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Rubbing it in.

Article Excerpt
Rubbing it in

Pain-relief creams and ointments can get the medicine right to where it hurts, and the smell is often familiar and soothing. But do they work?

When something like a knee hurts, there's a natural tendency to rub it. And if it really hurts, most of us will think about popping a pain-relieving pill of some kind * acetaminophen (Tylenol) for starters, or perhaps one of the nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) like aspirin, ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin), or naproxen (Aleve, Naprosyn).

But there are also dozens of topical pain relievers * creams, ointments, and oils that let us rub and get our pain medication. The over-the-counter products are sometimes grouped into a "muscle rub" section at the drugstore. The cortisone creams and other products for dealing with minor skin irritations are in a different section and aren't covered in this article.

Applying medicine right to where it hurts certainly has a lot of intuitive appeal. And for people whose gastrointestinal tracts don't react well to NSAIDs (a common problem), or who are reluctant to take pills for whatever reason, the topical approach is tempting.

The rub? Lingering doubts about whether these remedies work. And it can be hard to figure out whether a treatment is effective. The bar can be set pretty low: an ointment that provides a soothing sensation for a short while might be said to work by some definitions. And the placebo effect...