The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 9 letter word ANALGESIA
I've seen this crossword clue in The Guardian
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More clues leading to the result ANALGESIA
- Sick Asian nursing a broken leg brings relief
- As in a leg, a curious absence of pain
- Drunk again, ale’s numbing pain
- After a jumble sale: gain what a number will bring
- Pain relief for north American with broken leg detained in the Far East
- A northern Arab state is replacing King with son – that’s a relief!
- No pain or gain as ale is drunk
- Angel travelling in Asia to provide relief from suffering
- Ordered ales again for pain relief
- Effect of numbers entering system unsettled most of East Anglia
Buddy explains!

The straight part
We know that "Pain relief" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case pain relief = analgesia.The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.
What does ANALGESIA mean?
ANALGESIA noun- The inability to feel pain
- Medication that acts to relieve pain