A muscle strain is damage caused by over-stretching of muscle tissue. The muscle tissue becomes overloaded and is culminating to a complete or partial tear. Contracting the muscle is painful. Muscle strains are graded one to three:
- GRADE 1 STRAIN – damage to 5% of muscle fibers. It is a mild strain requiring two to three weeks rest
- GRADE 2 STRAIN – more extensive damage, with more muscle fibers, but the muscle is not completely ruptured. The rest period is usually three to six weeks
- GRADE 3 STRAIN – this is a complete rupture of the muscle. Usually requiring surgery and physiotherapy for muscle repair. Recovery time is up three months.
All muscle strains should be rested and allowed to heal. A grade one strain can quickly aggravate to a grade two strain, or completely rupture.
The immediate treatment is the conventional RICE (rest, ice, compression, elevation) technique, to reduce bleeding within the muscle tissue.
Ice therapy should be continued for the first three days after the injury (never apply ice directly to the skin). Ice 15 to 25 minutes, every two hours. Rehabilitation is a gradual progression to stretch and elongate muscle (scar tissue), and increase muscle strength. Physiotherapy exercises are imperative to help muscle flexibility, stability, and strength.
How can the Risk of Muscle Injury be Reduced?
Warming up prior and after training helps the muscle stretch, because the tissue is more extensible with two degrees of warmer temperature. A conventional warm-up should be 20 minutes.
Maintaining good muscle strength and flexibility helps prevent muscle strains. Muscle strength allows more coordinated movement. Tight muscles are relative to strains, therefore stretching maintains muscle strength.
Diet can have an affect on muscle injuries. Carbohydrates 48 hours before exercise supplies adequate energy for muscle contractions.
Common muscle injuries are
- adductor muscle
- hip flexor muscle
- quadriceps muscle
- hamstring muscle
