A pulled muscle, or muscle strain, is caused by the overstretching or tearing of muscle fibers. When overworked, microscopic tears occur in the muscle, resulting in inflammation and pain. It’s one of the most common injuries seen by doctors and can range in severity from mild to severe.
While a pulled muscle will limit your movement, the outlook is normally good. Initial treatment of rest, ice, compression, and elevation can often alleviate mild symptoms without medical advice.
If you need to know how to treat a pulled muscle, read on. We’ll discuss the symptoms and causes of muscle strains and look at the best ways to treat and prevent them.
Symptoms of a Pulled Muscle
Everyone has felt that annoying twinge. You reach a little too far, run an extra mile, or put in an extra set at the gym and BANG! You feel the sudden sting of a pulled muscle. When this happens, you will usually experience one or more of the following symptoms:
- Sharp, sudden pain and tenderness
- Cramps or spasms
- Limited movement and stiffness
- Inflammation
- Weakness
- A pop at the time of injury
- A gap under the skin where the muscle has ripped
While the symptoms are often manageable, muscle strains are rated by 3 grades of severity:
- Grade 1 – Mild strain. Only a few muscle fibers are affected, causing pain and tenderness. Movement is slightly limited but normal muscle strength remains.
- Grade 2 – Moderate strain. Noticeable swelling and loss of strength with increased pain. Bruising may be seen and the range of movement is greatly limited.
- Grade 3 – Severe strain. This is generally the result of an acute injury where the muscle rips and a “pop” may be heard. Grade 3 strains remove all muscle function and can sometimes result in a dent under the skin where the muscle has torn.
Causes
Muscle strains can happen for a variety of reasons but are most often caused by overexertion or stretching a muscle beyond its limit. There are two types of pulled muscles, acute and chronic.
Acute muscle strains happen suddenly as a result of trauma or injury. The most common causes include:
- Not warming up before exercise
- Overexertion
- Slipping
- Reaching too far
- Lifting something too heavy or incorrectly (e.g. not bending knees)
- Incorrect form when exercising
When a muscle loses heat, it contracts and becomes stiff. Warming up before exercise and stretching in cold weather can help prevent these common strains.
Chronic muscles strains are usually the result of overuse or repetitive movement. This can be caused by:
- Sports such as golf, tennis, soccer, and running
- Work-related repetitive movements
- Poor posture
As repetitive movements place excessive force on the same muscles over and over, it’s important to condition your muscles to avoid strains. Stretching and strength training can both help to improve muscle strength and reduce the risk of injury.
Treatments
So, how do you treat a pulled muscle? Most muscle strains can be treated at home by following the RICE method:
- Rest – take a break from physical activity and rest the injured muscle. Ensure you get plenty of sleep to help speed up recovery.
- Ice – to reduce inflammation, ice the area for 10 to 20 minutes and remove for the same amount of time. Repeat as required for the first 48 hours to assist healing.
- Compression – wrap the injured area with a compression bandage to prevent swelling. Make sure the bandage is tight but allows normal blood flow to the area.
- Elevation – where possible, raise the injured area above the level of your heart. This may improve blood flow and reduce swelling.
This method should be used as the initial treatment for mild and moderate muscle strains. Studies show it to be effective in minimizing the extent of the injury by preventing bleeding into the surrounding muscle tissue.
Over-the-counter painkillers such as acetaminophen (Tylenol) and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS) like ibuprofen (Advil) can be also helpful in reducing the pain and inflammation associated with a pulled muscle.
While some muscle strains can be treated at home, the Mayo Clinic recommends seeing a doctor if symptoms worsen despite treatment. If you experience numbing, tingling, or intolerable pain, contact a doctor immediately.
Prevention
Prevention is always better than treatment, so follow these simple steps to help avoid a pulled muscle:
- Warm up before and cool down after any physical activity. The American Heart Foundation considers a 5-10 minute warm-up and cool-down to be critical in preventing injury. The warm-up helps fill your muscles with oxygen, thereby prepping your body for the exercise ahead, while a cool-down allows for a gradual decrease of heart rate and blood pressure.
- Use
- Practice good posture. Many people sit or stand for extended periods of time, putting a great amount of pressure on their back and shoulder muscles. Good posture can help alleviate muscle strains by keeping your body aligned. If you find yourself slouching, practice squeezing your shoulder blades together for 5 seconds before slowly releasing. Hold your head tall and straight, and stretch your upper-body by interlocking your fingers and pointing your palms towards the ceiling.
- Speak to your doctor about starting an exercise program. A program aimed at strengthening and stretching your muscles can help prevent strains. Increase intensity slowly and ensure you don’t push yourself too hard at the start.
Final Word
A pulled muscle is an annoying and painful injury that will generally take a few days to weeks to heal. While the prognosis is often good, it’s important to treat a muscle strain as soon as it takes hold.
Follow the RICE (rest, ice, compression, elevation) method as soon as the injury happens to help reduce swelling and minimize recovery time. Taking a break from sports and physical activities is also often necessary to allow the muscle fibers to completely heal.
By allowing your muscles the time to heal and taking a rest from activities, you will quickly be on the road to recovery.
References:
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/muscle-strains/symptoms-causes/syc-20450507
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17512485
https://www.heart.org/en/healthy-living/fitness/fitness-basics/warm-up-cool-down
https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/adult-health/multimedia/back-pain/sls-20076866
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