1. Muscle soreness after exercise
Symptoms: Muscle stiffness, soreness, and slight pain with activity
Location: Commonly found in the thighs, calves, arms, and other parts with a lot of force.
Causes: Excessive exercise or a sudden increase in the amount of exercise, resulting in minor muscle damage.
Response: cold compress within 48 hours (to reduce inflammation), hot compress (to promote blood circulation) in the later stage; Stretch lightly, massage, and rest
2. Muscle strain
Symptoms: Sudden sharp pain, local swelling, which may be accompanied by bruising.
Location: The back of the thighs, waist, shoulders and other areas prone to strain.
Causes: Exercising too hard or having the wrong posture (e.g., spraining heavy objects).
Response: Stop activities immediately and apply cold therapy (15 minutes each time) for 24~48 hours after injury.
3. Joint sprains
Symptoms: Painful, bluish swelling around the joints, limited movement (eg, ankles that cannot bear weight)
Location: Ankles, wrists, knees and other joints.
Causes: Joint torsion or external impact (e.g., stepping on the air, falling).
Response: first apply a cold therapy (within 2 days) to reduce swelling; Late heat therapy (after 48 hours); Immobilize the joints with a brace and avoid walking
4. Arthritis (chronic wear and tear of the joints)
Symptoms: Long-term stiffness and pain in the joints (especially in the morning or after sitting for long periods of time), and a feeling of friction during activity.
Location: Weight-bearing or commonly used joints such as knees, fingers, hips, etc.
Causes: Age, overuse, or recurrent old injuries.
Coping: Apply a heat therapy (to relieve stiffness) and avoid cold; Control your weight and reduce the burden on your joints.
5. Low back pain (muscle strain or disc problems)
Symptoms: Soreness, stiffness in the lower back, worse when sitting or bending over, may radiate to the buttocks.
Location: Lower back.
Causes: Sitting for a long time, poor posture, improper heavy lifting.
Coping: Acute pain should be treated with cold compresses (within 48 hours) and warm compresses at the later stage.
General principle: When to apply a heat therapy? When to apply a cold therapy?
Cold therapy (ice packs): Suitable for acute injuries or sudden swelling and pain (e.g., sprains, strains, gout attacks) to reduce bleeding and swelling.
Heat therapy (hot towel/heat Patch): suitable for chronic pain or stiffness (e.g. arthritis, frozen shoulder) to promote blood circulation.
Note: If the pain persists for more than 1 week, is accompanied by fever or joint deformity, it is necessary to seek medical attention promptly!
