Just put some on my knee and i’m a little amazed.
In: Biology
The original IcyHot contains menthol, which will affect the nerves that bring pain signals to the brain. Essentially, the menthol will stimulate those nerves to “oversend” signals to the point that the nerves get “fatigued.” They have sent so many signals so quickly that they exhausted most of the sodium that can fuel the nerve impulses. Capsaicin will do the same thing, and that may be the “hot” part of the original formula. (There are so many products being made by them, it’s difficult to remember what the original product contained.) The lidocaine version has already been explained in detail. Some of them contain methyl salicylate, which is in the salicylate class and is an anti-inflammatory drug, like aspirin. The explanation for the anti-inflammatory effect would be above ELI-5 level but let me know if you’d like a quick breakdown. It doesn’t really work that great because it doesn’t get absorbed transdermally very well but that doesn’t stop everyone from marketing the stuff. I think the best indication for those is arthritis in the hands because the skin is so thin there and the absorption doesn’t need to be so deep to help. (Same thing with Voltaren gel.)
Edit: Source: Pharmacist
Edit 2: For those that asked about how NSAID anti-inflammatoy drugs work:
This involves a chain of events that cause inflammation, pain and swelling after an injury. Once an injury occurs, there are chemical and/or physical occurrences that signal a pathway to activate. A pathway is just a series of events that happen one after another that leads to an end result. Let’s say you fall and hit your elbow on the ground but don’t break any bones. That force causes some minor structural damage that signals an inflammatory response. Arachidonic acid is converted by enzymes, cyclooxygenase (COX) 1&2, to prostaglandin G, which is then converted by another enzyme to prostaglandin H, further converted by another enzyme to specialized prostaglandins, prostacyclins and thromboxane. These compounds cause the local blood vessels to open up to bring fluid (swelling), platelets (stopping bleeding) and other components that promote healing. Now, don’t get overwhelmed by the names of these things, as that’s not necessarily important. I included them so you get an idea of how this pathway works. Notice I only included the name of one enzyme step and that’s because that is where NSAIDs work. They stop COX 1&2 (yup, it’s a COX-blocker) from working so that most arachidonic acid is never converted to prostaglandins G/H, which (mostly) stops the pathway there. (It’s not 100% and it’s temporary, which is why you’ll still get some pain, swelling and inflammation and will have to take further doses.) As a side note, I also mentioned platelets for a reason. Many people know aspirin is a blood thinner but fewer know the other NSAIDs are, as well, but to a lesser degree. If you stop this pathway, platelet production is also slowed which means your blood will not clot as quickly as before. It’s possible you could take ibuprofen or naproxen for the pain and swelling and end up with a slightly worse bruise but feel better. It’s also why you shouldn’t take these 5-7 days before a surgery or giving blood.
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