An injured pectoral, or chest muscle, can be quite debilitating. The chest muscle is used for almost every single upper body movement, and as you may have just found out, even some core and lower body movements. The simple act of sneezing can land you on the ground, writhing in pain. Knowing how to recover from a chest injury can significantly cut down your time spent in pain, and get you back to sneezing without feeling like someone tore your chest muscle in half.
Types
Chest injuries can come in a multitude of forms, from major injuries like a torn pectoral to minor injuries like a bruise. A very common chest injury is a pulled muscle, something that most, if not all of us have experienced at one point or another in our lives, even if it's not centrally located in the chest region. According to MayoClinic.com, pulled muscles typically occur due to over-straining the muscle or moving it in an awkward direction.
Features
When a muscle is pulled or strained, often you feel the effects immediately. If this happens, stop whatever it is that you're doing and immobilize your chest muscle as best you can. You will most likely experience swelling, increasing pain and stiffness to the point where moving the chest muscle will be difficult. You may even begin to experience muscle spasms, which can be extremely painful depending on the grade of your strain. If you have numbness or red streaks coming from your chest area, see your doctor as soon as possible.
Care and Time Frame
The first step in the recovery process is immobilization. Rest is the ultimate recovery for a chest muscle injury. Mild to moderate chest muscle pulls can heal in three to six weeks, assuming that you give your chest proper treatment during the recovery phase. During this time your doctor may recommend over-the-counter medications like acetaminophen or ibuprofen to assist with pain and swelling. For the first few days post-injury, you can use an ice pack for 15 to 20 minutes, every few hours, directly on the pulled muscle. The coldness of the ice will help reduce swelling and pain in the affected area and surrounding joints.
Warning
Compression with an elastic bandage can sometimes help reduce swelling in pulled muscles in your leg or arm; however, special care must be taken if this option is chosen for your chest. Compressing your chest area too tightly can not only cut off circulation, but it can also diminish your ability to take in a full breath. If you begin to feel numbness in your chest or shortness of breath, immediately loosen or remove the wrap entirely.
Prevention
You can help prevent chest muscle pulls by stretching every day after you've moved around for a few hours. Stretching or attempting intense forms of exercise while your muscles are still cold can heighten your chance of pulling a muscle; therefore, it's always best to warm up and loosen your chest muscles with 3 to 5 minutes of stretches. Attempting to lift weight that is too heavy for you can also significantly increase your chances of pulling a chest muscle. Before attempting to lift an object that is questionable in weight, spread your legs at shoulder width, bend your knees and, while the object is still on the ground, gently use both arms to first test how heavy it is.
Member Comments