We asked pain management experts about the best topical pain relief creams, what to look for, what to avoid and which are the best on the market today
Muscle pains and strains can get in the way of your daily activities and put a huge dent in your exercise routine. Thankfully, there’s a fast-acting option for muscle pain relief: topical analgesics. Topical analgesics, more commonly known as pain relieving creams, can quickly alleviate pain — albeit temporarily — and get you back on your feet and enjoying life again. These powerful pain relievers are great for both acute and chronic pain relief and work by quickly absorbing into the skin where the pain is present to provide immediate relief to sore muscles and strains. The best pain relief creams come in varying consistencies — creams, gels, roll-ons and rubs — and work in different ways, such as creating a numbing cooling sensation or soothing warming sensation, or simply delivering anti-inflammatory ingredients directly where needed without the cooling or warming sensations.
The effectiveness of these creams can vary greatly depending on the chemical strength, location and type of pain. To better understand what to look for in the top-rated pain relief creams, we consulted with a panel of pain management experts to learn what key ingredients to look for, if cooling or warming creams were better and if there were any ingredients, products or brands to avoid. We took the experts’ feedback and evaluated more than 30 topical pain relievers and rated each product based on cost, active ingredients, the cooling or warming sensation experiences, overall value, customer satisfaction, brand reputation and ease of use.
After rigorous analysis, we’ve identified 11 of the best pain-relieving creams on the market today. But before we get started, we want to point out that these are temporary fixes to pain and soreness and do not address the root cause of chronic pain or severe pain. If your pain persists, please visit your doctor for guidance on treating the source.Here are the best pain relieving creams of 2024 according to pain management experts
