able to penetrate the skin and concentrate in the underlying tissues. The analgesic effect helps to accelerate the process of normalizing the motor function of the limbs.

Removit is also considered a good remedy - this drug fights pain in the joints, acts as a painkiller and warming medicine. The inflammatory process in the joints and adjacent tissues is reduced, due to which the joints return to their former mobility.

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Creams for muscle pain

Among the drugs that relieve muscle pain, as well as reduce inflammatory processes in joints and muscle tissue, is a cream called "Collagen Ultra". The drug contains the active substance glucosamine, which is an effective pain reliever and anti-inflammatory agent. The drug also contains collagen hydrolysate, which accelerates the process of synthesis of cartilage, connective tissue fibers, and joints, which speeds up the recovery process.

Creams for neck pain

Pain in the neck area occurs due to osteochondrosis of the cervical vertebrae or osteoarthrosis. Painful sensations, as well as limitations in neck mobility, appear due to hypothermia, muscle strain, an uncomfortable position during sleep, as well as during intense physical exertion. Cream of shark fat and capsicum has a warming and irritating effect, which allows you to remove spasms and relax the neck muscles. It also eliminates pain and swelling, improves the regeneration of joint tissues and restores the structure of the cervical spine.

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Creams for muscle pain after exercise

Ben-Gay cream contains menthol and methyl salicylate, which allows this drug to be used as a pain reliever for muscle pain. It can also be used to relieve the feeling of fatigue that occurs after physical exertion and sports training.

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Headache Creams

The cream "Cervidol-forte" from the medicinal series "Herbal ointments" is used to treat headaches that appear as a result of occipital (cervical) neuralgia, "lumbago", migraines, and torticollis. With cervical neuralgia, the headache is felt in the back of the head, and in some cases it can move to the front and side of the head (sometimes it even radiates to the eyes). The cream "Cervidol" can quickly relieve pain, as it has an anti-inflammatory and analgesic effect. After applying the drug, the muscles relax, and the inflammation decreases. Using the cream improves lymph flow, as well as trophism of soft tissues due to improved microcirculation.

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Creams for heel pain

For heel pain, various medications are used to eliminate discomfort, heal wounds and calluses, and reduce inflammation.

Cream "Golden mustache", which contains cinquefoil extract, corn oil, eucalyptus, shark fat, plantain, and golden mustache. It is mainly used to remove calluses, but it can also be used to treat skin problems on the heels. Rub the preparation in twice a day (morning and evening), then cover the foot with a warm blanket for 2 hours.

Heel Spur Cream, which softens the skin on the heels and relieves inflammation. It is used in the early stages of plantar fasciitis - at this stage, improved blood flow in the heel still allows you to eliminate the inflammation that has arisen.

The drug "For heel spurs", which contains golden mustache extract, as well as clove oil. These components remove pain in the heels and exostoses. The antiseptic effect of the cream is provided by oil, garlic and pepper, which are also included in the composition of the drug.

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Pharmacodynamics

The properties of pain creams are discussed using the drug Ketonal as an example.

The active component ketoprofen is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug with analgesic and antipyretic effects. It slows down the action of cyclooxygenase-1 and -2, and partially lipoxygenase, which allows preventing the formation of prostaglandins and bradykinin, as a result of which the lysosomal cell walls are stabilized. The effect of ketoprofen does not have a negative effect on the condition of cartilage in the joints.

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Pharmacokinetics

Ketoprofen bioavailability indicators are more than 90%, 99% is bound to plasma proteins. The maximum concentration in plasma after rubbing is reached after 15-30 minutes. The substance is able to penetrate into the synovial fluid, and is also metabolized by microsomal liver enzymes. By binding to glucuronic acid, ketoprofen is excreted from the body as glucuronide (approximately 90% of the substance) - about 80% comes out through the kidneys, and another 10% - through the intestines. Since ketoprofen has a fast metabolism, the half-life is less than 2 hours.

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Dosing and administration

Ketonal cream (approximately 3-5 cm) should be applied to the skin on the painful area - rub in with light massage movements until completely absorbed into the skin. The procedure should be carried out 1-2 times a day. The duration of use of the cream can be a maximum of 2 weeks.

Use of the cream Ziel T - rub 3-5 times a day for back pain. Sometimes a bandage with cream is applied to the affected area.

Traumeel C - the cream should be applied in a thin layer to the skin in the area where pain is felt. The procedure is carried out 2-3 times a day. The treatment course usually lasts for 3-4 weeks.

Finalgon and Betanikomilon are applied in a maximum 0.5 cm layer using an applicator. Rub the cream in with gentle movements.

Capsicam is applied in the amount of 1-3 g using gentle rubbing. The procedure is performed 2-3 times a day. On average, the treatment course lasts a maximum of 10 days.

Chondroitin sulfate is rubbed into the skin for 2-3 minutes until it is completely absorbed. The cream should be applied 2-3 times a day. The duration of the treatment course is from 2 weeks to 3 months. If necessary, the doctor may prescribe a repeat course.

Diclofenac should be applied to the inflamed area with gentle rubbing movements 2-3 times a day. The treatment course can last for 1-2 weeks, with a maximum of 8 g of the drug applied per day.

Ibuprofen is applied in a 5-10 cm layer three times a day - you need to rub it in thoroughly so that the cream is completely absorbed into the skin. The course lasts within 7-21 days.

Phenylbutazone is used for pain in the lower back, spine, joints - a strip of 2-3 cm layer, which does not need to be rubbed in, is applied twice a day for 7-10 days. If the pain continues to be felt after the end of the treatment course, you need to see a doctor.

Dolobene is applied to the skin 2-4 times a day.

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Use pain creams during pregnancy

Most pain-relieving creams are contraindicated for pregnant women – among them are drugs such as Finalgon. Medicines containing diclofenac (for example, Nurofen) should not be used in the 3rd trimester of pregnancy, and in other periods, you should consult a doctor before taking them. Also, the use of Traumeel is only permitted on prescription.

Pain-relieving creams that are allowed to be used during pregnancy must be made from snake or bee venom. For example, if a pregnant woman feels severe pain in her joints or back, the drug Holisal can be used on prescription.

Warming creams are also mostly prohibited for pregnant women, as the active substances of these drugs easily pass through the placental barrier. Therefore, they should not use creams such as, for example, Viprosal, Apizartron or Nikoflex. If necessary, the doctor can prescribe Fastumgel or turpentine ointment to the patient. But such drugs should be used very carefully, because they provoke an influx of blood to the treatment site, as a result of which the blood flows away from the placenta.

Contraindications

The use of pain creams is contraindicated in the presence of the following symptoms:

  • High sensitivity to any elements of the drug;
  • High sensitivity to substances such as tiaprofenic acid, salicylates, as well as ultraviolet blockers, fenofibrates and fragrances;
  • If there are any breaches in the skin integrity (weeping dermatitis, eczema, infected or open wound);
  • If there is a history of bronchial asthma due to the use of salicylates or NSAIDs;
  • History of photosensitivity reaction;
  • In the 3rd trimester of pregnancy;
  • Children under 15 years of age.

The use of creams is permitted with caution in cases of problems with kidney or liver function, ulcers and erosions of the gastrointestinal tract, bronchial asthma, blood diseases, and chronic heart failure.

Preparations based on snake/bee venom are prohibited to be applied to damaged skin. It also cannot be used if there are cracks, scratches, abrasions or small wounds on the palms or fingers. Women are contraindicated to use during critical days.

Warming creams should not be used if the patient has arthrosis of the knee joint, which is characterized by severe swelling due to a large accumulation of synovial fluid in the knee (with synovitis) or arthritis.

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Side effects pain creams

Side effects of pain creams may include allergic reactions. In some cases, reactions in the form of swelling and rashes on the skin are possible.

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Overdose

Overdosing on pain cream may cause skin irritation, severe itching, and development of erythema.

Also, in some cases, symptoms of overdose may include vision problems, a feeling of ringing in the ears, dizziness and headaches, diarrhea and vomiting with nausea, discomfort in the epigastric region. In children, blood glucose levels may increase, and hyperthermia may be observed.

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Interactions with other drugs

Pain-relieving creams have almost no interaction with other medications, since they are applied externally - therefore, the amount of the drug that enters the blood is too small for drug interactions.

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Storage conditions

Pain creams are stored in standard conditions for medical products: temperature no higher than 25 degrees Celsius, dry place, protected from the sun.

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Shelf life

Pain cream has a standard shelf life - generally, such drugs are allowed to be stored and used for a maximum of 3-5 years.

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Attention!

To simplify the perception of information, this instruction for use of the drug "Pain creams" translated and presented in a special form on the basis of the official instructions for medical use of the drug. Before use read the annotation that came directly to medicines.

Description provided for informational purposes and is not a guide to self-healing. The need for this drug, the purpose of the treatment regimen, methods and dose of the drug is determined solely by the attending physician. Self-medication is dangerous for your health.

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