Heat Rub Creams For Plantar Fasciitis & Heel Pain
Do You Depend on Heat Rubs to Walk?
Every morning, before you get out of bed, do you slap on some Deep Heat, Metsal or Dencorub on your heels or foot before you set them down for the day? Are you wearing Eu De Methyl Salicylate every day, and you need a change of scent? If you are suffering from heel pain, plantar fasciitis or achilles tendinitis, you need a better solution than just using creams for pain relief. Instead of using temporary relief methods to keep the pain at bay, perhaps you should think about what is causing the pain.
The body is trying to tell you that there is an issue with your feet by sending you pain signals around that area. The pain when you walk could be related to the muscles of your feet being no longer able to support the impact and your weight, the sharp back of the heel pain could be due to your running shoes or you could be suffering from plantar fasciitis. Whatever the reason is, it is worth having them checked out by a podiatrist like us.
How Does It Work
The active ingredients in muscle creams are methyl salicylate and capsaicin. Methyl salicylate has a similar structure to aspirin, and so it has slight anti-inflammatory action when you rub on the painful area. And both are counter-irritants: they distract your brain from the pain of injury by introducing a new irritant. Capsaicin produces heat, while methyl salicylate is a minor irritant that causes redness. They are both generally safe products, unless you are allergic to the compounds.
Overusing the cream can still cause problems. Salicylate toxicity is a rare occurrence, but too much cream can cause you to suffer from toxicity. Common side effects are the warm sensation on the skin, to distract your brain from feeling pain; but when you over use it, symptoms of toxicity are vomiting, ringing in the ears and hyperventilating. This is an emergency situation where you need to present to hospital immediately.
Better Ways to Walk Pain Free
We might still encourage you to use the heat rubs to soothe the pain, healing takes time and effort. If you are seeking a better solution than slapping on cream every three to four hours, we have Extracorporeal shockwave, a machine that generates short energy waves to help relief pain. You may need to come into the clinic for at most twice a week, but studies have shown that it is as effective as cortisone injections, and is certainly less invasive and less risk to you.
If you are sick of smelling like your grandparent, come in and we can help you with your feet issues. We can help you pinpoint the cause of your feet pain, and help you go on a journey towards a pain free journey on foot.
Frequently Asked Questions
Below are some of the most frequently asked questions by our clients about heat rub creams.
Can You Put Deep Heat On Your Feet?
Yes. You can use deep heat on your feet to relieve symptoms foot pain – but we only recommend this as a temporary treatment. A more permanent solution would be to visit your local podiatrist to find the root cause of your foot pain and get rid of it for good.
Is Deep Heat Good For Plantar Fasciitis?
As above, deep heat is good for plantar fasciitis as a temporary treatment option, but it doesn’t address the root cause of plantar fasciitis. While you might experience some temporary relief – that will soon go away once the active ingredients in deep heat wear off over time.
Does Dencorub Work?
Dencorub contains methyl salicylate which, as mentioned above, has an anti-inflammatory action when you rub it onto your feet. It works as a temporary measure and ‘distracts’ you from the pain, but will quickly wear off and leave you with sore feet again. It’s a temporary solution to a more aggressive problem that a qualified podiatrist should take a look at.
Book an appointment with one of our qualified podiatrists today!