16 Products People With Chronic Pain Swear by That Fit in Your Purse
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Prices are accurate as of May 23, 2024.
While every person with chronic pain has their own arsenal of tools and products they use to relieve pain at home, that doesn’t necessarily help when you’re out of the house. When a flare hits while you’re running errands, at school, out with friends, or at work, you’ll need some small, portable items on hand that can quickly give you at least a bit of relief until you get home or to a doctor’s office. After all, it’s not like you can plug in your electric heating pad when you’re in line at the bank!
So, we asked our Mighty community what products they use for pain relief (besides medication) that are small enough to fit in your purse. Every little bit of pain relief can help you get through the day — check out what your fellow spoonies use to lessen or distract from pain when they’re out of the house.
Here’s what our Mighty community recommended:
1. Foldable Walking Stick
Depending on how large your purse or backpack is, you can keep a collapsible cane with you for support.
Emily Valentine-Southren said a fold-up walking stick is one product she swears by.
Buy the folding cane featured above for $17.99 from Amazon.
2. Meditation App
Stress can make pain even worse and harder to manage. An app that helps you meditate and breathe can help you be mindful and centered, even if it’s just for a few minutes.
“Mindfulness meditation. Deep breathing. Couldn’t get through my pain flares without them! I use an app called Calm to sometimes help with the meditation,” Abby Alderton said.
Download the Calm app featured above for free from the Apple App Store and Google Play.
3. Essential Oils
Many people with chronic pain swear by essential oils as a non-medication way to improve their mood, focus, or reduce pain.
“Roll-on lavender essential oil. It helps to calm me down, ease my nausea, and block scents that cause migraine attacks and nausea,” Mackenzie Porter recommended.
“My oils go everywhere with me! I keep tiny drams of about 12 different oils to aid in whatever might be ailing me, from IBS flares to fibromyalgia flares to neuralgia attacks, to name a few,” Alisha N. West Brown said.
Buy the essential oil roller featured above for $12.95 from Amazon.
4. Headphones or Earbuds
While you probably always have your phone with you, it’s easy to forget to throw a pair of headphones or earbuds in your bag. But if you always have them with you, you can listen to your favorite music or even distract yourself with a video or show during tough moments.
“Music and earbuds. I can very easily get overwhelmed by my pain when it’s at its worst, but if I have music playing I can calm down just enough to start bringing my pain back down,” Ellee Robb said.
Buy the earbuds featured above for $14.99 from Amazon.
5. Topical Pain Relief Rub or Patches
Your favorite topical analgesic doesn’t need to stay in your medicine cabinet — keep a travel-size in your purse so you can use it whenever a pain flare hits.
“Individual Biofreeze patches. They hardly take up any room at all,” Joanne Shabazian said.
“Dollar Tree stores and their online site have a menthol and camphor muscle rub similar to Tiger Balm, but one dollar per jar! I literally buy it by the case,” Merri Evelyn Skinner shared.
“Tiger Balm. A friend who works as a coach recommended it and swears by it. It really works. A warming sensation that relaxes my muscles. Pain can cause me to hold positions to avoid exacerbating aches, and I become stiff as a result,” Rebecca Davis said. “Also, I think it smells like cinnamon, so it is relaxing for me in that way as well.”
Buy a pack of five Biofreeze Pain Relief Patches for $8.98 from Amazon.
6. CBD Products
If CBD is legal where you live, you can shop around to find a portable oil or balm that fits in your bag. When traveling, be sure you know the laws regarding CBD and marijuana in the place you’re visiting.
“CBD balm, I always have some in my bag (usually Sisters of the Valley’s smallest tub which is about the size of a lip balm),” Nat Le Brun recommended.
“CBD oil — it has dramatically reduced my fibromyalgia pain and helps my anxiety,” Jo Moss said.
Buy the CBD Rapid Recovery Cream featured above for $39.99 from Medterra.
For more CBD products, check out our community’s top recommendations.
7. Mints
Mints can do double duty as a pain distraction and anti-nausea remedy.
“My compression gloves are a must, but a package of mints is highly underrated for when the nausea from my stronger meds appears! The minty freshness can save my day,” Rebecca McDonald said.
Buy a box of eight packages of the mints featured above for $14.77 from Amazon.
8. Portable Heat Packs
You can still use heat therapy even if you’re not next to an outlet. Portable heating products like hand warmers, “snap” heaters, and heat pads can be thrown in your car or bag for emergencies.
“Hand warmers! My hands ache and the warmers help relieve the tension. They work great in tall socks for shin splints, too,” Malorie Anderson recommended.
“Thermacare heat patches have saved my horribly knotted muscles more than once,” Allie Hershey Hillard said.
“I use heat patches since they are convenient and portable, plus most don’t smell like a medicine cabinet,” Barbara Ryan Myers-Peterson said.
Buy the ThermaCare heat wraps featured above for $19.68 from Amazon.
See more portable heating products recommended by our Mighty community here.
9. Travel Pill Organizer
If you’re on the go but still need to take medications or have medications for pain relief that you can take if you need them, keeping them in a pill case rather than loose bottles will make it easier to keep everything organized and safe.
“I have a small pill separator, and I labeled over the days of the week with the names of my necessary pain, tummy, and anxiety meds. So I know which each compartment holds, refill as needed, and never get caught away from home without them,” Ashley Davis said.
Buy the pill organizer featured above for $9.98 from Amazon.
10. Miniature Fan
When you’re in a pain flare, getting overheated never makes it better, so a small battery-powered fan can make all the difference.
Sharon Sansing Garland said a handheld battery-powered fan is one of her must-haves.
Buy the 2-in-1 handheld fan and power bank featured above for $14.99 from Amazon.
11. Salonpas
Salonpas patches contain camphor, menthol, and menthyl salicylate and stick on anywhere you’re feeling pain.
“Salonpas patches. I put those suckers on my neck and back. They help,” Kristin Smith said.
“Salonpas patches are awesome and I always keep them in my purse, though they have a stronger scent,” Hillard said.
Buy the Salonpas patches featured above for $10.49 from Walgreens.
12. Curable App
This app provides a “virtual pain coach” that guides you through new pain research, brain training techniques, writing exercises to help you pinpoint the causes and stressors of your pain, and guided meditation.
“The Curable app. Has helped me with my chronic pain quite a bit,” Jayne Dough said.
Download the Curable app for free from the Apple App Store and Google Play.
13. Fidget Toy
If you tend to fidget while anxious or find that distracting yourself helps with your pain, consider keeping a fidget toy in your bag. There are tons of designs out there that are discreet and offer different activities for your fingers to do.
“My daughter made me a chain mail ‘fidget’ that I can calm myself with while practicing mindful meditation,” Carolyn Majors said.
Buy the fidget toy featured above for $6.99 from Amazon.
14. Compression Brace
If your pain affects your joints, a compression brace can help stabilize the joint and minimize pain. Plus, they’re easy to fold and pack in a purse, tote bag, or backpack.
“I have a compression knee brace that makes all the difference in my knee pain. I got it at Walmart but they’re not hard to find from most medical supply stores,” Jillian Seiden suggested.
Buy the knee brace featured above for $21.99 from DonJoy Advantage.
15. TENS Machine
While most transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) units are fairly small, you can look for “minis” that are even smaller. The unit above can fit in your pocket.
“Sombra Warm Therapy and my TENS machine — it’s really helpful for car rides as I find my pain increases when I pass through different weather systems,” Marian Visser said.
Please talk to your doctor before using a TENS unit.
Buy the TENS machine featured above for $32.99 from Amazon.
16. Instant Ice Pack
If cold therapy helps minimize your pain, instant ice packs that don’t need to be kept in the freezer can give you some relief on the go.
Porter recommended an ice pack that typically comes in a first aid kit: “I can put it on my eyes or the back of my neck to ease migraine pain.”
Buy the ice packs featured above for $9.99 from Amazon.
See more portable cooling products recommended by our community here.
Erin is the former senior editor and chronic illness editor of The Mighty. She joined The Mighty in 2015 and previously worked at Inside Weddings magazine, Mic, and The Huffington Post. She was also the features editor at The California Aggie, UC Davis' student newspaper. She is honored to be a part of the Mighty community!
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