Review: Biofreeze Pain Relieving Gel

Today MMA Opinion is going to review Performance Health’s Biofreeze Pain Relieving Gel,a gel-based pain reliever that is available to consumers in four ounce bottles.

Muscle pain from sports is a continued experience most athletes live with on a daily basis.  It often times is uncomfortable to deal with, and after an especially hard day of training, some type of pain reliever can help reduce the amount of discomfort you feel in your muscles.

I’m an avid cyclist — which causes enough pain — but recently started taking Brazilian Jiu Jitsu classes that routinely causes muscle pain after training.  Since I’m coming home with bumps, bruises and other assorted pain after every class, using a topical analgesic pain relieving gel has been on my mind this past couple of weeks.

Unlike other solutions, such as Icy Hot and JointFlex, Biofreeze gel is grease free, which means it doesn’t stain clothing, and dries on the skin shortly after it has been applied.  Most other pain relievers are greasy and messy, leaving skin feeling slick for a long time and can leave trace amounts of residue on clothing.

When applied, it has a tingly feeling similar to other pain relievers that briefly feels like a burning, tingling sensation – but that quickly goes away – along with the pain.  Biofreeze also has a strong menthol smell at first, but the rather pungent aroma dissipates within a few minutes.

I strongly urge you to rub small amounts onto affected areas, then increase the dosage if necessary.  If you apply too much the first time, you could be in a bit of discomfort, as some users complain of lingering discomfort.

According to the Biofreeze web site:

“Through massage the patient benefits from an increased blood flow and warming of the region at the cellular level for better absorption of the Biofreeze Pain Relieving Gel.”

Specifically, Biofreeze makes use of cryotherapy, a technique that creates a “cooling sensation that is transmitted through the nerve endings to the brain.”  The cooling sensation from cryotherapy is able to reach the brain faster than heat and pain sensations, medical sites indicate.

A major downside with all Biofreeze products is that they are extremely difficult to find, and often times can be purchased from your doctor or physical therapist.  It’s also possible to purchase it in a pharmacy, but don’t expect to be able to visit the local drug store and find it in stock.

Biofreeze also is more expensive than most pain relievers available in pharmacies, but you definitely get what you pay for.  Visiting a local chiropractor’s office and purchasing it from them is well worth it if you’re a chronic pain sufferer, or suffer pain from athletics.

The company also has a spray and roll-on, but we’ll review those products in the future.  If the roll on works as well as the gel, then I may buy a tube so I can have it in my gym bag when I get done training.

Pros:

• Very effective
• Feels good
• Greaseless

Cons:

• Expensive
• Hard to find

Final Thoughts

I’ve used a number of different pain relief solutions over the years, but Biofreeze is my favorite product I’ve come across so far.  It’s well worth the price – and though it may be difficult to find it locally, it’s well worth searching the Internet for.  If you’re in need for a pain reliever and want something better than the cheap generic stuff, I strongly recommend trying any of the Biofreeze products.

If you’ve got a recommendation for a product I can test out, feel free to post a comment or drop me a line!  I absolutely love testing new stuff!