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5 effective heat patches you can use for muscle pain relief

February 18, 2023 /

Published by Finn Hayden

A good heat rub or cream can help to provide instant relief from all sorts of pain, but they can also have many downsides. Many of the popular heat creams that you can buy not only smell strong, but they can also be messy and quite expensive. Heat patches are a great alternative which can help to provide pain relief without any of the mess or smell. We wanted to round up the best heat patches that you can buy in the UK, let's get into it:

Volatrol Heat Patch Non Medicated

We've already written a post about Voltarol as it's a product we use often and have found to be very effective for targeted pain relief, but we hadn't tried the heat patches from Voltarol until now. We found these patches really impressive - you only need to apply the patch to the target area for 8 hours, but it'll provide up to 24 hours of relief, working long after you've removed it. The patch itself was really thin so very discreet and easy to apply, plus there was no smell. Learn more and buy it here - voltarol.co.uk
Voltarol

Deep Heat Odourless Heat Patch

Similar to Voltarol, we're also fans of Deep Heat and have previously published a popular guide about Deep Heat alternatives. So unsurprisingly, we're also fans of the heat patches from the Deep Heat brand. These provide relief for up to 16 hours, and unlike the Deep Heat sprays and cream, this patch is totally odourless. We found the patches to be really versatile and suitable for use just about anywhere on the body, from the back to the neck. Learn more and buy them here - boots.com
Deep Heat

Cura-Heat

Cura-Heat isn't quite a household heat patch name quite yet, but we've been really impressed by these heat patches. We found the heat retention to be the most impressive aspect of these patches - they stayed warm well past the 15 hour mark, and can provide relief for up to 24 hours. Unlike many of the other patches in this list, these patches are actually designed to be worn over a piece of clothing. You might be tempted to wear it on your skin, but trust us, it'll be effective through your clothes too! Learn more and buy it here - amazon.co.uk
Cura-Heat

Boots direct to skin heat patch

Sometimes it can feel like the only advantage of buying an own-brand product over a branded product is that they're generally cheaper, but these direct to skin heat patches from Boots are actually very good. They might not provide relief for as long as some of the other heat patches in this list, but we found the heat to be consistent and we the patches were comfortable to wear and stuck well to the skin. You get 4 patches in the pack and it works out to about £1.25 per patch, which is very reasonable. Learn more and buy them here - boots.com
Boots direct to skin patch

Superdrug 8 hour pain relief patches

Another own-brand heat patch that we tried and found to be effective was the 8 hour pain relief heat patches from Superdrug. 8 hours doesn't seem like much time for a heat patch to be working, but it's long enough to provide relief throughout the day and the lower time that these heat patches work for is reflected in the lower cost of them at £4.99 per pack. These are intended to be stuck directly onto the skin wherever pain is being felt, and the patches stick very well. Learn more and buy them here - superdrug.com

Superdrug

Hopefully, this guide helps to find an effective heat patch! Let us know in the comments if you've tried any of these or if you know of any other brands you'd like us to try.

Just while you're here, you may also know about CBD and its effects on pain. We've written about CBD balms and CBD oils on our blog.

Finn is the editor of You Well and has been writing about travel, health, and more for over 10 years.

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