Sports cream
When you have an injury and want to continue playing your sport or your favorite activity, you are grateful for any pain relief you can buy over the counter to relieve your aches and pains. Sports cream comes in many various brands and contains medication to treat aches and pains, usually including Menthol and Methyl- salicylate. If care is taken and only the recommended amount is applied, relief can be achieved but there is research to say that sport cream reduces inflammation but does not always work on aching muscles.USING SPORTS CREAM
- Care should be taken when applying as even when the surface of the skin is washed the cream that has soaked through the skin can continue to work.
- Use of the cream should not be used past the recommended time.
- Never use on broken skin as sport cream usually has a burning effect.
- Always wash your hands after using to avoid getting any in your eyes ect.
Using sports cream can mask pain and gives the impression that your injury is much better than it is, but it is important to rest your injury and it would be wiser to do gentle exercises rather than your full blown sport as returning to soon to your sport can result in further injury. A common mistake is to apply cream before playing sport to think that it will 'get you through the game'.
Avoid using creams, gels or lotions that contain salicylates if you are allergic to aspirin.
After an injury in sports, creams may be of some help but they won't take the place of medical advice or rest. Even if your injury is minor it is advisable to seek medical advice in the first place or you may end up having to do so later with perhaps a worse injury.