Can hot compress be used during the remission period of chronic pain? What medicine should women use?

In most cases, hot compresses can be safely used during the remission period of chronic pain. For women, topical non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are preferred. The specific adaptation plan should be judged based on the cause of pain.

I have met many female friends who suffer from chronic pain, either from neck, shoulder and lumbar muscle strain caused by working at a desk for many years, or from chronic pelvic pain caused by repeated dysmenorrhea. In the past, some people were always afraid that hot compresses would "aggravate inflammation" during the remission period. In fact, most of these concerns are to apply taboos from the acute phase to the remission phase - when there is obvious redness, swelling, heat and pain in the acute phase, hot compresses will indeed dilate blood vessels and aggravate inflammation. Swelling, but the local acute inflammation during the remission period has almost disappeared, and most of what is left is the vague discomfort caused by muscle tightness and poor blood circulation. At this time, hot compress is like a gentle "SPA" for the stiff shoulders, neck, and lower abdomen. Use a hot water bottle or warm patch at about 40 degrees to apply it for 15 to 20 minutes each time. You can obviously feel the tightness dissipate, and the whole person will feel relaxed.

Of course, not all remission periods are suitable for hot compresses. When I talked to an orthopedic surgeon before, he specifically mentioned that if the painful area happens to have skin damage, eczema, or chronic joint pain caused by gout, hot compresses will stimulate the spread of local urate crystals, accidentally inducing acute pain. In this case, just don't use hot compresses at all, and just follow the doctor's instructions for care.

After talking about hot compresses, let’s talk about the medication that everyone is most concerned about. After all, many girls are afraid that taking painkillers will hurt their stomach, and they are also afraid that they will become dependent on long-term use. In fact, if you choose the right one, it is not that burdensome at all. Take my cousin who has been suffering from chronic dysmenorrhea for 3 years. In the past, she would only take ibuprofen when the pain was so painful that she vomited in the acute phase. During the remission phase, when the pain was faint and falling, she had to carry it hard. In the end, the pain only became longer and longer each time. Later, the gynecologist prescribed her topical medication. Ketoprofen gel, when you feel a little uncomfortable during the remission period, squeeze a little and apply it on the lower abdomen, and rub it gently until it is absorbed. It does not need to be metabolized by the gastrointestinal tract, and there are rarely problems with acid reflux and stomach pain. After using it for two months, she said she feels much better and does not have to carry it all the time, which affects her work.

Of course, not all pain can be treated with this kind of medicine. If you have neurogenic chronic pain such as postherpetic neuralgia, ordinary anti-inflammatory analgesics are basically useless. You need to consult a doctor for evaluation and then use pregabalin, a medicine specifically targeted at neuralgia. Do not buy it blindly. I would also like to remind you, don’t believe those “pain-relieving magic tools” that are touted online. Many foreign ointments purchased on behalf of agents contain powerful hormones. If applied to the skin for a long time, it is easy to cause localized skin thinning and pigmentation. In fact, the gain outweighs the gain.

Regardless of whether it is hot compress or medication, if the pain is not relieved or even worsens after using it for 3 days, don’t delay. See a doctor quickly to see if there are any other problems that have not been discovered. After all, the causes of chronic pain are too complicated. Don’t delay the condition by forcing yourself or messing around.