My left leg is sore and swollen, what's going on?

For people, lactic acid is a fatigue-inducing substance that will circulate in the human body. When people feel soreness, numbness and pain in their legs, it may be due to lactic acid imbalance. For example, body aches after excessively intense exercise or long-term exercise are normal. In addition, lactic acid may also cause fatigue, so everyone needs to make appropriate adjustments.

For the human body, lactic acid is one of the fatigue substances and is a waste product produced in the process of maintaining body temperature and generating heat through body movement.

Most of the energy our bodies need to survive comes from sugar. The blood transports glucose to various organs as needed for combustion, generating heat. This process produces water, carbon dioxide and pyruvate, which combines with hydrogen to form lactic acid. If the body's energy metabolism can proceed normally and no accumulation occurs, it will be carried to the liver by the blood and further broken down into water and carbon dioxide, generating heat and eliminating fatigue.

If the exercise is too intense or long-lasting, or the body lacks the vitamins and minerals necessary to break down lactic acid, the lactic acid in the body will not be processed in time, causing lactic acid accumulation. Excessive lactic acid will make the weakly alkaline body fluids acidic, affecting the cells' smooth absorption of nutrients and oxygen and weakening the normal function of cells. Muscles that accumulate lactic acid will contract, squeezing blood vessels and causing poor blood flow, resulting in muscle soreness, chills, headaches, a heavy head, etc.

Lactic acid accumulation causes soreness and fatigue in the early stages. If left untreated for a long time, it will cause acidification of the body and may cause serious illness.

Some people try to relieve fatigue by sleeping in on holidays, but this is ineffective. Using chemical drugs can only provide temporary relief and have side effects. The correct way is to use appropriate exercise, especially stretching exercises to relax muscles and promote blood circulation, choose balanced and light nutrition, especially foods rich in B vitamins, and add high-quality sleep, which will achieve the best results.