Menthol can naturally be found in peppermint oil and spearmint oil. It’s the component that gives both of these herbs their cooling effects. These findings provide partial support regarding the efficacy of menthol gel to improve functioning and reduce pain among knee OA patients. Mason L, Moore RA, Derry S, Edwards JE, McQuay HJ. Systematic review of topical capsaicin for the treatment of chronic pain. BMJ. 2004;328(7446):991. doi:10.1136/bmj.38042.506748.EE

MENTHOL TO ICE ON PAIN, EVOKED A COMPARISON OF TOPICAL MENTHOL TO ICE ON PAIN, EVOKED

Sommer C, Cruccu G. Topical treatment of peripheral neuropathic pain: applying the evidence. Journal of Pain and Symptom Management. 2017;53(3):614-629. doi.org:10.1016/j.jpainsymman.2016.09.015 Here are some popular options and what you need to know if you'd like to give them a try. Analgesic Creams, Rubs, and SpraysWhat makes Dermacool different to other aqueous creams is that it contains Menthol. Menthol triggers the cold receptors in the skin which offers soothing and cooling relief. The aqueous cream helps restore natural moisture levels in the skin. It should be used with care in children under 12 years, Dermacool recommend using Dermacool LITE on those under 12 years of age. menthol medicine (including topical agents for pain relief as well as nasal inhalers and cough drops)

Itch - widespread: Scenario: Management of widespread itch - CKS

Another possible mechanism for the analgesic effect of menthol may be related to the inflammation or swelling associated with DOMS. 4 Olive et al. 24 reported a significant reduction in vascular conductance within 60s of menthol application, which was maintained for at least 10 minutes. Similarly animal studies have shown a reduced pressor response to exercise (decreased blood pressure) reducing blood flow to the application area. 42, 43 Unfortunately the extent of swelling was not measured in the present study and thus the effect of the menthol gel on DOMS-induced inflammation cannot be verified or quantified in this study. Hence, the mechanisms underlying the lower soreness scores on the VAS cannot be specified in the present study but may be attributed to one or a combination of inflammation reduction, counterirritant activation and inhibition of specific thermosensitive ion channels, or opioid receptors. If you’re looking for a natural oil that contains it to use, you can buy a 100 percent pure therapeutic grade peppermint essential oil because it is the most abundant compound found in peppermint. The treatment interventions were applied approximately 48 hours or two days following the DOMS inducing session. For the menthol gel group, 2ml of Biofreeze®, a gel containing 3.5% menthol was applied topically over the belly of the biceps brachii. The mode of application did not involve substantial force, pressure or rubbing and thus any reflex activation would not have been expected. This dose of Biofreeze®, was based upon the estimate that the average skin surface area over the biceps brachii was approximately 400 cm 2 and the recommended dosage of Biofreeze® of 1 ml per 200 cm 2. 24 Twenty minutes (T2) following the application of the menthol gel each participant completed an assessment of their MVC, evoked tetanic force and perceptions of pain. These assessments were repeated at 25 (T3) and 35 (T4) minutes following the application of the menthol gel. Whereas the effect of menthol-induced reduced vascular conductance has been reported to endure for at least 20 min, 24, 25 the subjective cooling effect has been reported to last up to 70 min in some subjects (mean 32 min). 9 Menthol and ice are widely used as topical analgesics. Ice is reported to be effective in reducing pain with soft tissue injuries 32, 33 and has also been widely used in relieving the symptoms of DOMS. 4, 34 It is suggested that the cold temperature significantly reduces the pain perceived due to DOMS. 34 However, other studies report that ice massage 5, 35 have minimal effects on reducing DOMS symptoms. Although ice is commonly used to alleviate pain, 6 there is conflicting evidence regarding its effectiveness for relieving DOMS. In the present study ice was less effective than a menthol based topical analgesic for relieving DOMS symptoms. The menthol based topical analgesic showed both large magnitudes of change over the testing periods as well as achieving minimal clinical importance. A number of studies 36– 38 have indicated that a change of 10–13 mm on a VAS scale of 100 mm represents the minimal clinically significant difference. The present study anchored numbers from 0–10 with a distance of 10 mm between each numeral. The VAS score with the menthol based topical analgesic of 1.1 was substantially lower than the score associated with the ice treatment (3.1) illustrating a clinically significant difference in pain perception.

ArthritisToday.org: "Osteoarthritis and Kidney Concerns," "Osteoarthritis Treatment: What medications are used to treat osteoarthritis?" "Voltaren Gel Offers Rub-On Relief," "Take Medicines Wisely." These are not all of the side effects that may occur. If you have questions about side effects, call your doctor. Call your doctor for medical Measurements of voluntary (elbow flexor isometric MVC) and evoked (tetanic force) contractile properties were randomly allocated. While subjects sat upright in a chair, the left shoulder and elbow were flexed at 90° with the forearm vertical and fully supinated. The upper arm was fastened to the chair via an adjustable strap to avoid movement during voluntary force measurements. Both forearm and wrist of the testing arm were rested on a padded support and secured to a strap attached to a high tension wire to a Wheatstone bridge configuration strain gauge (Omega Engineering Inc., LCCA 250, Don Mills, Ontario, Canada), amplified (Biopac Systems Inc., Holliston, Massachusetts; DA 100 and analog to digital converter MP100WSW) and monitored on computer (Dell Inspiron 6000, St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada). All data were stored on a computer at a sampling rate of 2000 Hz. Data were recorded and analyzed with a commercially designed software program (AcqKnowledge III, Biopac Systems Inc., Holliston, Massachusetts).