A cautionary (and painfully relatable) tale of one man’s battle with cramps—on and off the court.

Meet Hafiz, 32, weekend warrior by day, restless sleeper by night.

Every Saturday, you’ll find him lacing up his boots at the local futsal court, laughing with his buddies, and getting ready to dominate the game. But just as he’s about to make that glorious goal-scoring sprint, disaster strikes…

Hafiz drops to the turf, clutching his hamstring, eyes shut tight from the intense muscle pain.

“Cramp, bro?” his friend asks knowingly. Hafiz can only nod.

The culprit? A nasty muscle cramp, thanks to no warming up, poor hydration, and a week full of skipped leg stretches. Hafiz limps off, defeated—not by the opposing team, but by his own calf and thigh muscles.

That night, Hafiz remembers something his cousin once told him: “Always warm up, and don’t forget Counterpain Cream.” He digs out the red-and-white tube, massages it into his sore thigh and calf, just to sense how it feels and why it was recommended by his cousin. For his much-anticipated relief, he feels the deep heat of Counterpain Cream seep in.

From then onwards, Hafiz always keeps a tube in his futsal bag and applies at least a squirt of it before his games. For him, it’s not just an effective pain relief—it’s a remedy that helps loosen up his tight muscles, rendering him that warmth his legs need prior to a rough game.

A week later when his leg dilemma is over, he’s back to heavy training and intense futsal sessions. That night he becomes too tired to do anything and decides to drop dead in his couch in his sweaty futsal kit. He dozes off effortlessly after all the overwork in the evening, but at 1:00 AM sharp…

Hafiz bolts upright, clutching his calf, half-screaming-and-half-confused like he was shot in his sleep. Of course, it took him a minute to completely come back to his senses and grasp the fact that it is yet another vicious leg cramp—right in the middle of his much-needed sleep.

As much as he needs a remedy to soothe the intense pain screaming from his calf in order for him to drift back to sleep, he is also unable to put any weight on his leg to stand steady- let alone grab an ice pack from the fridge.

He stumbles as he forces himself to the fridge for an ice pack, but lucky him, before he goes through that misery he spots the perfect remedy – Counterpain Cool Gel – sitting untouched, unopened on his gaming table. In a flash, he recalls how he bought this after having a good impression on Counterpain Cream earlier – wanting to always give this blue-and-white tube a try, too. And so has the time come – he rubs Counterpain Cool Gel on his screaming calf. The instant cooling and soothing sensations rush all over to provide him with a sigh of relief, and possibly a peaceful uninterrupted sleep after all the chaos.

Futsal is fun—until you cramp up. Stretch those hamstrings, thighs, and calves, and always rub in Counterpain Cream pre-match. Counterpain Cream penetrates deep into your skin to provide the heat that warms up the muscles and relieves the pain.

After an intense workout or casual futsal game, your muscles need an extra push to recover from all the overuse and overwork. Cool your body down with light stretches and apply Counterpain Cool Gel for that refreshing and cooling relief. Its gel texture facilitates fast absorption into your skin for that instant and effective pain relief for your post-workout sore muscles.

Dehydration? You’re basically inviting cramps to the party. Drink sufficient fluids with electrolytes if you’re active in sports and if your diet lacks essential minerals. Overhydration can dilute the electrolyte levels especially sodium in your body as well, and so, keep the levels in check.

Lying in weird ways can mess with circulation. With all the overusing of muscles during the day or the lack of movement due to prolonged sitting at your desk jobs, your muscles especially your legs may suffer from inadequate blood flow which attacks you all at once in your sleep. Don’t forget to stretch before bed, lie in a comfortable and proper position that doesn’t cramp up your feet and legs, and apply Counterpain Cool Gel before bed if you’ve had an active day with sore muscles.