Following my spectacular crash (see 'Racing'), I am now v bruised. I'm meant to be training on thurs/fri for endurance - ie 12 hrs. Can't move my hand properly coz of the bruises - has anyone used arnica and will it help? (don't have enough cash to spend on useless remedies)

>anyone used arnica
Yep

>and will it help
Yep

Thats that sorted then.

brings out bruises, they look worse after an overnight application but do begin to fade - just tried pillule form on a friends advice after my spectacular encounter with tree - not noticing vast improvements so I'd stick with just the cream to be honest.

wouldnt guarantee results by thursday though.

good luck!

In short, no.

A brief search on Medline will confirm that for you - all the trials that have been done demonstrate no difference between patients receiving arnica and those receiving vehicle/placebo treatment. Save the cash for some ibuprofen.

So maybe not then TTMC?!

I've got some arnica anyway - other herbal/homeopathic stuff seems to work, and I'm happy with it being placebo effect!

Tried ibuprofen - no discernable difference in amount of pain I am suffering.....

massaging your body areas immediately after crashing helps.

bruising, whats that?

alcyhol for the pain :)

For me the rule, is

- herbal maybe

- homeopathic not on your nelly, it's a load of old mumbo-jumbo and giving it credence is on a par with believing in the tooth fairy.

have to agrre with slowboy, while a lot of modern day medicines are simply synthesised versions of the active ingrediants in herbal remedies, having what is likely to be less than 1 molecule of active ingredient (homeopathy) has to be a placebo effect, I DONT believe that water has "memory" !!!!!

take a course of ibuprofen, its not just a pain killer, reduces swelling etc too!

No evidence in any reputable journal that Arnica works. Plenty of evidence that paracetamol and drugs like Ibuprofen do work (and we know what the likely side effects are and how likely you are to get the side effects).

There is a medical acronym - TEETH - stands for Tried Everything Else, Try Homeopathy. In other words use stuff for which there is GOOD evidence first and then if you want, try the stuff for which the only evidence is a leap of faith.

If it is supposed to be so good, why is there no decent trial data to support it's use?

<<tin hat>>

It's a women thing. They like to do that "mother wise in the mysteries of the world" bit.

Burn the witch, I say.

Try a bottle of red followed by a very late night and then get up early and go riding.
You won't feel a thing.
Do it every weeek just in case there is bruising waiting to come out.
:o.

Tilster -

How about you do an "arnica" test for us to put this to rest?

Liberally put arnica on half of your bruise(s) and none on the other half. See what happens.

I've used it in the past - can't say if it did anything as bruises go away anyway after long enough. It certainly doesnt take away any pain.

What's Arnica???