Page 7 - Massage Therapy School Program

Topical Analgesics 101 – Presentation Outline
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Topical analgesics help facilitate freer, more pain free movement. They can also provide effective relief for people troubled by sore muscles and muscle sprains; back, shoulder and neck pain; arthritis; painful foot, knee, hip and elbow joints; and muscular strains, without the disadvantages of ice.
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Consult product labeling for warnings
Consult a physician if the client has sensitive skin or to use on children under 2 years of age Pregnant women: ask a health professional before use
Keep away from excessive heat or open flame
Store in cool dry place with lid closed tightly
Keep out of the reach of children. If accidentally ingested, get medical help or contact Poison Control Center immediately
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Avoid contacts with eyes or mucous membranes
Do not apply to wounds or damaged skin
Do not apply to irritated skin or if excessive irritation develops Do not bandage
Do not use with other ointments, creams, sprays, or liniments Do not use with heating pad or device
Wash hands after use
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The ingredients in topical analgesics vary by manufacturer. The quality of ingredients and the way the product is manufactured also varies. Typically most analgesics share two common ingredients—menthol and alcohol. Some popular topical analgesics use Capsacin as well as Camphor, however, it is important to understand what the ingredients do and how they work when selecting an analgesic to use in your practice. Educating yourself in the products that you use with clients is the key to your effectiveness as a practitioner. The “active ingredient” in Biofreeze® Pain Reliever is Menthol2. USP or United States Pharmacopeia sets the standards to ensure the quality of medications. Biofreeze is formulated with USP-grade menthol, camphor, isopropyl alcohol, and water. This commitment to quality differentiates it from other topical analgesics.
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Counter-irritation works by relieving pain through a method known as “Gate Control,” or “gating.” Commonly known as the “Gate Control Theory” of Melzack & Wall3. In the gating process, menthol acts to stimulate specific sensory receptors in the skin, thereby blocking other receptors from sending pain signals to the brain.
Slide 12 – Video link
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Interestingly, pain and temperature signals travel along the same pathways in the spinal cord (the dorsal spinothalamic tract), terminating in the thalamus. Counter-irritants stimulate cutaneous sensory receptors for the purpose of relieving pain, larger-diameter nerve fibers (A-Delta) are stimulated, overriding the pain signals from the smaller-diameter (C) fibers. Skin irritation blocks the pain signal from reaching the brain.
The Gate is open when the person feels the deep ache of chronic or acute pain due to the stimulation of the deeper nerve fibers. (Smaller-diameter (C) fibers). Pain is perceived when pain transmitting neurons are stimulated these are A-delta nerve fibers (quick, intense pain) and C fibers (throbbing, chronic pain).
January 2013, PO5507, Rev. 1