Back pain costs Americans roughly $50 billion in medical care, disability payments and pain relief products each year. More than six million people suffer from mechanical lower back pain alone. Next to cancer and heart disease, back pain is one of the most expensive medical problems to correct.

Sufferers often try everything from over-the-counter medications, prescription drugs and chiropractors to back braces, massage therapists and yoga classes. One of the recent innovations in pain relief is the roll-on relievers, which work as easy as a stick of deodorant for immediate reprieve. One of the most popular back pain relief products sold on Amazon is the Biofreeze Gel 3 Oz. Roll-on, available for $23.20.

To use the Biofreeze Gel 3 Oz. Roll-on, you simply take off the cap and roll the medicine directly onto the painful area. You'll be happy to find this product isn't greasy, waxy or oily -- not to mention, it has no odor after ten minutes and will not stain clothing. Within moments you'll begin to feel a cool tingling and the relief of pain symptoms in the affected area.

The roller applicator is nice because the product doesn't get on your hands and is therefore less likely to come into contact with sensitive areas like the eyes or mouth. The Biofreeze website also asserts that the roller can stimulate "trigger points," similar to self-massage techniques, which further relieves pain. You will find the most relief if you are suffering from back/shoulder/neck strains, ankle/knee/hip joint discomfort, muscle sprains/strains, arthritis, bursitis, diabetic neuropathy, plantar fasciitis or tendonitis.

The Biofreeze Gel 3 Oz. Roll-on has received rave reviews from consumers at Amazon and Epinions. Epinion reviewer Patty Therre confessed that she has the "mind of a 19-year-old and the body of a 40-year-old," so she often works out too hard, which has left her with bulging disks in her neck and chronic back aches. "I have tried almost all the common over the counter topical creams and ointments... and all worked to a degree," she writes. "None really took away the pain or actually lasted very long. None, that is, until I found Biofreeze." She adds that choosing Biofreeze for back pain relief (over other ointments) is comparable to choosing Tylenol with codeine for toothaches over baby aspirin.

There are very few complaints or negative reviews to be found online. D.C. Julie says the Biofreeze Gel 3 Oz. Roll-on is "way over-hyped" and that it's "just roll-on menthol!" She can't figure out what makes this product so much better than menthol rubs from the drugstore, although more positive reviewers say that the applicator is especially handy for busting out in the locker room after a workout or taking to the workplace. Duane L. Smith, a reviewer from Hohenfels, Germany commented that "the roll-on applicator does not apply enough gel to massage the affected part." He recommends the Biofreeze spray or gel over the roll-on applicator.