Penetrex Pain Relief Roll-On [3 Oz] – Effective on its own -and- Used to Accelerate Results with Arthritis Gloves, Back Pain Massagers, Knee Braces, Tennis Elbow Straps, Neuropathy Socks, etc.

Easy to use and very effective.

Very happy with this product, seems to work well and no smell

As described.

Mercola said that it was really good, but I did not feel any benefit on my hip

I have suffered from Runner's Knee (aka patellofemoral pain syndrome) for over 10 years. I don't have the pain all the time, but when it occurs it's usually only when walking or running. Typically the pain subsides on its own after a few hours of rest. But about a week ago I went on an 8-mile hike that completely messed up my right knee and I was out of commission for 4 days. I had no choice but to rest, ice, take ibuprofen, and compress during that time. I was desperate to alleviate the pain so I could resume normal activity. So I thought I would add Penetrex to my self-care routine. Penetrex is a cutaneous anti-inflammatory medication that is delivered through the skin. What appealed me to this specific brand was that it didn't appear to be pain masking like other brands. While heat and cold definitely dulls the sensation of pain, it can be dangerous in that it can give the illusion the problem is solved. So you may feel ready to resume activity and unknowingly make the injury worse. Penetrex doesn't do that. There is no heat, icy feeling, or numbness that occurs. I have tried both the cream and the roll-on and honestly I don't find much difference between the two in terms of efficacy. Typically, cutaneous (skin) medications are best delivered using a cream base. More often than not when you are prescribed a topical medication from your doctor or dermatologist, it is in a cream or ointment form. They don't evaporate as quickly and are more effective at delivering the medication. This roll-on is not a cream, but a clear serum-like liquid. It's definitely more convenient than the cream as you can just roll it on without getting it on your hands. It also dries much faster. Even after rubbing the cream into my skin for a while, the area remains somewhat tacky for about 15 to 20 minutes. The roll-on formula is dry within 2 to 3 minutes. But roll-ons are less hygenic than using a cream with a clean spatula (every time you roll all those dead skin cells start mixing with the ball and liquid), but the quick evaporation makes me wonder if the ingredients are able to penetrate the skin as well as the cream. I also find that the cream lasts longer as I can use less. But ultimately, does Penetrex really work? Or is it just an effective placebo? I can't really say for sure and that makes it hard for me to establish a fair rating (hence putting it somewhere in the middle). To be fair, I didn't see Runner's Knee as an issue this product claims to treat, so it could just be that it's not meant for that. I did feel like the pain did subside about a half hour after applying it, but the effects were temporary lasting only a few hours. I definitely had to apply it 3-4 times a day per the directions. Even so, it's hard to say if this cream is what actually relieved my pain as there were other variables to consider. I also iced my knee regularly, added compression, and kept off my feet during recovery. In all it took a full week for the pain to completely go away, and given the other methods I used it may have taken the same amount of time even without this cream. In conclusion, I'm not here to say that this cream doesn't work. It may work better for the conditions it actually claims to treat. But it certainly didn't perform any miracles on my knee. I want to be fair about this product though, and if I end up having some other type of pain I will certainly give both the cream and this roll-on another try. If it works, I'll update my review and the star rating.