A muscle strain is an injury or a condition that occurs when we stretch or put a lot of pressure on anyone particular muscle. A band of fibrous tissues is called tendons which help in connecting muscles to the bones. In the same way, muscles are also made up of the same material or some sort of elastic material which is found in a rubber band. Minor injury or a minor strain in muscle can only overstretch a muscle but an excessive strain can damage one particular muscle tissue.
What is a muscle strain?
A muscle is the softest tissue found in every human being and every animal. Muscle tissues contracts together to form a force to perform any type of action. Muscle tissue is further bounded by many more tissues such as epimysium, a tough connective tissue similar to cartilage, and epimysium tissue is further surrounded by a perimysium. A muscle strain is a condition similar to that of any tear in a ligament. It’s an injury that is caused due to excessive mechanical pressure on the muscle. During this whole acceleration and deceleration mechanical pressure process the muscles are most likely to tear up. Muscle strains are most common in athletes, football players, and all those people who are really into sports which involve intense workout every day.
Few Causes of Muscle Strains:
A muscle strain occurs when the muscle receives its high potential force externally which indeed shapes the muscle or sometimes tears it also. Various types of tears can happen in muscle.
- A muscle strain that happens between joints.
- A strain which is caused due to excessive exercising.
- A sudden change in physical exercise plan or a diet plan.
Muscle is the only thing that provides the respective force which is required for the moment. The force amount which is needed to make a move is independent it can be below the required potential or it can be more than the potential required. So if force is extended and reaches its maximum state then the muscle starts to mold and sometimes it tears up, it can take few hours or few weeks to heal and If the strain is there for a longer amount of time then one should surely consult a doctor.
Types of muscle strain:
Grade 1 – Mild / Not so severe.
- Small numbers of fibers are been damaged.
- The muscle is still in action.
- Pain can be for just 3 4 days.
Grade 2 – Moderate.
- Large numbers of muscle fibers are been damaged and torn.
- The total strength of the muscle is reduced.
- Pain lasts more than a week.
- The particular portion of the muscles swells and it stops functioning.
Grade 3 – Severe
- The whole muscle is damaged.
- The muscle is severely swelled and it has stopped functioning.
- Grade 3 muscle strains are most common in athletes.
Symptoms that can cause you muscle strain:
- Unexpected pain in muscle while contracting for any action.
- Swelling of muscle tissue.
- Feeling fatigued and unable to put on any strength in any work.
- Bruising of the skin
Whenever there’s a muscle strain in any person’s body naturally his or her body swells and starts inflammation. If there’s an acute muscle strain then the muscle will heal itself by regenerating the muscle fibers from time to time. The new tissue is been created and replaced but not fully healed there are chances that in the future one can have a muscle strain again.
Diagnosis:
The muscle strain of any victim can be examined using an x-ray and few checkups which help in identifying which type of muscle strain with which the person is suffering. Sometimes the x-ray is unable to show the actual strain or the exact muscle where the strain has happened so the doctor suggests going for an MRI. MRI tells us whether the muscle is fully ruptured or few muscles are torn.
Treatment and Cure:
If there’s an acute muscle strain the muscle can regain its muscle fibres within a few days which is most common in athletes with the help of respective treatment and therapy. Most of the time acute muscle strains are treated with RICE protocol, And if you are suffering from the severe condition than book lab
RICE Protocol
- Rest (which can go for few weeks and few months)
- Ice (applying ice over the particular muscle strain)
- Compression (By apply gentle pressure on the targeted area)
- Elevation
Sometimes if the muscle strain is of grade three which means the whole muscle is been ruptured then the doctor would highly recommend going for Surgery and platelet-rich plasma injections.
Conclusion:
In Conclusion, the muscle strain can be easily cured if we know our potential and when our muscle is going to break at which point. Keeping track of all the symptoms in mind muscle strain can be controlled and cured in a few days.