Muscle strain can occur in anyone who exercises regularly and is even more common in athletes who also engage in rigorous activity or resistance training with weights. When muscle strain occurs in any part of the body, it is important to pay attention to the signs your body is "telling" you and rest either the particular body part or the entire body before working the muscle again. This prevents further damage and harm to the muscle and allows for recuperation.
Muscle Strain Symptoms
Before you know how to treat a muscle strain, you have to understand what it is and how it occurs. A muscle strain typically happens when the muscle is stretched beyond its limit during an activity or exercise and the muscle fibers tear. It most commonly occurs on or around the place in the body where the muscle connects with tendon tissues but also can happen when there is direct impact to the muscle. In more severe cases, a muscle strain is accompanied by bruising if the blood vessels around the muscle were broken. When the muscle strain transpires, you typically feel a "pop" or "snap," followed by pain, tenderness and sometimes bruising, according to Healio Health Library.
Muscle Strain Severity
While most people have experienced or will experience a muscle strain at some point in their life, some strains are worse than others and should be assessed and treated accordingly. According to Pulled-Muscle.com, there are various levels of pulled or strained muscles. One of the most common and least severe is when you overstretch the muscle, and minor tearing results. This causes tightness in the muscle and mild discomfort when stretching. The next level is a bit more severe and occurs when you partially tear muscle fibers, resulting in swelling, pressure, possible bruising and weakness in the muscle. A more acute muscle strain can happen when you actually have torn the muscle fibers and begin to experience reduced motor function, pain, immediate swelling and bruising. Finally, there is a condition of chronic injury where the muscle strain is persistent and lasts for an extended period of time. In this case in particular, it is important to rest the muscles completely to allow for healing and recuperation.
Treatment Options
Once you figure out what level of muscle strain you experienced, you can properly address the problem area and help improve the muscle function. The most common and immediate treatment for muscle pain involves a series of protocols. These include protecting the strained muscle from further damage by resting it, icing it with a compressed ice pack and elevating it to allow for improved circulation and blood flow. According to PhysioRoom.com, you should hold an ice pack on the pulled muscle for as long as comfortable and possible every day for the first three days after injury. Once you have sufficiently iced the area, physical rehabilitation may begin and involves minor stretching to elongate the scar tissue and improve muscle strength. After this becomes comfortable and the pain, swelling and bruising has subsided, return to the activity and exercise you were engaging in prior to the injury. However, certain precautions must be taken to prevent or reduce the risk of reinjury.
Stretches and Exercises
Some of the most commonly pulled muscles occur in the thighs and quadriceps, as they are used for lifting your knees and increasing your speed. Therefore, it is important to stretch these muscles, especially during rehabilitation from a strained muscle. One stretch for the quadriceps muscles involves holding onto a stationary object with one hand while standing and then using the opposite hand to hold the free leg behind you by the ankle, lifting the leg toward your buttocks. Remember to keep your back straight to avoid letting your knee shift forward in front of the standing leg. Another effective stretch is for the hamstring and is done by putting one foot on a waist-high stationary object, leaning forward and reaching down until you feel a stretch in the hamstring. These stretches help relieve muscle pain, improve muscle strength and allow for lengthening to help avoid reinjury, according to "Five Fantastic Stretching Exercises from Debbie Pitchford." Consult a health care provider or physical therapist for more information about proper stretching and ways to avoid muscle strain.
