Put an End to Pain: Potent Pain-Relieving Gel Eases Muscle Aches, Migraines

As more patients turn to chiropractors for help with migraines, a promising analgesic gel has been shown to offer significant relief.

A study of Stopain Clinical Migraine & Headache gel in 25 patients with migraine attacks found 52% reported a significant reduction in pain within two hours of applying the product, according to a peer-reviewed study at the Jefferson Headache Center, a leading research and clinical facility at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia. The gel, an analgesic available to clinicians through Chiro1Source, comes in single-use packets and is applied to the suboccipital muscles in the back of the neck.

About one in eight Americans suffer migraines each year, inflicting significant healthcare costs and hurting their ability to work, and many seek chiropractic treatment to reduce their pain. Some 53% of chiropractors say they often treat patients who suffer from migraines, according to a 2017 survey of 1,869 chiropractors. Widely cited research has confirmed that chiropractic care can ease migraines, and additional studies show the benefits of chiropractic care for stress headaches. Topical analgesics such as Stopain Clinical Migraine & Headache can relieve a patient’s suffering while a clinician explores the cause of their symptoms.

Chiropractors are also finding new applications for Stopain Clinical Topical gel, roll-on, and spray in hands-on use on other body parts. One chiropractic educator reached out to Troy Healthcare LLC, the maker and marketer of Stopain products, to say he has been promoting the benefits of Stopain Clinical when educating audiences on other topics, encouraging them to spray it over and around kinesiology tape after application, says Paul Timko, Troy Healthcare’s vice president, sales and marketing.

Troy Healthcare acquired Stopain in 2010 as a retail-only brand. Using new technology and ingredients, the company reformulated the product for clinical use, creating a clear gel rather than tinted gel, adding a penetration enhancer for faster absorption, and eliminating greasy residue and any lingering scent, Timko says. The company launched the reformulated product in 2017 as Stopain Clinical gel, roll-on, and spray for hands-on use by healthcare professionals.

Troy Healthcare improved the product’s pain-relieving power by formulating it with 10% menthol, the most important ingredient, vs. the 4% to 5% levels in many other products, Timko says. Product developers also included topical glucosamine, a therapy for joint health previously used primarily in oral applications. The addition of penetration enhancers increased the likelihood that the glucosamine might be absorbed through the skin to ease pain. Other ingredients include soothing eucalyptus and peppermint oils.

“We were very thoughtful about how the product would dispense in a clinical setting and how it works on the skin,” Timko says. Unlike emollient or cream, the Stopain gel stays in place after application. “This product was designed to work with the hands of a clinician,” he says. The product also resolves hot-button concerns among patients using it at home, who “don’t want a product that is greasy, stains, or has a scent that lingers.”

Stopain Clinical Migraine & Headache gel was launched in 2018 as one of the few topical pain relief products for headache sufferers. The headache product contains 6% menthol and can be applied up to four times daily to provide rapid relief. It also contains homeopathic ingredients, including belladonna, Sanguinaria canadensis, or bloodroot. The ingredients work together to relieve light sensitivity, noise sensitivity, nausea, and other symptoms that often accompany migraines.