Do Sports Creams Really Work?

Working out may be great for your mind and body, but a pulled muscle here or overworked tendon there happens to the best of us. Some of us wear our exercise injuries like badges of honor, while others are quick to reach for the bottle to get some relief.

Bengay, Icy Hot, ThermaCare. Chances are, even if you've never dabbled in the world of pain creams, you've seen them in the store and maybe even chuckled at a few of their names (Aspercreme, come on). But there are those among us who swear by their ability to dull pain with sensations of hot and cold, so a recent article in The New York Times posed the question, "Do sports creams rub the pain away?"

Most doctors and researchers interviewed for the piece pointed out that no physiological change to decrease pain occurs where creams are applied. They chalk up any experienced relief to the placebo effect, adding that sensations of hot and cold -- as enjoyable as they may be -- have no scientific way to heal an injury or reduce pain.

Only a handful of medical pain authorities argued that some topical analgesics do help alleviate pain and that application, persistency and patient expectations may play a role in relief.

That's Fit reached out to Pete McCall, spokesman for the American Council on Exercise and certified strength and conditioning specialist, to find out whether that tube of Bengay is really worth its salt.

"They do work. There's no doubt they work," says McCall. But there's a catch.

"Pain is there for a reason. That's to communicate something with your body," he says. "Pain is an important communication pathway in the body so you know something's wrong. Start masking it and working over it, you could set yourself up for more."

Runners, tennis players and even some golfers tend to turn to topical creams to reduce pain and inflammation. "When you get into golf and tennis, you get a lot of rotational movement, torque. If you don't have proper flexibility you can aggravate a muscle strain," says McCall.

Instead of glossing over an injury (which could turn out to be serious) with an expensive topical cream, McCall suggests using ice to reduce inflammation and swelling and to remember this acronym: RICE. Rest. Ice. Compression. Elevation.

If that doesn't work, see your doctor before starting any over-the-counter medication regimen.

Do you use a sports cream or just plain ice for pain relief? Let us know what works for you.