i forgot the joy of Tiger Balm muscle rub
@moonlitmagikchild (22181)
United States
March 20, 2009 3:29am CST
with my fibromyalgia my muscles tense beyond belief and i woke up with my neck being messed up (i have a neck injury that the docs dont feel needs surgery yet) and when its messed up it tenses those muscles and it pulls on my shoulder.. this sometimes (and did today) dislocated my shoulder.. well i used a heating pad with no luck.. used pain pills which was a long shot but i was desperate and no luck and then remembered i had Tiger Balm in my medicine cabinet.. well i hate any kind of muscle rub like icy hot or bengay because i hate the smell and the stuff being on my skin.. well i was desperate and got hubby to put it on and it made a huge difference!! it works a lot better than bengay and icy hot but it is more expensive 
i lucked out and found it at a warehouse type store that was i guess selling products other stores over stocked on and picked up some for cheap.
the stuff works the same way.. cold/tingle then warm sensation but it seems to go so much deeper and while it didnt cure me i could actually move and etc with out TOTALLY screaming lol.. good enough for me!!
what do you think of tiger balm? do you think it beats out icy hot or bengay? is it worth the higher price in your opinion or are you like me and tend to avoid rubs and ointments??
i lucked out and found it at a warehouse type store that was i guess selling products other stores over stocked on and picked up some for cheap.
the stuff works the same way.. cold/tingle then warm sensation but it seems to go so much deeper and while it didnt cure me i could actually move and etc with out TOTALLY screaming lol.. good enough for me!!
what do you think of tiger balm? do you think it beats out icy hot or bengay? is it worth the higher price in your opinion or are you like me and tend to avoid rubs and ointments??1 person likes this
7 responses
@bombshell (11256)
• Germany
20 Mar 09
hi moon dont tried to have neck operation because its too risky.my sis inlaw has problem but so many advice that its too risky.tiger balm is very good for muscle pain or any pain.base in my opinion Bengay cannot compete the tiger balm.if you visit in a chinise pharmacy there is better than tiger balm
2 people like this
@liquorice (3887)
•
25 Mar 09
Yes, we use Olbas Oil a lot here in the UK. (Do you have it in America?) You can use it as an inhalant to clear your nose when you have a cold, but if you rub it in your muscles this can also be very warming and relaxing. It contains clove oil, eucalyptus, juniper berry and cajuput. (It also smells lovely!)
Here's the website for it.
http://www.olbas.co.uk/allaboutolbas.html
1 person likes this
@moonlitmagikchild (22181)
• United States
21 Mar 09
what is it called that they sale? maybe i can find it somewhere
1 person likes this
@bombshell (11256)
• Germany
21 Mar 09
i remember also name "polar bear" and "olbas".olbas what we are using now.its expensive but its realy works to all body pain
.if you buy online pharmacy you search it.
.if you buy online pharmacy you search it.2 people like this
@modstar (9605)
• Philippines
25 Mar 09
Tiger Balm is an old traditional way of easing muscle pains. Of course it doesn't mean it's not effective. BenGay is kind of "gay" in treating muscle pains mildly and almost ineffective. I'm not sure if it's available in your country but you may try Omega painkiller or like Tiger Balm with deep soothing effect, try Katinko.
@moonlitmagikchild (22181)
• United States
28 Mar 09
ive never heard of those but i will look for them
@patgalca (18481)
• Orangeville, Ontario
20 Mar 09
I have been using Tiger Balm for years, but hesitate to use it because of the strong smell. I worry about getting it on my fingers and then rubbing my eyes or mouth and getting the stuff on there. I use it a lot on my husband's back though.
My legs were in a great deal of pain last week and I thought about the Tiger Balm but chose a heated bean bag and pain killers. It may be expensive but you really don't use a lot of it. You only need a little bit so a small jar lasts a long time. It is worth the money.
The elderly woman who ran our fibromyalgia support group said she made her own "Tiger Balm" by adding chili peppers to Vaseline. I never tried it but others might want to think about it. Just thought I'd throw it out there.
1 person likes this
@moonlitmagikchild (22181)
• United States
21 Mar 09
hmm weird.. and yep my hubby just got it in his eye today since he put it on my shoulder this morning then rubbed his eye on his way to work
@cher913 (25781)
• Canada
25 Mar 09
have you ever heard of lakota? its a rub and it comes in pill form too. i am in canada but it works quite well. i dont have fibro but i have sleep issues that make my muscles sore and i have bad knees (knees of an 80 year old due to a car accident.)
2 people like this
@moonlitmagikchild (22181)
• United States
25 Mar 09
never heard of it.. is it in the usa?
1 person likes this
@sharay (2769)
• India
20 Mar 09
I hate applying ointments over my body, but Tiger Balm is my favorite that sometimes, i just
take some in my fingers and keep smelling it, i just love the smell, other
that that, only when i have a headached, i use tiger balms not for anything else, it does work
okay though not best
2 people like this
@liquorice (3887)
•
25 Mar 09
Hi, I have hypermobility syndrome (HMS), (www.hypermobility.org) and have had some dislocations too. Lots of people who have HMS have fibromyalgia too, and it's sometimes difficult to tell which of these disorders cause the pain/symptoms as there's lots of crossovers. I get lots of pain too, including a similar sounding neck problem to you. (It also causes shooting pains into my head - do you get this too?) I've never been tested for fibro (I kind of had enough of doctors with my HMS stuff), but I get lots of pain, and I'd really like to try Tiger Balm.
I'll definitely look out for it. I don't like the chemical stuff either, and I've have had bad skin reactions in the past. Thanks for telling us about it!
1 person likes this
@moonlitmagikchild (22181)
• United States
25 Mar 09
yeah the last visit at my fibro doc he briefly mentioned that i may have that.. i know i do since everything dislocates out of no where.. and yep i have those pains too!
1 person likes this
@liquorice (3887)
•
26 Mar 09
Yes, it sounds like you have HMS too. Take a look at the website if you want to know more. There's a really great forum too, http://www.hypermobility.org/forum/index.php The forum was a real life-saver for me when I first got this. I suddenly found that I wasn't the only person in the world with really weird joints; there were loads of people just like me!! And for every really strange thing I experienced, there was someone else who's had exactly the same 
Such a big relief!!
The main treatment for HMS is lots of physio to make your muscles stronger (and compensate for the lax ligaments which cause all the problems). I've been through some physio and found it helpful. Seeing a chiropractor has also been good for me, but people have different views on this.
But I'm very keen to try home remedies for short-term problems, and am going to give Tiger Balm a try!
Such a big relief!!
The main treatment for HMS is lots of physio to make your muscles stronger (and compensate for the lax ligaments which cause all the problems). I've been through some physio and found it helpful. Seeing a chiropractor has also been good for me, but people have different views on this.
But I'm very keen to try home remedies for short-term problems, and am going to give Tiger Balm a try!1 person likes this
@moonlitmagikchild (22181)
• United States
28 Mar 09
thanks for the link.. im gonna go check it out
1 person likes this
@xXxMikesWifeyxXx (3072)
• United States
20 Mar 09
Hmmm, Ive never herd about this tiger balm stuff. I am not sure i would make much use out of it. as I do not even buy icy hot or bengay...S o im not really sure. but im glad it worked for ya..
@moonlitmagikchild (22181)
• United States
20 Mar 09
walgreens carries it i know since my hubby knew what it was (used to work for them) but i bought it at the other place because it comes in a little bitty container and i didnt like the marked down price lol
