Back pain is a problem that people of different ages and professions face. It causes discomfort, restricts life activity, and can appear at the most unexpected moment. In some cases, you can use a back pain patch or kinesio tape to get around this situation. The main thing is to choose a quality product and use it according to the instructions.
Why does back pain occur?
Before choosing medical patches, it is important to determine the cause of back pain. Conventionally, such reasons can be divided into 3 groups:
- Muscle pain is the most common. They occur as a result of stretching, injury, overexertion, sitting work, prolonged stay in an uncomfortable position, etc.
- Another reason is degenerative diseases of the spine (spondyloarthrosis, intervertebral hernias, osteochondrosis, etc. ). Back pain occurs in this situation due to pinched nerves.
- Diseases of the internal organs sometimes provoke the appearance of pain. For example, renal colic is associated with severe lower back discomfort.
The back pain patch can be used regardless of the cause of the discomfort. But it is necessary to understand that in order to treat serious diseases, problems with internal organs and organs, as well as the spine, additional influencing measures are required.
What is the benefit of a back patch?
The main role in using a patch is to relieve symptoms. That is, this is only a remedy that helps alleviate the disease, but in no way replaces medication in severe cases. However, pain patches are popular for several reasons:
- Drugs in the composition of the anesthetic plaster penetrate the skin in minimal doses and only affect the focus of inflammation. At the same time, the circulatory system and gastrointestinal tract are not involved in any way and damage to the body is minimized.
- More practical to use than gels, rubs and ointments. Therefore, it can be used in any situation without getting your hands and clothes dirty. In addition, you can always carry it with you as the patch takes up some space in the pocket.
- There are patches on the market that only use natural ingredients, so they are harmless and can be used without a doctor's recommendation.
How does an anesthetic patch work?
When treating injuries, all remedies are aimed at relieving pain, improving blood circulation and lymphatic drainage, and relieving inflammation. In addition, this effect is achieved through different active ingredients. At the moment there are different types of patches - irritating, reflective, pain relieving and combined. Each of them will have the right effect, but you need to choose the appropriate version of the patch depending on the situation, skin condition and tendency to allergic reactions.
Lovely back plasters
The therapeutic effect of such drugs is similar to warming ointments. As the main component, an extract of hot red pepper and mustard is used, which is applied to every centimeter of the base of the fabric. When it comes into contact with the skin, the main active ingredient irritates the nerve endings and receptors, causes a strong blood flow to the affected area and thus reduces the pain. Thanks to the warming effect, a person feels better and lasts for several hours. Normally, after applying the patch, a pleasantly warming warmth can be felt, the pain subsides. But if you feel a strong burning sensation, you need to remove it, wipe the remnants of the product from the skin with oil and rinse with water.
However, under no circumstances should such a patch be used if the application site is damaged, as this will only worsen the situation. In addition, the patch should not be used when the body temperature rises, in children and pregnant women.
Reflective plaster
If your back is straight, you can use a heat reflective patch. In fact, there is no medication in it - just a reflective surface is applied on the inside. As a result, the heat is stored where it hurts and the warming effect is increased. Attach it to your underwear. The main advantage is that the patch can be used without harm to the body.
Pain relief strips
The principle of operation of such a patch is similar to the action of gels and ointments. The medication applied to the inside of the patch is absorbed into the skin, relieving pain and helping with inflammation. However, different active ingredients serve as the basis:
- Anti-inflammatory nonsteroidal patches can be effective in relieving pain because they neutralize free radicals and reduce inflammation. However, you cannot use them for more than two weeks and, if possible, only take them for acute pain, as they have side effects.
- The anesthetic patch uses a substance that blocks the skin's surface receptors so the pain is reduced. This type of patch is used as a pain reliever in the acute phase of the disease.
- Herbal patches are made according to the principles of alternative Chinese medicine. The healing effect is achieved by a complex of medicinal plants in certain proportions - the composition contains concentrated extracts from them. The use of such plasters is practically harmless, with the exception of the possibility of allergies, since the composition contains natural ingredients.
Nanoplastic - a novelty in the regenerative medicine market
A relatively new pain reliever is a type of supplement-based patch. Polymer-based bioactive substances are applied in several layers, which are obtained by grinding plant products into nanoparticles. Reviews of the patch are ambiguous, but it is believed that such tiny details penetrate the skin and directly affect the center of inflammation.
Combined promotional products
In the manufacture of plasters, two effects are combined - anesthesia and warming. The plus is that when you stick the strip on, the pain is relieved, the blood flow increases and the inflammation disappears. Various combinations of active ingredients can be found on the market, so the contraindications for plasters depend entirely on the composition chosen.
How do you use the patches correctly?
There are no basic requirements and complex application schemes for applying a patch. The back at the application site should be dry and clean with no injuries, open wounds or burns. The only difficulty is that you need to accurately determine the localization of unpleasant sensations, since the size of the patches is not very large. If pinpointing the location is difficult enough, for example, if the back "shoots in multiple places, multiple stickers can be applied at the same time - on one side and the other of the spine.
After that, you need to remove the protective film and apply the strip to the selected area. Keep in mind that most patches are incompatible with accepting water treatments. Therefore, shower gently while wearing the patch.
The course of treatment depends on the disease, its phase and complex additional measures. For example, if you regularly "shoot" the lower back, then you may have some emergency patches on hand - a full course doesn't make sense. And in the case of chronic illnesses, a package of measures is required in addition to the use of thermal stickers.
Which one to choose
Before choosing plasters, you need to find out the reason for the appearance of unpleasant symptoms - the doctor will select a scheme for the use of drugs and the duration of use. There are situations when help is urgently needed - in this case, use patches, but choose the safest ones. If the discomfort worsens and does not go away, or the pain becomes constant, be sure to consult a specialist.
You can pick up several patches at the same time from pharmacies or a shop. Contact the specialists who will help you choose the best drugs from trusted manufacturers and who are constantly replenishing the range with new products. If you have difficulty choosing remedies, did not find the product you want in the catalog or are interested in the products of a particular brand, contact the online store advisors for help.