effective treatments of pain for extended periods of time are provided . through the administration of an effective amount of a trpv1 compound at or near a target site , one can relieve pain caused by diverse sources , including but not limited to , postoperative pain , spinal disc herniation , spondilothesis , stenosis , discogenic back pain and joint pain , as well as pain that is incidental to surgery . when appropriate formulations are provided within biodegradable polymers , this relief can be continued for at least three days . in some embodiments , the relief can be for at least twenty - five days , at least fifty days , at least one hundred days , at least one hundred and thirty - five days or at least one hundred and eighty days .