A muscle strain, or tear, occurs when the thin fibers of the muscles are stretched beyond their limits, to the point of causing a partial or complete tear (rupture). All strains are classified according to severity: grade I (tear of a few muscle fibers), grade II (more extensive damage to the fibers) or grade III (complete breakage). Most mild to moderate tears usually heal within a few weeks, although recovery can be faster and more complete if you put some tried and tested home remedies in place or seek professional care.
Steps
Part 1 of 2: Recovery at Home
Step 1. Don't overdo it and rest the torn muscle
Most strains occur when you lift too much weight, repeat a movement too often (repetitive movement stress), when you make a clumsy movement, or suffer trauma (for example, a car accident or injury during a sporting activity). The first thing to do in the case of a torn muscle (and most musculoskeletal injuries in general) is to rest. This may mean not working for a few days or not training with the team, but the muscles heal faster you are giving them a chance to rest properly. If the torn muscle takes more than a few weeks to heal, you have probably injured a significant portion of fibers, or a ligament or joint has also been damaged.
- If the pain is mild and you feel a general sense of achiness, it is usually a muscle tear, but if you feel a sharp and / or stabbing pain during movements, the cause is to be found in a sprained joint or ligament..
- In the presence of moderate or severe muscle strain, a hematoma quickly forms, due to the injury of certain blood vessels that supply the muscle.
Step 2. Apply something cold if the muscle trauma is acute
If the tear has been happening for a few days, you will likely need to manage the inflammation. When muscle fibers tear, the immune system tends to overreact by sending out a lot of fluids containing white blood cells. This is perfect if there is an open wound and therefore it is necessary to kill the bacteria, but it is not very suitable for a tear in the muscles, because the inflammation causes pressure, which in turn causes more pain. For this reason, you should use cold therapy (ice or a frozen gel pack wrapped in a thin sheet) on the torn muscle as soon as possible to narrow the blood vessels and reduce the inflammatory response.
- Apply the cold pack for 10-20 minutes every hour (the bigger or deeper the muscle tear, the longer the application time needs to be), then reduce the frequency as the pain and swelling subside.
- Secure the cold pack on the affected area with an elastic bandage; to further decrease swelling, it also lifts the injured area.
Step 3. Apply a warm moist compress if the injury is chronic
If the muscle tension does not pass and becomes chronic (more than a month), then controlling the inflammation is not the most pressing issue. At this point, the muscle has weakened, has become too tight and does not have a normal blood supply, which means it is not getting the nutrients (oxygen, glucose, minerals) it needs. By applying moist heat you can reduce muscle tension and spasms, increase blood flow and promote the healing of constantly tense muscle tissue.
- Take a bag of herbs that you can heat in the microwave and apply it to the sore muscle for 15-20 minutes each time, 3 to 5 times a day, until you notice the tension and stiffness lessen. These herbal bags, widely used for massages and wellness therapies, usually contain bulgur or rice, as well as calming herbs and / or essential oils such as lavender.
- Alternatively, soak the muscle in a warm Epsom salt bath for 20 to 30 minutes to reduce pain and swelling. The magnesium present in the salts helps the muscle fibers to relax and the heat of the water facilitates blood circulation.
- Do not apply dry heat, such as an electric warmer, as this can dehydrate the muscle tissues and aggravate the situation.
Step 4. Take anti-inflammatory drugs
As mentioned earlier, inflammation is the main problem for acute musculoskeletal injuries, such as tears, so it is worth taking over-the-counter anti-inflammatories in the first few days of injury. The most used in this context are ibuprofen (Moment, Brufen), naproxen (Aleve) and aspirin; but be aware that they are aggressive to the stomach, so do not take them for more than 2 weeks. Anti-inflammatories only relieve symptoms and are not conducive to healing, but they definitely allow you to get back to work and carry out your normal activities (if applicable) more easily.
- Ibuprofen is not suitable for young children, so consult your pediatrician before giving any medication to your child.
- For chronic muscle conditions, take a muscle relaxant drug (cyclobenzaprine based) to reduce contracture and / or spasms. However, never take a muscle relaxant and an anti-inflammatory at the same time.
Step 5. Do some light stretching
Stretching muscles is believed to be the best way to prevent injury, but it can also be a valuable therapy during the recovery process (but always use common sense and the right precautions). When the initial pain of acute trauma subsides (within a few days), then you can start doing some gentle stretching exercises to regain muscle flexibility and prevent spasms. Start with two or three daily sessions and hold each position for 15-20 seconds while breathing deeply. Chronic stretches need stretching even more, so increase to 3-5 sessions per day by holding positions for 30 seconds or until the pain subsides.
- If you stretch the right way, you shouldn't experience muscle soreness the next day. If this happens, then it means that you have stretched your muscles too much and you need to reduce the intensity of the exercises.
- A common cause of "overstretching" is exercise with cold muscles. For this reason, before stretching, increase blood flow to the area or apply moist heat.
Part 2 of 2: Seeking Help During Recovery
Step 1. Do a deep massage
If with the home remedies implemented so far you do not find the desired results or if you simply want to improve the situation further, contact a qualified therapist for a deep muscle tissue massage. This is especially good for mild to moderate tears, because it reduces spasms, fights inflammation, and promotes relaxation. Start with 30-minute sessions and allow the massage therapist to go as deep as you can handle it without pain. He will also be able to focus on the "trigger points" that particularly affect the injured muscle fibers.
- Always stay hydrated after the massage to expel the inflammatory metabolites and lactic acid from the body, otherwise you may experience a slight headache or nausea.
- If your budget doesn't allow you to hire a professional massage therapist, you can alternatively use a simple tennis ball or foam roller. Depending on the location of the tear, you can use your own body weight to roll the foam roller or tennis ball until you feel the tension and pain begin to subside.
Step 2. Undergo ultrasound therapy
Ultrasound therapy machines produce high-frequency sound waves (inaudible to people) thanks to the vibration of crystals, which are healing for soft tissues and bones. Although it is a technique used for over 50 years by doctors, physiotherapists and chiropractors for different types of musculoskeletal injuries, it is still unclear how these waves act on muscle tissues. Depending on the settings selected on the machine, this can produce a thermal effect (heat) that offers benefit in cases of chronic muscle contractures but, at the same time, by varying the settings (impulses), waves are emitted that reduce inflammation and promote healing. in patients who have suffered an acute injury. The frequency of the ultrasounds can be changed so that they penetrate the body superficially or even much deeper, a very useful feature when the tensions are on the shoulders or in the lumbo-sacral area.
- Ultrasound therapy is painless and lasts 3 to 10 minutes, depending on the location and severity of the injury (acute or chronic). The treatments can be repeated once or twice a day in the case of acute strain or less frequently in cases of chronic contracture.
- Although a single ultrasound treatment is sometimes enough to give immediate relief to the tense muscle, in reality 3-5 sessions are most often needed before positive results are noticed.
Step 3. Consider muscle stimulation treatments
This is another therapeutic procedure that can be effective for both acute and chronic muscle tears. During an electrical muscle stimulation session, electrodes are placed on the injured muscle tissue to transmit current flows and cause contractions. If the disease is an acute case, this type of device (set with a certain setting) can help "extract" inflammation, reduce pain and desensitize nerve fibers. When stretching is chronic, electrical muscle stimulation also allows you to strengthen the muscle and "re-educate" the fibers (it allows you to contract the muscles in unison more effectively).
- The health professionals most likely to use this therapeutic technique are physiotherapists, chiropractors and sports doctors.
- You can buy an electrostimulator at specialized pharmacies or orthopedics, as well as online. It is much cheaper than ultrasound devices, but be sure to use it only under the supervision or advice of a qualified doctor or therapist.
Step 4. Consider infrared therapy
This type of procedure also falls within the field of frequency therapy. Low-energy (infrared) light waves are used to speed up the wound healing process, as well as reduce pain and inflammation, especially in the case of chronic strains. This therapy (which can be carried out via a portable device or inside a sauna that emits infrared rays) aims to penetrate deeply into the body and improve circulation, because it creates heat and dilates blood vessels. The duration of the sessions varies from 10 to 45 minutes, depending on the severity of the injury and its acute or chronic nature.
- In some cases, there is a noticeable reduction in pain as early as a few hours after the first treatment, although the results may vary.
- Pain relief therapy typically takes a long time - weeks or sometimes even months.
- Healthcare professionals who use this technique most frequently are chiropractors, osteopaths, physiotherapists and massage therapists.
Advice
- To avoid muscle strain, set up a warm-up routine before engaging in strenuous physical activities.
- Improper rehabilitation can leave muscles weakened and susceptible to tearing.
- Muscles fatigued by intense exercise are more susceptible to injury.
