Right Lumbar Muscle Pull

May 7, 1999

 51-year-old Caucasian female pulled her right lower back area on 4-18-99 while lifting. She was prescribed an oral anti-inflammatory medication, which she took for the first two days after her injury. Her pain level at this time was 5 on a pain assessment scale of 1-10. She was also prescribed a transdermal gel (which consists of an NSAID, a steroid, an anesthetic and an analgesic) on 4-19-99. She states that she stopped the oral anti-inflammatory medication once she received the gel. She states, "The gel worked very well. My pain is gone and I’m discharged from the doctor." She applied this gel 2 times daily for 3 days. She obtained relief within 5-10 minutes after applying the gel. This relief would last for 3-4 hours. Her pain level dropped to a 1 on a pain assessment scale of 1-10.

Chronic Pain

May 18, 1999

 57-year-old Caucasian female, Registered Nurse, has been in chronic pain for the last 30 years. Although, she thinks that she may have sustained an injury as a child while in dancing/gymnastics class, her most recent diagnoses include cervical spine spurs and degenerative disc disease. Her pain will typically start in the posterior neck area and will advance down into the shoulder area (usually on the left side, but it can sometimes affect the right shoulder area too). She would rate her pain level at this stage between 1-3 (on a Pain Assessment scale of 1-10). If she does not do something for the pain at this time, she will develop a "cap headache" and the pain will advance to the major muscles in her back. When this happens, her pain level will be between 6 and 7 (on a Pain Assessment scale of 1-10). Over the past 30 years, she has taken oral medications such as Flexeril, Ibuprofen, Toradol, Voltaren, Percodan and Aspirin with Codeine on a daily basis. She has found that these medications were only helpful for a while, and then dosages had to be increased. This increased dosage would often render her nauseated and incapacitated. On May 13, 1999, a prescription for a transdermal gel (which consists of an NSAID, a steroid, an analgesic and an anesthetic) was filled for her, which she applies twice daily. She states, "This is wonderful. This is the first time in 30 years that I’m pain-free! I have not needed any pain pills since I started the gel!" She rates her pain level at 0 at the present time (on a Pain Assessment scale of 1-10). When she feels her pain level climbing to 1, she applies the gel and this will hold her for several hours.

Twisting Injury/Sprain Left Knee

May 20, 1999

 56-year-old Caucasian female had sustained a twisting injury/sprain to her left knee while moving some boxes at work on 3-10-99. She was treated with some physical therapy/ultrasound for about one week. At this time, her pain level was 7 on a pain assessment scale of 1-10. On 3-19-99, a prescription for a transdermal gel (which consists of an NSAID, a steroid, an anesthetic and an analgesic) was filled for the patient. She immediately started applying the Gel to her left knee, around the entire joint. She states that she obtained relief within 30 minutes after applying the Gel. This relief would last for about 3-4 hours. She states, "It’s wonderful! I never had a medication that worked so beautifully!" Follow up phone conversation on 4-5-99 revealed that the patient’s pain level had decreased to between 2 and 3 on a pain assessment scale of 1-10.

Left latissimus dorsi muscle pull

May 5, 1999

 53-year-old Caucasian female, who works in a childhood development/daycare setting, pulled her left latissimus dorsi muscle while lifting a heavy child during a diaper change. Her pain was severe enough to render her bedridden the following day (pain level was 7 with movement on pain level scale of 0 to 10). Her physician prescribed a transdermal gel to be applied to the affected area three times daily (which consists of an NSAID, a steroid, an anesthetic and an analgesic). After two days of rest and six applications, she was able to return to work at the daycare with lifting restrictions. She states, " This has really helped me. I was flat on my back and then pain-free after four days!" She noticed pain relief within on hour of her first applications. At the present time, she rates her pain level at 0 on a pain scale of 0-10.

Soft Tissue Injury, Right Knee

May 12, 1999

53-year-old female suffered soft tissue injury to her right knee after slamming it into her desk drawer 3-19-99, and again on 3-30-99. A prescription for a transdermal gel (which consists of an NSAID, a steroid, an analgesic and an anesthetic) was filled for her on 3-30-99. After a couple applications of the gel, she misplaced the medication. This was replaced for her on 4-23-99. At that time, her pain level was between 7 and 8 (on a pain scale of 1-10). When she received the replacement gel, she started applying it to her right knee twice a day. She states, "I love it! It works great for me!" She states that she obtains relief "within 20-30 minutes" after applying the Gel. This relief will last for "a couple of hours." At the present time, she rates her pain level between 2 and 3 (on a pain scale of 1-10). She states that the pain is mostly a "burning" sensation. She was advised to apply the gel 3-4 times daily and to rub it into the entire knee joint.

Right lateral epicondylitis

May 26, 1999  

40-year-old Caucasian male sustained injury to his right elbow while trying to support a heavy object that was being lifted in a tight area October, 1998. A diagnosis of right lateral epicondylitis was made at that time. He states, "My elbow just snapped." His pain level at that time was between 9 and 10 (on a pain level scale of 1-10). He was unable to extend his elbow. He was initially started on oral pain medication, which he states didn’t really help much. A prescription for a transdermal gel (which connsists of an NSAID, a steroid, an anesthetic and an analgesic) was filled for him on 1-28-99, to be applied three times daily to the entire elbow joint. He states, "The gel worked quite well!" The patient states that he obtained relief "within 30 minutes" after applying the gel. This relief would last for "several hours." On February 22, 1999, his pain level was between 1-3 (on a pain level scale of 1-10). At the present time, (May 26, 1999) he can flex and extend his elbow and has full range of motion in that joint. He states that he has strengthened the muscles in the right arm with exercise. He is back to work without any restrictions, and he is "pain-free!"

Severe Sprain, Left Wrist

May 27, 1999

49-year-old Black female who works in a medical records department, severely sprained her left wrist while trying balance some heavy charts on 3-1-99. Her pain level at that time was between 8 and 10 on a Pain Assessment scale of 1-10. She was originally placed on Motrin, which she states didn’t help much. On 3-8-99, her physician prescribed a transdermal gel (which consists of an NSAID, a steroid, an analgesic and an anesthetic) to be applied three times a day to the entire wrist joint. She states, "It’s wonderful! It’s great! I call it the Wonder Gel!" Follow up with the patient on 3-24-99 revealed that she is much improved and her pain level dropped to a 1 on a Pain Assessment scale of 1-10.

Contusion-left Sciatic Nerve

June 10, 1999

55-year-old Caucasian female who works as a clerk in a physician’s office, had injured herself on 3-5-99 while squatting down to file some charts. She inadvertently lost her balance, fell back and hit her left sciatic nerve on the corner of the file drawer. At that time, her pain level was "10+" on a Pain Assessment scale of 1-10. She was evaluated and placed on DayPro and Medrol Dose Pak. At the same time, she was placed on an oral pain medication. Her pain level decreased to between 7 and 8 on a Pain Assessment scale of 1-10. She was then prescribed a transdermal gel that reduces pain, inflammation and swelling on 5-17-99. This gel consists of an NSAID, a steroid, an anesthetic and an analgesic. She was applying the gel topically twice daily with good results. She states, "It’s working well! It is helping more than the pills I was taking for pain." Her pain level is now reduced to between 3-4 on a Pain Assessment scale of 1-10 in just three weeks.

Sprained Left Ankle

June 15, 1999

54-year-old Caucasian female had fallen at work and sustained a sprain of her left ankle on 3-15-99. After one week of physical therapy, on 3-24-99, she was prescribed a transdermal gel, which consists of an NSAID, a steroid, an anesthetic, and an analgesic, to be applied three times daily to the left ankle. Her pain level at that time was at 5 on a Pain Assessment scale of 1-10. Follow up telephone conversation with the patient on 4-7-99 reveals that she is applying the gel three times daily to the entire ankle joint. She states, "It’s working well!" She obtains relief within 15-30 minutes after applying the gel. This relief will last for 3-4 hours. At this time, her pain level is at 2 on a Pain Assessment chart of 1-10. She is back to work and able to walk without much pain or difficulty.