What To Know About Muscle Strain

Muscle strains, or pulled muscles, are common injuries that can affect body parts like the lower back, calf, hamstring, chest, and groin. They occur during sports or other physical activities. You have stretched the muscle to the point it tears when you strain it. This injury can be very painful.

You can re-injure a strained muscle, so you will want to rest and treat the injury before you return to physical activity. A muscle strain can take several days to heal, but it's important to see a healthcare provider if it lasts weeks.

Muscle Strain Symptoms

The main symptom of muscle strain is pain. The pain might be most severe right after an injury but can continue for a short period.

You also might experience symptoms like:

• Difficulty moving your injured muscle
• Discoloring or bruising
• Extreme weakness in the injured limb
• Not being able to move a joint normally
• Swelling
  

Causes

Muscle strains can happen when you do not prepare properly for physical activity by warming up and stretching. Accidents and overexertion can also cause muscle strains.

Risk factors that can make you more likely to strain your muscles again include:

• Not rehabilitating the muscle
• Not treating the first injury sufficiently
• Returning to physical activity too quickly
  

How To Treat a Muscle Strain

It's important to take quick steps after a muscle strain to treat the pain and swelling. Treatments include:

• Ice the affected muscle for 15 minutes every hour on the first day, then every three to four hours after. Alternate between heat and ice after three days.
• Raise your strained limb above your heart if possible. 
• Take non-steroidal anti-inflammatories (NSAIDs) to reduce pain and swelling. 
• Try stretching and light physical activity after the pain begins to ease.

When To Seek Care

Pay close attention to how you are feeling after straining a muscle. See a healthcare provider if you develop symptoms like:

• Pain that lasts for several weeks
• Trouble moving your arms, legs, or joints
• Worsening swelling near the strained muscle

A healthcare provider may be able to prescribe other medications to reduce inflammation and severe pain. They also may recommend physical therapy to help rebuild your flexibility and strength.

Prevention

Strained muscles can occur when you have not warmed up or stretched properly before exercising. Make sure to take time to ensure your muscles are ready to move before physical activity.

Begin by moving your body slowly before speeding up to your full movement. Walk for about five to 10 minutes before jogging. Incorporate stretches after your warm-up. Do not stretch your muscles before they are warm. Hold stretches for at least 15-30 seconds each, and do not bounce in your stretches.

Cool your body down with similar warm-up movements at the end of your workout. This helps bring your body back to its normal temperature and heart rate.

Some evidence suggests that strains can be the result of some of your muscles being stronger than others. You may try exercises that target different muscle groups to ensure you are building your body's strength evenly. Fatigue can also cause muscle strain. Make sure to listen to your body when exercising, and stop or slow down if you need to.

A Quick Review

Muscle strains are extremely common injuries for athletes and non-athletes alike. It's important to stretch and warm up your muscles before any kind of physical activity to avoid injury. Most mild cases of muscle strain can be treated at home using ice, rest, heat, and NSAIDs. Visit a healthcare provider for more severe cases.