How can a tiny pimple can hurt a whole shoulder?
In: Biology
Med student here.
When you hurt your skin, the blood will run more to the wound, and the blood vessels become more leaky, so more liquid and cells get out to help healing the wound. The increased amount of blood and all that collection of liquid and cells in the tissue creates the red colour and bump we usually see, plus pressure. This pressure on the local nerves gives the feeling of pain. Depending on how big the pimple is, and how sensitive is the area, you can feel more or less pain. Once the wound heals, the liquid is reabsorbed, and the pain disappears.
Applying ice helps the pain, because the cold temperature will stop the blood from running more to the area and reduce the process.
There is also the rare risk of developing an infection. The skin is the first and very effective barrier against the little bad guys that try to attack us. When you pop a pimple, you break that barrier, and open a door to the vulnerable part of the body. The pimple might be harmless, but the wound it creates can allow the bad guys to enter and an infection to develop.
Edit: tried to simplify more.
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