Daily Common
Back & waist pain
Back pain is a common issue, particularly among housewives. Activities such as ironing, mopping the floor, washing dishes, and chopping vegetables often require bending over and looking down. Over time, this can lead to muscle pain and stiffness in the neck and shoulders, as well as discomfort in the back.
Prevent maintaining the same position for long periods and engage in more stretching to relax your body. For the areas with lower back pain, apply a medicated oil and perform gentle massages that can enhance blood circulation. Applying a warm compress can further help alleviate the pain.
Tennis elbow
Don’t think that only tennis players will suffer from tennis elbow illness! Tennis elbow is named for the pain on the outer side of the elbow caused by improper gripping techniques commonly seen in tennis. In fact, many daily activities at home, such as wringing out mops, lifting heavy bags of rice or groceries, or using heavy kitchen utensils, can lead to muscle fatigue and cumulative strain, resulting in tennis elbow problems.
It is crucial to minimize lifting heavy items at once and to improve your posture and habits. Additionally, ensure you get enough rest, and applying a medicated oil that promotes blood circulation and relieves pain to the affected area can also help alleviate discomfort.
Extended standing
Extended standing is common in many professions, including teachers, salespeople, cooks, and others, and it can put significant strain on various parts of the body. Prolonged standing places particular stress on the waist and leg muscles, potentially leading to discomfort or pain. Over time, this can also contribute to more serious health issues such as joint degeneration and varicose veins.
Avoid staying in the same position for too long, it’s advisable to change your standing posture or walk around every 15 minutes. If work conditions allow, engage in some stretching exercises and take breaks to sit down periodically. If you experience muscle or joint pain, a gentle massage or application of woodlok medicated can help improve blood circulation and alleviate discomfort. Soaking your feet in warm water to relax your leg muscles after works is also a good way to relife discomfort.
Mobile phone finger
Mobile phone-related finger issues are no longer just the ‘patent’ of gaming enthusiasts! No matter during work hours, after work, or on holidays, working individuals are accustomed to having their phones in hand, replying to messages or emails, browsing social media, and engaging in gaming activities. The repetitive and excessive tapping or pressing of the phone can lead to pain in the fingers over the time.
Perform some stretching exercises and joint movements for your fingers to enhance joint mobility and tendon flexibility. Additionally, use a woodlok medicated oil that can alleviate and relief muscle and joint pain.
Certainly, avoiding prolonged use of mobile phones is the best way to address the issue!
Office work
Most office workers spend long hours using computers, and poor posture or improper positioning of the computer can often lead to varying degrees of strain. The most common areas affected include the shoulders, neck, back, and wrists, causing discomfort and potential long-term issues if not addressed.
If you feel soreness, the first step is to relax your body as much as possible and take breaks as needed. At the same time, you can apply a medicated oil that promotes blood circulation to the sore areas and gently massage them to help relieve tension and reduce pain and soreness.
Additionally, you should check the position of your chair and monitor. The chair and work desk should be adjusted so that your forearms can remain horizontal, and your highest line of sight should be level with the top of the monitor.
Exercises & Sports
Hiking
People living in the city often seek to escape to the countryside on their days off to enjoy fresh air, which leads many to choose hiking. However, city dwellers typically lack regular exercise and proper hiking gear, resulting in issues such as calf cramps, lower back pain, and neck and shoulder soreness after hiking.
Try to avoid carrying heavy loads to reduce strain, and use trekking poles while ascending and descending to lessen the pressure on your legs. During the hike, take appropriate breaks and perform stretching exercises to relax tense muscles. If you start to feel muscle tightness and fatigue, apply medicated oil containing menthol and perform light massage for relief.
Badminton
When playing badminton, actions such as hitting the shuttle, smashing, netting, slicing, stepping, or jumping all require different muscle groups. These movements are often quick and forceful, which means the muscles are required to contract intensely. As a result, the risk of injury increases significantly.
First, apply ice to the injured muscle every two hours. Afterwards, use medicated oil containing menthol to create a cooling sensation on the skin, alleviating discomfort and pain. In the later stages of the injury, you can use cotton soaked with a medicated oil which can helps for bruise-dissolving and anti-swelling, and apply a hot water bag or warm towel to relief tense muscles and speed up the recovery.
Sport Climbing (Bouldering)
Sport climbing refers to activities related to climbing, such as bouldering, rock climbing, ice climbing, and even ‘bagging hills.’ Sport climbing requires skills to help exert physical strength. Due to the need to climb on uneven surfaces, it is easy to get bruises and injuries.
Apply a pain-relieving medicated oil to the bruised area to alleviate immediate pain. Afterwards, regularly apply medicated oil with bruise-dissolving and anti-swelling properties to facilitate the recovery.
Running
With the growing popularity of large marathon events in Hong Kong in recent years, more people are getting involved in running. While running may seem like a simple activity, it can result in both acute sports injuries and chronic overuse injuries. Acute injuries often include ankle sprains (commonly known as a “twisted ankle”), bruises, or abrasions. Chronic injuries, on the other hand, are typically caused by overuse of tendons and joints, such as those in the knees and hips.
Acute (for mild sprains/bruises): For less severe injuries, you can first manage them using the PRICE guidelines – Protection, Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevation. Once the injury has eased a bit and there is no redness or swelling, you can apply medicated oil that can relief muscle and joint pain and alleviate discomfort.
Chronic: It is essential to have sufficient warm-up and cool-down exercises before and after running. Pay attention to and improve your running posture, and avoid overtraining.
Cycling
In recent years, cycling has become increasingly popular in Hong Kong. It’s a great exercise for both the body and mind, but many people overlook the importance of maintaining proper posture. One of the most common issues cyclists face is knee problems. Incorrect posture or improper seat height can put excessive pressure on the knee joint, especially as the angle of flexion increases, leading to knee pain.
If you experience mild pain in the knee after cycling, you can apply a medicated oil containing menthol and methyl salicylate, and gently massage the area to create a cooling sensation that alleviates discomfort and pain. Remember to adjust the seat height properly before cycling and perform sufficient warm-up exercises to reduce the risk of injury.
Volleyball
Playing volleyball often requires to perform a bending attack motion, specifically the action of pulling the hand back before spiking the ball. At this moment, the back muscles must contract rapidly to enhance the explosive power at the moment of the spike. If there is insufficient warm-up or if the back muscles lack strength, it is easy to suffer a muscle strain.
Similar to a sprain, initially use ice to alleviate pain. Afterwards, apply a cotton ball soaked in medicated oil that treats muscle pain, and use a hot water bag or a warm towel for heat therapy. This promotes blood circulation, aids in tissue repair, and helps relieve discomfort.
Basketball
Basketball is a popular local sport that involves a high level of physical activity. One common injury associated with basketball is colloquially known as ‘jammed finger.’ This injury typically occurs when a finger accidentally collides with a basketball at high speed, causing strain on the tendons or ligaments, resulting in joint dislocation or avulsion fractures of the finger bones. In the initial stages of the injury, the finger joint will be red, swollen, and painful, and the patient may be unable to straighten the finger independently, only able to perform passive stretching.
Use ice to reduce pain and swelling in the initially stage. While the inflammatory symptoms, such as heat & swelling is getting well gradually, apply a medicated oil to the muscle area near the palm side of the injured finger to enhance blood circulation and reduce swelling. Gently massage the area can facilitate for relaxing the stiffness in the joint.
