Analgesic Massage Creams Offer Pain Relief
by Brandi Schlossberg

   One of the primary reasons people are drawn to massage therapy is for the relief of pain. It may be in the form of muscle tension, achy joints or tender trigger points, and this pain could have myriad causes, ranging from general stress to a strenuous workout or even a medical condition.
   Whatever the reason your clients may be coming to you in pain, it is the job of the bodyworker to relieve as much pain as possible with two healing hands—and perhaps feet and forearms and elbows as well, depending on the type of massage you choose to practice.
   If there was a safe and healthy way to enhance the pain- and stress-relieving effects of massage therapy, it seems to make sense that the successful practitioner would choose to put this to use, too, along with his or her hand skills. Fortunately, there is a tool to boost the pain-relieving aspects of massage and to help the feel-good results of each session last longer.
   It’s a tool that goes hand-in-hand with massage therapy—massage cream. Certain massage creams are manufactured specifically to help relieve bodily pain. By using such analgesic massage creams, the bodyworker should be able to provide near-instant relief to clients in pain, while soothing away the sore spots with his or her hands for additional comfort.
   As the hands of the massage therapist begin to ease aches and untie knots, the application of a pain-relieving massage cream can enhance the whole process. However, you may wonder what exactly is in an analgesic massage cream that eases the pain of aching muscles.
   Read the list of ingredients on a natural pain-relieving massage cream, and you’re likely to find that the active

ingredient is Arnica montana. This mountain plant, common to the northwestern United States and central Europe has long served a pain-relieving role in homeopathic medicine. It has a history of homeopathic use for the relief of muscle aches and stiffness due to overexertion and minor injuries. Arnica montana is not only often used to reduce pain, but also to decrease swelling and discoloration from bruises.
   Pain-relieving massage creams packed with Arnica may be ideal for touch therapy, for this is an all-natural ingredient with no reported side effects or drug interactions. However, massage lubricants containing Arnica, as well as other pain-relieving ingredients, should be avoided if the client has any open wounds or otherwise damaged skin.
   Besides Arnica, menthol is another ingredient you might find on the list of a pain-relieving lubricant’s active components. Menthol can be manufactured synthetically or derived naturally from mint oils. It’s widely used to relieve minor sore throats, and has the same effect sore muscles. Much like Arnica, massage cream with menthol may be used to relieve many types of bodily pain, from arthritis to sore muscles and joints, or just overall discomfort.
   While menthol and Arnica are the heavy hitters in pain-relieving massage creams, there are lots of components that could make up a salve to soothe sore muscles. For instance, a pain-relieving cream might also contain extracts of ginger, violet leaf, eucalyptus, wintergreen or rosemary—all known to produce analgesic effects.
     No matter the reason a client may be looking to get pain-relief from a massage session, the numerous analgesic properties found in massage cream can be a valuable resource for all therapists.

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