Back pain is a very common phenomenon; It is difficult to find a person who does not face this problem.
The problem of perpetual "lack of time" to see a doctor is also characteristic, so most people prefer to treat themselves because they use actively advertised gels and ointments that relieve back pain.
Along with these tools, plasters are also actively advertised. This remedy for back treatment has long been known, but in recent years it has not gained much popularity until it is adopted by major manufacturers.
To understand whether such patches are really effective, it is necessary to understand the possible causes of back pain.
Why does my back hurt?
There can be many causes of back pain. The most harmless of these are the minor injuries and twists that a person can get during sports and physical activity.
If such minor injuries are not given due attention, they can lead to very unpleasant "delayed" consequences that affect the condition of the muscular corset of the back and the musculoskeletal system itself.
However, in the general case, such injuries are painful for a few days, and then gradually disappear.
However, the most common cause of severe back pain is osteochondrosis and its consequences.
The disease is dangerous because it develops gradually and in the early stages, when it can still be successfully resolved, does not manifest itself with any practical symptoms.
In the future, the development of various pain syndromes, the formation of intervertebral hernias, etc. The cause is this disease.
If arthralgia microtraumas can still result from neglect while waiting for the moment they cause pain, it will not work with osteochondrosis - when the result occurs, it is impossible to withstand severe pain for a long time and still have to go to the doctor.
In addition, if minor injuries are successfully treated with improvised means, serious back pain should be treated for years.
The main cause of pain in this disease is a violation of the nerve roots of the spinal cord. Such compression can occur for various reasons, but it is this compression that causes almost all pain syndromes.
Warming effect in the treatment of low back pain
When treating injuries or back pain, doctors almost always recommend a "dry heat" along with the necessary medications.
This usually means wrapping the affected part of the body with a warm fluffy scarf - so the back of the affected area is well "warmed".
This "dry heat" improves blood circulation, so inflammation and edema are reduced to some extent, which leads to a decrease in pressure on the compressed nerve root.
Therefore, the pain syndrome is reduced. Of course, this method will not cope with severe pain in itself, but it is very suitable as a kind of adjuvant.
In addition, it should be noted that the vast majority of folk recipes for back pain are based on the effect of warming the affected part of the lower back. And such methods successfully cope with a very strong pain, although they do not allow you to get rid of the cause of its occurrence.
Warm up as an alternative to tablets
When there is pain in the back, doctors usually prefer to take medication. And such methods often involve the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs that quickly eliminate inflammation and reduce pain.
Therefore, NSAIDs have one main goal - to reduce the pain that they have successfully coped with in most cases.
However, such drugs have a serious drawback - the treatment of back pain involves a very long-term use, when side effects begin to appear.
The most common of these effects is a violation of the gastrointestinal tract. Thus, for example, treatment of a herniated disc can last up to a year, and taking NSAIDs can rarely last more than a month without significant results for the patient's body.
This forces doctors to prescribe such drugs in the minimum effective doses and look for alternative treatments.
First of all, pharmacies pay attention to the large amount of gels and ointments.
However, in this case, half of them are not suitable, because all the effects are based on the activity of the same NSAIDs. Ointments of a "warming" nature are much more expensive and less common.
Now another popular alternative is plaster, which is not clearly visible, is reliably glued to the back and relieves back pain quite effectively.
Rear patch types
Pepper plaster
The oldest and "worthy" is the long-known banal pepper plaster. The principle of operation is simple and clear - a special pepper composition with an irritating and warming effect is applied when the adhesive touches the skin on the surface.
Perhaps the only drawback of such a patch is the extreme aggressiveness of the pepper, which can cause serious skin irritation in the slightest violation of the rules of use of this patch.
And this will severely limit the possibilities of treatment - the inflamed area can not be massaged, it is impossible to apply another plaster or apply a warming gel or ointment.
These shortcomings have led to the search for alternative heating compositions that can be applied to the patch with less efficiency.
Apply anesthesia without warming - NSAID patch
Several manufacturers, without further ado, have decided to address the problem of skin irritation in a simple and gentle way - the same non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are applied to the patch, which is gradually absorbed into the skin and has a therapeutic effect.
Thanks to this patch, back pain is eliminated quickly enough, the risk of irritation is minimal, and the issue of overheating is not worth it. However, this patch has its disadvantages.
For example, they are not suitable for those who prefer not to do "chemistry" if possible, because the main active ingredient, as in tablets, only enters the skin through the body and has the same unpleasant side effects.
Reflected heat
Another option is plasters with this or that "reflective" coating. It is not as important as the manufacturer specifically calls it, the essence is the same - the heat released by the human body is reflected, and therefore has a warming effect.
Of course, such plasters have virtually no contraindications (because they do not contain the active substance), but it is better to stick them to the canvas, rather than to the skin.
"Miracle plasters" from China
In China, there are a number of types of patches based on local traditional medicine. The composition of such a patch contains many plant components, each of which (theoretically) has a certain therapeutic effect.
Such a patch is a very good choice for those who love "natural" treatment, the only drawback is the unproven effectiveness.