Is the muscle pain on ice or hot after cycling

Is the muscle pain on ice or hot after cycling

After electric bike riding training, many riders like to lie in the bathtub for a hot bath, or soak their feet in hot water to relax their muscles; however, according to the legend, the human body is very susceptible to wind, cold, damp and heat in the case of excessive fatigue and weakness. At this time, the ice bucket is prone to rheumatism.

So the question is, is it an ice pack or a hot pack for muscle soreness after electric bike riding？

First, let’s understand the respective principles of ice compress and hot compress.

The principle of ice compress is mainly to promote vasoconstriction through low temperature, inhibit local blood circulation and the exudation and swelling of surrounding tissues, reduce and slow the release of histamine, thereby reducing pain; to put it simply, low temperature can achieve analgesia and hemostasis ( Internal bleeding).

Hot compresses are familiar to everyone. Soaking in hot springs and feet are all hot compresses. The principle of hot compresses is to expand local capillaries by heating, accelerate blood circulation, and play a role in reducing inflammation, swelling, pain, and fatigue.

Therefore, ice compress and hot compress are two completely opposite treatment methods. If used improperly, not only the recovery effect will not be achieved, but the injury will be aggravated. Therefore, when we feel muscle discomfort, we need to distinguish whether it is muscle soreness or muscle strain.

Distinguish the treatment methods of muscle soreness and muscle strain.

Muscle ache

Generally speaking, muscle soreness occurs after the end of the exercise. The range of soreness is wide, and there is no single pain point. The popular saying is “the whole body is sore, and no one feels comfortable.” Muscle soreness depends on the degree of fatigue and can be relieved by rest, stretching, massage, etc. Generally, the soreness is significantly reduced or disappeared after 1-2 days of rest. Mild muscle soreness and exercise fatigue can be treated with hot compress after rest, which can accelerate the blood circulation and promote the elimination of acidic metabolites in the muscles to achieve the purpose of alleviating soreness.

Muscle strain

Muscle strain is different. It will be manifested during exercise. The pain range is small, and obvious pain points can be felt. Accompanied by tissue bleeding, the pain will aggravate when you continue to exercise, and rest will not relieve the pain or even worsen the pain. If it is a high-intensity exercise or a muscle strain, immediate hot compress will not only not relieve the soreness, but will aggravate the pain and cause congestion in a large area of the affected area. The correct approach is to apply ice immediately when you are just injured, and apply ice during the acute bleeding period (48-72 hours) of the trauma. After the pain relieves the congestion and swelling, we can start hot compresses to promote blood circulation.

If you think that ice compress is simply putting ice cubes on the affected area, that would be a big mistake.

First understand the ice pack

Frequency of ice application:

Be careful in everything. If ice is applied for too long, it can promote circulation. Therefore, the ideal frequency is: each ice application lasts about 15-20 minutes, and the interval between two ice applications is 1-2 hours. After the pain is relieved, apply ice once every 2-3 hours. If it is only a minor injury, the time and frequency of ice application can be appropriately reduced.

The temperature of ice pack: We all know that after studying physics, the lowest temperature of ice-water mixture is 0℃. Unlike ice cubes, ice cubes can reach a low temperature of more than ten degrees below zero or even tens of degrees. Frostbite tissue in minutes.

Therefore, the scientific method is to use a special medical gel ice pack or ice-water mixture for ice application. If the situation is urgent and the conditions are poor, you can also soak two towels in the refrigerator and freeze them for 1-2 minutes, and use them alternately.

The choice of ice pack material: I have tried to make a simple ice pack temporarily by pouring the iced drink in a plastic bag. Wrap the ice cream in a headscarf or clothing to use the effect is also very good. If you die in the wilderness, you can use the stream to cool down.

The important thing to note here is that if the muscle strain is accompanied by skin damage, you must pay attention to the cleanliness of the wound. Do not directly touch the stream or sweaty clothing. The moisture condensed from the ice should be dried in time to avoid wound infection.

After talking about so many ice packs, let’s take a look at hot packs.

For acute injury, apply ice for one to three days (at least 24 hours). After the pain and swelling are relieved, you can start hot compress. Hot compresses can promote the circulation of blood and lymph in the tissues, take away congestion and inflammatory substances, and make you heal faster. We have experience of hot compresses more or less in our daily lives. Here I will focus on “low-temperature burns”. Some riders may be surprised that they have only heard of low-temperature frostbite. How can they be burned at low temperature? “Frogs boiled in warm water” is an example of “low temperature scalds”. We reflexively shrink our hands when we touch something with high temperature. However, the temperature of 40 to 50 degrees does not feel hot but also feels very comfortable. In the last few hours, heat accumulates in the skin and muscle tissues, and low-temperature burns can occur unknowingly.

Therefore, hot compresses are the same as ice compresses. It is also necessary to pay attention to the temperature and frequency. It is recommended that the hot compress lasts for 30 minutes, the temperature should be controlled at about 50℃, and the interval between the two hot compresses is 1-2 hours. During the period, light massage can be used to help relax the muscles.

If you are interested in our electric bicycles, you can log on our official website to know more about details. If you have any query please feel free to contact us. We are looking forward to your arrival.

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