Sprained your leg? Contending with excruciating bed cramps or muscle aches? The instant answer to all these ailments today is a pain relief spray lying around at home. Like swallowing paracetamol for quick relief, pain relief sprays come to our rescue in the most desperate times. Pain relief sprays are widely used by people around the world for bruises, swellings, joint pains, sprains, muscle spasms, and aches, but how does a pain relief spray do its magic, giving relief and helping one feel better?
Pain relief sprays work by delivering active ingredients directly to the affected area through the skin, providing targeted relief. The active ingredients in these sprays can vary, but common ones include Menthol, Methyl Salicylate, Capsaicin, and Lidocaine. The skin is a semipermeable barrier that allows certain molecules to penetrate its layers and reach underlying tissue. The effectiveness of this delivery depends on the formulation of the spray, including the size and solubility of the active ingredients, as well as the presence of permeation enhancers that increase skin absorption.
Topical pain relievers or analgesics are non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), which are used for local and chronic pains in the body. They are extensively used and come in the forms of creams, foams, gels, lotions and sprays. When applied, it initially provides a warm sensation. The warmth from the topical application raises blood flow to the site of pain; the oxygen-rich blood supplies nutrients to the affected areas, thus helping it heal.
Thereafter, the warm sensation turns into a cool feeling. The heat of the warm sensation and the cool feeling creates an icy hot blanket that relaxes the muscles and thus relieves pain and reduces inflammation.
Besides, local anaesthetics, such as Lidocaine, are commonly used in pain relief sprays. They work by blocking sodium channels in nerve cells, which prevents the transmission of pain signals to the brain. This results in a numbing effect on the area where the spray is applied.
Counter-irritants such as Menthol, Camphor, and Capsaicin are also found in some pain relief sprays, which create a cooling or warming sensation that distracts the brain from the underlying pain.
The nervous system can only process a limited number of sensations at a time. The sensation caused by the counter irritant can block pain signals from reaching the brain. This is based on the gate control theory of pain, which suggests that non-painful stimuli can inhibit the perception of pain by “closing the gate” to painful input.