ooh, my aching back... (Radian B Muscle Rub)

Member Name: hypno06

Product:	Radian B Muscle Rub
Date:	24/05/09 (79 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Good short term relief from aches and pains

Disadvantages: Awful if you get it in your eyes.....or other places.

We are quite an active family - I loosely call myself a runner, and my children do sport every day, to quite a high level. My husband is not sporty, but is always doing something involving climbing, lifting, general lugging about.....

So from time to time one or other of us feels that we have overdone it a bit....muscles protest after the extra effort of a tough session, or the buildup of several days worth of sport takes its toll. The stiffness we feel the next day can be quite tiring in itself, and generally "nags" all day as if to point out that we are not as fit as perhaps we might like to be!

Rest, is generally the best cure - muscles ache for a reason....they have been pulled, stretched, overstretched, even torn. They need to repair otherwise they will damage themselves again, perhaps taking longer to repair. The body is very good at letting us know when we need to back off a bit, so we should listen to our body and take notice........

......that said, it is not always possible to take a day's rest, either that or we are stubborn so and so's who say we can't or won't take the time we need to recover.

We therefore have a tube of radian B in the first aid box on standby....

This is a cream that comes in a 100g tube - you can get it from Boots or most other chemists and it generally costs about £4 (often on 3 for 2 at Boots!).

It is described as a "multi action painkiller"......personally I prefer to think of it as something that will ease my aches, rather than a painkiller.....I don't want to lose sight of the fact that I need to allow my muscles to recover, I just want to take the edge off that "oooohh, aaarghh" feeling as I walk up and down the stairs.....

The active ingredients are:

**menthol
**camphor
**Methyl Salicylate
**Oleoresin capsicum

and there are other bits that form the "base" such as water, wax, petroleum jelly etc.

Quite simply you rub this gel on the affected area, and the active ingredients get to work on the sore bits. The cream is quite thick, but it is easily absorbed into the skin.

This is not "Deep Heat", but I do find the effects quite warming. Comfortable but not as intense as Deep Heat or Ralgex.

It has a definite "aroma" about it - mainly from the menthol. If you are sensitive to such things you may find your eyes start to water as you apply it - the smell can be quite strong. Again, though, I don't find it as intense as some of the other similar products on the market.

You should, however, ensure that you keep Radian B away from your eyes - do not apply it to your face (although, unless you have been laughing manically for 24 hours, you shouldn't suffer from strained muscles there anyway.....), and do not apply it too close to, urm, intimate areas.....a chap I know went a bit OTT on his thighs........not allowing for *ahem* "swing".....and had eyes watering for a good few hours.....

It can be applied to areas where you have muscular stiffness, bruising, sprains or fibrositis. Whilst you can apply it at any time, it is best if you have a relaxing warm bath, and then apply it to dry skin after. The warmth of the bathwater will help to relax the tired muscles, and start the work of repairing them.

I know several runners and fitness enthusiasts that use this product and similar things BEFORE they exercise. I would urge caution here, and say that this product is NOT an alternative to stretching and warming up - many muscle injuries are caused by not warming up the muscles properly and in my opinion, there is no subsitute to doing the job properly......

Radian B has a shelf life of a good couple of years, so you can keep it in the first aid box without worrying about it losing effectiveness. It is suitable for adults and children over the age of 6.

This product is, in my experience, good for taking the edge off the aches and pains that overtired muscles produce. It should not, be used long term - remember that pain is a way of telling you that something is wrong. So if there is no improvement after a couple of days, head off to your GP just to get it checked out.

Alternatively.......put your feet up, stick the telly on, and order in takeaways for a couple of days......you will soon feel fully recovered!

Summary: Great to have on standby.