Back pain is quite a common phenomenon, it is difficult to find a person who does not face this problem.
Also characteristic is the perennial problem of "lack of time" to go to the doctor, according to which most people prefer self-medication, for which they use actively advertised gels and ointments that eliminate back pain.
Along with these means, plasters are actively advertised. This back treatment remedy has been known for a long time, but in recent years it did not enjoy much popularity until it was adopted by large manufacturers.
To understand whether such patches are really effective, one must understand the possible causes of back pain.
Why does my back hurt?
Back pain can have many causes. The most harmless are minor injuries and sprains that a person can suffer during sports and physical work.
Although, in the absence of due attention to these minor injuries, they can have very unpleasant "delayed" consequences, affecting the state of the back muscular corset and the musculoskeletal system itself.
But in the general case, these minor injuries remind themselves with pain for several days, after which they gradually disappear.
But the most common cause of severe back pain is osteochondrosis and its consequences.
This disease is dangerous because it develops gradually and in the early stages, when it can still be successfully treated, it does not manifest itself with any practical symptoms.
In the future, it is this disease that becomes the cause of the development of various pain syndromes, the formation of intervertebral hernias, etc.
If microtraumas to the back can still be ignored while waiting for the time when they stop causing pain, then it will not work with osteochondrosis; when its consequences manifest themselves, it is not possible to endure severe pain for a long time and it still has to go. to the doctor.
Also, if minor injuries are successfully removed by improvised means, serious back diseases must be treated for years.
The main cause of pain in this disease is the infringement of the nerve roots of the spinal cord. Such compression can occur for a number of reasons, but it is this compression that causes almost all pain syndromes.
Warming effect in the treatment of back pain.
When treating back injuries or illnesses, doctors almost always recommend "dry heat" along with necessary medications.
Usually this means wrapping the affected part of the body in a soft, warm scarf, so that the back of the affected area is well "warmed".
This "dry heat" improves blood circulation, so inflammation and edema decrease to some extent, leading to a decrease in pressure on the compressed nerve root.
Consequently, the pain syndrome decreases. Of course, this method alone will not cope with severe pain, but it is quite suitable as a kind of auxiliary means.
In addition, it can be seen that the vast majority of popular recipes for back pain are based precisely on this effect of heating the affected area of the back. And with not too severe pain, such methods are successfully adapted, although they do not allow you to get rid of the cause of its occurrence.
Warming as an alternative to tablets
When back pain occurs, doctors often give preference to medications. And such methods in most cases involve the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, which quickly relieve inflammation and reduce pain.
Therefore, NSAIDs primarily pursue one goal: to reduce pain, which in most cases they cope with successfully.
But such drugs have a serious drawback: the treatment of back diseases involves a very long-term use of them, in which side effects begin to appear.
The most common of these effects is the alteration of the gastrointestinal tract. So, for example, the treatment of a herniated disc can last up to a year, and taking NSAIDs without significant consequences for the patient's body can rarely last more than a month.
This leads to the fact that doctors are forced to prescribe such drugs in the minimum effective doses and to look for alternative methods of treatment.
First of all, they pay attention to gels and ointments, which are found in large quantities in pharmacies.
But half of them in this case are not suitable, since their entire effect is based on the action of all the same NSAIDs. Ointments of a "warm" nature are much more expensive and less common.
Another popular alternative now is precisely the cast, which is invisible, adheres securely to the back and relieves back pain quite effectively.
Types of back patches
Pepper plaster
The oldest and "deserved" is the banal pepper plaster, which has been known for a long time. The principle of action is simple and clear: a special pepper composition is applied to the sticky surface, which has an irritating and warm effect when it touches the skin.
Perhaps the only drawback of such a patch is the excessive aggressiveness of the pepper, which, at the slightest violation of the rules of use of the patch, can lead to severe skin irritation.
And this will seriously limit the possibilities of treatment: the inflamed area cannot be massaged, it is no longer possible to stick another plaster on it or apply a warming gel or ointment.
These deficiencies have become the reason for the search for alternative warming compositions that are applied to the patch with no less effectiveness.
Anesthetize without heating - NSAID patch
Several manufacturers, without further ado, decided to avoid the problem of skin irritation in a simple and elegant way: the same non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are simply applied to the patch, which are gradually absorbed into the skin and have their therapeutic effect.
Thanks to this patch, back pain is eliminated quickly enough, the risk of irritation is minimal, and the problem of overheating is not worth it either. But this patch also has disadvantages.
For example, they are definitely not suitable for those who prefer to do without "chemistry" if possible, since the main active ingredient is the same as in tablets, only that it enters the body through the skin, having all the same unpleasant side effects.
Reflected heat
Another option is plasters, which contain one or another "reflective" coating. It is not as important as the manufacturer specifically called it, the essence is the same: the heat released by the human body is reflected and accumulates, which is why a heating effect appears.
Naturally, these dressings have practically no contraindications (since there is no active substance), but it is better to stick them not on the skin, but on clothing.
"Miracle plasters" from China
There are several types of patches that have been developed in China based on local traditional medicine. The composition of such a patch contains many plant components, each of which (in theory) should have a certain therapeutic effect.
This patch is a very good option for lovers of "natural" treatment, its only drawback is its unconfirmed effectiveness.