What is the best patch for back pain: painkillers and therapies

For those who suffer from back pain, the patch is an easy to use, economical, effective and safe dosage form. It is not able to cure the disease or eliminate the cause of the discomfort because. this is just an important link in the treatment complex. The effect of the patch is to eliminate or alleviate the painful symptoms of the disease, to improve the quality of life at home, without resorting to the help of a professional doctor, taking pills that are harmful to the lining of the gastrointestinal tract or painful injections that have manyside effects and contraindications. Without adversely affecting other systems and organs, the back pain patch delivers the medicines in the right place, provides sufficient concentration to develop a therapeutic effect and a spot effect directly on the source of the pain.

Properties and types of plasters

The patch is a relatively new form of drug associated with the transdermal healing system.

Its distinctive feature is a unique structure that has a number of advantages:

• ease of use, ease of use - invisible to others, maintaining freedom of movement, ease of treatment (depending on the type of product and the expected result, the patch can be on the skin from 1 hour to 2-3 days).
• The active ingredients penetrate rapidly into superficial blood vessels through the upper layers of the skin, beginning to act intentionally and more rapidly than in forms for oral administration.
• when applied to the skin, a systemic effect is provided, but the substances are absorbed into the system of the inferior or superior vena cava, bypassing the liver and the digestive system, and there is no complex of biochemical transformations (primary hepatic and gastric metabolism). in which drugs decompose and usually lose their pharmacological action;
• the ability to slowly release active ingredients to the skin surface, which provides a longer exposure period. This is due to the continuous supply of the drug to the body at a rate that creates a constant and close to the minimum level of therapeutic concentration of the drug in the bloodstream.
• the absence of a sharp tip withdrawal syndrome in the application.
• the ability to combine with other drugs, physiotherapy procedures and treatment methods;
• The control of the release and the prolonged action of the patch relieves the back pain allows the reduction of the frequency of administration of the prescribed medicine. This, in turn, minimizes the systemic and local side effects that are characteristic of long-term repeated use, the presence and magnitude of the cumulative effect, and avoids a possible attenuation of the pharmacological effect.

Due to its advantages, transdermal treatment quickly gained popularity. Officially, several dozen medical adhesive tapes with various active ingredients have been registered in the world. All existing patches for the treatment of back pain, based on the composition and the principle of exposure, can be divided into groups. This division is conditional, because Many of them act by different mechanisms and produce a complex effect, when the effect of one active ingredient is complemented by the work of another. Patches of domestic and foreign manufacturers are presented in the pharmaceutical market.

In pharmacies, you can find products of the following brands that specialize in the production of drugs in bulk, fully ready for use intended for external use in the form of a patch:

• irritating action;
• with heat reflective coating, dry heat.
• with non-steroids or other anti-inflammatory agents.
• with the addition of medicinal herbs and oils.
• based on chondroprotective substances.
• painkillers with local anesthetics.
• nanotechnology.

Overview of the most popular back patches

The development and application of transdermal healing systems changed the idea of the patch as a simple adhesive that protects against damage. The presence of a drug reservoir has made the patch an important element in the symptomatic treatment of low back pain and an alternative to parenteral and oral administration. There are many reasons that can cause back pain and heaviness. This can be due to problems with the musculoskeletal system, diseases of the internal organs, physical overload, hypothermia, pinched nerves, chronic infection, back injury, stress, age-related changes.

In order not to aggravate the condition, the pain can not be ignored, it rarely subsides on its own. Treatment must be timely and competent - a comprehensive approach is required. Depending on the type and severity of the pain, the possible causes of their appearance, the physiological characteristics of the body, the doctor may prescribe one or another drug.

Only a specialist, after a thorough research and examination, is able to determine which medical sticker is best, why. differ in the principle of action and tasks. Brief description and characteristics of the most commonly prescribed pain relief patches for back treatment:

• Pepper - the most popular, well-proven. Cheap and effective. Liquid gel pads are transparent, hypoallergenic, securely fastened. A heat wave during the application of the gel membrane is felt after 2 minutes. Capsaicin-based patches (a hot pepper extract) improve blood flow, metabolic processes in the affected area, reduce muscle tension, have a locally irritating, warming, antispasmodic and soothing effect. They relieve pain due to distraction, while the pain is replaced by a feeling of slight burning and tingling. Aggressive, can irritate the skin. Indicated for rickets, rheumatic diseases, arthralgia syndrome, back neuralgia, lumbar spine, myalgia of the muscles of the spine.
• A class of thermal plasters that contains a set of substances (turf sand, coke, salt, activated carbon, iron and mineral dust, etc. ), capable of heating up to 40-58 degrees in just 20 minutes in contact with air andmaintain the optimum temperature for 7-12 hours. This subgroup has a high cost and a relatively long list of contraindications. Disposable stickers anesthetize, provide uniform heating, increased blood circulation, relaxation of constantly stretched deep muscle fibers that extend along the spine. The heating patch helps with rheumatism, osteochondrosis, myositis of the lumbar or other back muscles, chronic osteoarthritis, sciatica.
• The patch masses with the inclusion of diclofenac are representatives of the group of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. They act quickly without irritating the skin. They are characterized by strong anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties. The result is long lasting. Eliminate the pain associated with the inflammatory process of edema. The synthetic composition of the non-steroidal structure causes the possibility of side effects (the risk increases with prolonged treatment with the patch). They usually bring relief in acute periods of the disease: with inflammation, degenerative changes in the spine, low back pain. It also appears for the back and joints as a means of providing a quick recovery from overexertion, injury, sprains.
• A highly targeted adhesive tape containing glucosamine, chondroitin sulfate and neurotropic vitamin B1. The complex of active ingredients involved in the composition of connective tissue increases the production of cartilage matrix, protects cartilage from harmful factors, helps to restore the vitreous layer and stimulates tissue regeneration. The drug is of natural origin, it is expensive, it provides nutrients and anti-inflammatory substances. Its action aims to eliminate the cause of the pain syndrome. This type of patch is recommended for deforming, degenerative-dystrophic changes in the spine.
• Local anesthetic with lidocaine, which is a combination of 2 anesthetics. Powerful painkillers, provide skin anesthesia, the effect remains for another 120 minutes after removing the treatment tape from the skin. It is used for neuropathic back pain, before injections or superficial surgeries.
• Innovations made using special technologies. They contain bioactive substances of smaller sizes that are deposited on a polymer base, which can easily penetrate the layers of the skin, reach a point where it hurts, produce radiation in the infrared region of the spectrum and create a stable magnetic field. The effect of the combined effect of nanoparticles is to increase local blood flow, improve lymphatic drainage, relieve pain, inflammatory reactions, remove edema, relax muscles and restore function. The patches are indicated for violation of sensitivity, pain in the cervical, lumbar region with a background of a pinched nerve, sciatica, vertebral joints, osteochondrosis and other pathologies of the spine.
• Herbal stickers - also called Chinese patches. It is not an official medicine, it is registered as a product belonging to the category of hygiene and hygiene products and cosmetics. The manufacturers emphasize the effectiveness and safety of herbal patches, which are due to the huge amount of useful natural substances that form the basis of the medical plaque. There are many variations of stickers and the reviews from them are mostly positive. Among the shortcomings, there are frequent allergic reactions and a large number of imitations. The range of application is wide, it includes osteochondrosis of any part of the spine, sciatica.

Way of use

All back pain patches are for external use only. They are not subject to reuse, after being removed from the skin they must be discarded. After removing the protective tape, the product is applied to a well-cleaned surface of dry skin in the irritated area and left to act for the period specified by the manufacturer.

The directive states that:

• Pepper patches can be found on the skin, providing a healing effect, for 2 days. May irritate the skin and cause severe burns. Reapply is only possible after a short break. The gel patch is applied to the problem area with a thin layer, without rubbing, waiting for it to dry completely. The formed film is removed in one day.
• Thermal patches are rarely attached directly to the naked body, because the perceived temperature can reach high values, so the manufacturer recommends that you fasten them in fairly dense underwear. After opening the packing bag and removing the patch, remove the protective film from it. Must be used immediately and in its entirety - cutting is prohibited! The maximum duration of use is 10-12 hours a day.
• NSAID patches are only allowed to stick for 24 hours. The maximum allowable daily dose is 30 mg. The duration of the treatment course should not exceed 21 days.
• Anesthetic patches are applied to the skin in the area of maximum pain. They can be cut, glued at the same time 3 pieces in different parts of the body. Application time - 1-5 hours, then the effect weakens. The interval between repeated applications is at least 12 hours. It is necessary to evaluate the effectiveness of such a treatment - if after 2-4 weeks of regular use no positive effect is observed, then the course of treatment should be completed.
• Patches with chondroprotectors require prolonged use. Recommended treatment: the first week - daily use around the clock (during re-application, it is recommended to move the patch slightly so as not to unnecessarily obstruct the skin breathing), the second week and after - every other day. The manufacturer's instructions promise that visible changes will occur after 3 months of treatment and in order to consolidate the achieved result, it is necessary to extend the treatment for at least another 3 months.
• Nanotechnological patches are used in short courses: acute pain - 3-9 days, stage of exacerbation of a chronic disease - 9-15 days. After a break of one week, you can repeat the treatment. The duration of the continuous stay of the adhesive tape on the skin is limited to 12 hours, after which the skin must rest for at least 6 hours. The therapeutic effect is often accompanied by a slight burning sensation and heat flushing.

Contraindications for use

If we compare different types of patches, using the safety of treatment as a criterion, then modern high-quality developments are the most preferred. The list of contraindications for their use is limited to the presence of open sores, warts, large nevi at the sites of plaque attachment, skin diseases and pregnancy (due to the lack of sufficient clinical data confirming the safety for fetal development). The next safest patch is the Nano Patch GS, which is prohibited for treatment of pregnant and lactating women, children and adolescents 0-18 years and people with individual intolerance to the ingredients. Thermal patches should also not be used in patients with diabetes or who have undergone heart surgery.

The list closes with NSAID patches, which have the following contraindications:

• hypersensitivity to non-steroidal substances, excipients.
• aspirin triad;
• kidney, liver dysfunction.
• chronic course of heart failure.
• erosion, gastrointestinal ulcers.
• exacerbation of porphyrin disease.
• elderly or children - 0-15 years.
• 3rd trimester of pregnancy or breastfeeding.

Depending

The above is an exhaustive list of patches in the pharmaceutical market, they do not have depending on this dosage form. Other skin care products, ointments and gels, sprays, including the same active ingredient, have the closest effect.

Back pain is a reason to consult a doctor immediately, self-medication by any means can cause the development of a serious pathology.