- Advil Targeted Relief Cream, Ibuprofen, 2.3 oz Tube | Topical Pain Relief for Arthritis and Joint Pain, Warming and Cooling Sensation, Non-Greasy Formula, Up to 8 Hour Relief

I highly recommend this for sciatic nerve pain due to piriformis syndrome. It helps at 100% where other helpful products only reach 50% at best. It's such a relief that I don't mind the smell at all. There are a lot of products available to help alleviate sciatic pain and sciatic pain from piriformis syndrome in particular. There are exercises that help and lifestyle changes that can address the underlying problem as well. I've tried just about everything available that you can purchase. I do the exercises. I'm making the lifestyle changes. Most of the products and exercises that are supposed to help do help to one extent or another , but even combining a variety of them has never been sufficient to handle a really intense stretch of pain coming from the piriformis syndrome. It hurts not only as a muscle site but all down my left leg. In the calf when it gets down to that area it's mostly on the outside and a bit towards the front and back. That area of pain feels a bit like a non-stop charlie horse at times, and at other times it feels like it's on fire almost. This morning the pain was so bad even having a copper leg brace on and the kind of brace that they sell that puts pressure on the points in the calf and having taken the ibuprofen and tylenol. I couldn't get the pain reduced to a point where I could have comfort at all and I was really miserable. I used one of my massage guns and that would just address the pain in one area and then the other areas would still hurt. I opened the Advil pain cream as soon as it was delivered. The cream has a light texture and it absorbs very quickly . My skin is on the dry side which might affect this but after I apply the cream my skin doesn't feel greasy or sticky. The smell is very strong and I think it's stronger than other kinds of rubs perhaps or maybe it just seems that way at the moment. It's not bad, it just has that muscle rub smell. Within minutes of applying the cream I noticed and Improvement. At first I thought maybe it was in my head but sure enough within 15 minutes the pain was reduced to where I could get up and walk to my kitchen and back within a tolerable level of pain. Within a half hour, now I'm just feeling a little pain at the very top of my left thigh in the back and it's not severe at all. I think I'm only noticing it because I'm actively considering how my leg feels for the purpose of this review. I also still feel some tightness, similar to when I do a deep stretch, in the area of my lower leg that not that long ago felt almost like it was having an endless charlie horse. It doesn't hurt. It's just some tightness in that area. And that's it! I didn't even use a super heavy application of the cream, and within half an hour anything going on with my leg wouldn't even be worth mentioning. Of course I still have to make lifestyle Changes in order for the pain to be fully resolved the majority of the days of the year but for flare-ups and plan to continue using this Advil pain cream. It's worth the trade off in having that muscle rub smell about my person. If it's having the pain completely shut me down so there's nothing I can really do VS. smelling like muscle rub, I'll take smelling like muscle rub. Another great thing I should probably add is that I have fairly sensitive skin and the Advil pain cream did not cause any irritation or rash. I highly recommend this pain cream from Advil

This cream is the best pain relief help I have used. I have sciatic nerve damage down my right leg and so use this product before I start my 3 mile walk. I love it! Easy to use, works great!

This worked great on my hip bursitis, my doctor had recommended it for a good topical pain relief solution. I have also used it for instant relief from muscle cramps and lower back pain.

I picked up the new Advil Targeted Relief Cream hoping to find a topical alternative to oral pain relievers. I’ve always had great results with Advil pills, but they can be incredibly harsh on my stomach. Unfortunately, my excitement faded a bit as soon as I read the back of the tube. Despite the heavy Advil branding, this product contains absolutely zero Ibuprofen. Instead, it relies on a standard blend of topical analgesics like Menthol, Camphor, and Methyl Salicylate. Branding aside, I tested this on my legs after a brutal workout that left me dealing with a mix of dehydration and severe delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS). In terms of actual performance, the cream does provide a noticeable, localized numbing and burning sensation that effectively distracted my brain from the deep muscle aches. It certainly helped take the edge off my leg soreness so I could move around more comfortably. However, application comes with two major caveats you should be aware of: The Scent: It has an incredibly strong, classic "Ben-Gay" wintergreen/menthol odor. It will absolutely fill the room when you apply it, so it’s probably not something you want to put on right before going into an office or public space. The "Vapor" Effect: When applying this to your upper thighs or legs, be very careful. The burning sensation is quite intense, and the rising menthol vapors can travel upward. If you are a guy, those rising fumes can cause some pretty uncomfortable cooling/warming effects. Ultimately, it works fine as a standard counter-irritant heat cream, but don't buy it expecting topical Ibuprofen. Pros: The warming/cooling sensation works well to blunt intense post-workout muscle soreness (DOMS). The cream goes on easily and doesn't leave a slick or greasy residue behind. Cons: Contains no Ibuprofen; it’s just standard menthol/camphor under a famous brand name. Very strong, medicinal scent that lingers for a long time. It gets the job done if you just need a standard, hard-hitting heat cream for sore muscles, but it's nothing revolutionary. If you already have a tube of Ben-Gay or IcyHot in your cabinet, you essentially already own this product.

It does smell strong and burns a little at first. My formula: 50% this product and 50% Lidocaine cream. The little bit of numbing you get from Lidocaine adds to the benefits of this product and reduces the smell and burning. It works well for me to help take the edge off of back pain.

I’ve tried many popular pain creams with similar ingredients and never had any issues or reactions. I don’t have any allergies that I’m aware of. The Advil Targeted Relief Cream worked great at first when I put it on my knees, calves and lower back before going to bed in a cold room. It was nice and icy and on the stronger side relative to other pain creams, but the next morning while working out, the areas where I used the cream the night before started burning and the skin became irritated as my body began heating up from my workout. Any exposure to heat made it worse, I went into the dry sauna and my skin was burning to the point that I had to get out. Took a cold shower and used soap to try removing any residue of the cream from my skin but it only cooled down for a little bit until my body naturally warmed up a little later. The burning sensation returned, although more tolerable and mild than earlier in morning- and even felt cooling as well- as long as I stayed in a cool environment. This cream is very strong and intense and its residual effects do not “wear off” for many hours after its intended duration. I really liked this product at first and would have definitely continued using it for pain if it didn’t have this long lasting side-effect which seems to be triggered by heat. It has a strong mentholated smell which didn't bother me since I usually apply stronger creams like this at night before bed. If you plan to use this product, I strongly recommend staying away from any heat for at least the following 12 hours. If it didn’t have these side effects, I’d give it 5 stars.

Helps with my tennis elbow pain.

I have lower back spinal stenosis & have gotten pain patches to help with pain with the same ingredients from my acupuncturist, so thought I'd try this cream. Some days it really hurts to move but I know I need to keep moving. Well, this cream is a God send. I rub a quarter size in & in moments I can move w/o pain!!! I have gotten epidural corticosteroid shots every 4-5 months & after it wears off, this cream will be my lifesaver! Note: I bought a wand to rub it on my lower back so I didn't have residue on my hands. It is strong stuff, with a strong menthol smell but as a person with sensitive skin, I didn't get any irritation! And it's not sticky. Thank you Tylenol!