ABSTRACT
Objective : To determine the efficacy and safety of 2% menthol in the management of musculoskeletal pain. Materials and Methods : 81 patients above the age of 18 years of either sex with any musculoskeletal pain were included in the study. Subjects were instructed to apply 2% menthol gel twice daily to the affected area for 7 to 10 days. A Visual Analog Scale (VAS) was used to assess the severity of the initial pain. Moreover, the level of muscle soreness on a 7-point Likert scale was also evaluated. The patients were assessed before the treatment and 7 to 10 days after the initiation of the treatment. Results : The VAS scores for pain significantly improved (P< 0.0001) in subjects after completion of the treatment. There was a 70% improvement (7.67 � 1.04 before treatment to 2.30 � 0.56 after treatment) in the VAS scores compared to baseline, and the mean Likert scale of muscle soreness was 2.04 � 0.25 at the end of the treatment. Moreover, no significant adverse events were observed in the patients during the study. Conclusion : The study showed that 2% menthol effectively improves musculoskeletal pain