Any one of us can wake up one day with a stiff/aching joint or muscular ache. Well that’s what happened to me, woke up a few weeks ago with a stiff heel (Achilles’ heel) and wondered why it was still aching even after I applied Voltaren Emulgel. I went to two pharmacies, the first one recommended muscle relaxant tablets which didn’t work, the second pharmacy recommended Bionerv, a box of 60 tablets which consists of Alpha Lipoic Acid (ALA) and Vitamin B Complex (Vitamin B1, B6 & B12). Second pharmacist also recommended Ketotop plaster which I hadn’t seen before because they keep it behind the counter. He asked me if my heel hurts most in the morning, apparently I have tendonitis.

KETOTOP is from Korea and is indicated for the treatment of the signs and symptoms of the following: arthritis deformans (rheumatoid arthritis); periarthritis, humelo-scapularis (frozen, painful or stiff shoulder); peritendinitis, tendinitis; muscular pain; pain, swelling resulted from trauma (contusion, distortion, etc.). A sachet costs RM7 and there are 7 plasters inside which can be cut up to fit the area of skin one wants to treat.

It’s neither hot nor cold and I think it has a numbing effect. The pharmacist said it can be applied for up to 12 hours. It alleviates my heel pain a bit but I can still feel it’s sore when I touch it. I am still “researching” other methods of treating tendonitis. I wonder if submerging my foot in cold/hot water will help.