IMHO, "vikes" do more harm than good, although my sentiment comes from an athletic standpoint. For horrible pain, opiates serve as an appeaser; steroidal epidurals are the only thing that can relieve extreme cases. But lets say you have some inflammation in your back, take 3 "tens" a day, and go about your business. Pain is the bodies way of saying leave me alone. Most of the people i know, who take "vikes" do it so that they can perform their daily activities. This is really a slippery slope, because once the drugs wear off, they are in even more pain than before, and are then reliant on taking a higher dose, which sometimes leads to taking oxy's, or dozens of "vikes" per day.
The best bet for temporary pain is rest. Letting your body heal without recreating inflammation is the key to a full recovery. Now if it is chronic pain, there are several steroidal options that can make life easier without the risk of opiate addiction. But this is just my opinion....