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Arthritis pain: Treatments absorbed through your skin
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What are topical pain medications?
What types of ingredients are used?
How well do they work?
Are they safe to use?
Are there topical pain products available by prescription?
What are topical pain medications?
Topical pain medications are absorbed through your skin. The most common varieties are creams or gels that you rub onto the skin over your painful joints. Some come in a spray or a patch that sticks to your skin.
Because the ingredients are absorbed through the skin, most topical pain medications are best used on joints that are close to the skin's surface, such as the joints in your hands and knees.