Does icy hot really relax your muscles, or does the heat just distract you from the pain?

Heat packs: Heat does actually tend to relax the muscles, a benefit we are get from sitting in a hot tub or taking a hot shower. It also, however, distracts from the pain. So you get both benefits.

Not relaxer: Like rubbing your head when you bump it, products like icy hot "overload" nerve fibers that cause pain. They do not relax the muscle. Over a long term some of these products can stimulate increased blood flow which might help muscle healing.