In my 26 years of life, I have faced some challenges related to my cerebral palsy. One of the biggest, other than being immobile, is the pain and stiffness in my muscles. One of the adverse effects of CP is rapid aging of the body. If you think of it in dog years, my muscles and joints are about 182 years old! Okay, that may be a bit dramatic! I have embraced my limitations and CP. However, I do not embrace the pain. Over the years I have tried many different things to dull or alleviate the pain. Somethings work and some fail. Recently, my mom spotted a product called Biofreeze in the local grocery store. She brought it home for me to try.
I like to do research on the internet before trying any product or new medication. Like they say, if you treat your body well, it’ll treat you well. Created by a scientist to treat his Grandma’s arthritis, Biofreeze has been and is the most trusted pain reliving spray by therapists and physicians for 27 years running! When I heard all the hype, I decided to try some for myself! So I sat back and waited for the pain to rear its ugly head.
It did not take long for the jolts to travel through my back. When I was 16, I was diagnosed with Scoliosis, and it was discovered that I had a thirty degree curvature of the spine. This causes me severe, lower chronic back pain. As I got out of bed, I had my mom spray the Biofreeze down the length of my spine. I was talking as she was spraying and I have to say, they could improve on the flavor! For some reason, I never seem to listen when she tells me to close my mouth while spraying something on me.
Within one hour, my back pain went from a pain scale of 50 to 0! And for a guy like me that speaks volumes! I truly wish I would’ve known about this product 5 or 10 years ago! The relief lasted about 3 hours before gradually wearing off. I like the fact that my caregivers can simply spray it on rather than a lotion or cream that has to be rubbed on. It dries super fast so I don’t have to worry about it soaking into my clothing.
The reviews I read were all pretty positive. However, people complained about the bad smell. Menthol, the active ingredient targeting the pain, is responsible for this odor. Personally, I did not smell it. However, my mom said it had a mediciney (I know that is not a word) smell. Personally, when I am in that much pain I could smell like a dead mouse and not care, as long as it works! The smell does disappear after several minutes though.
Biofreeze is aspirin free, nut free, gluten free, starch free, and capsaicin free. Both their labs and their products are 100% vegan. There’s absolutely no animal testing in their labs, which is important to this animal lover. Of course, just because it’s a safer alternative doesn’t mean there aren’t restrictions of use, so please treat this like you would any other prescription.
When using DO NOT:
Use more than four times a day.
Wrap or bandage an applied area.
Give to children under 12.
Get into eyes, mouth or genitals (ouch!)
Place near an open flame.
Use near pets. [if pet ingests, call vet immediately.
Use heat right after applying [can cause blisters!
Use if you have a heart condition.
Use on open sores, wounds or bites
Use on head.
Along with the precautions listed above, please remember to tell your doctor if you’re:
A diabetic Although safe for general use it’s recommended to contact physician.
Taking any new medications.
You’re pregnant or nursing.
As always right away if you notice any unusual itching, swelling, after using as this could be the sign of an allergy.
Your pain doesn’t go away within a full week. [7 days]
As long as you use Biofreeze as directed on the bottle and confirm with your doctor, you should be golden. To be honest, my only concern with it however, is obviously the accessibility part. Someone who is immobile, like myself, wouldn’t be able to use it independently. However, it does have a 360 degree spraying feature for those with limited mobility. I really wish there was a product like this for headaches! Spray it on and the pain disappears in seconds!
Biofreeze is a great product! I’d give it a 9.5 out of 10, and highly recommend it!