How Do You Know if You Have Pulled a Muscle?

Skilful reviewer, Will Kenton, MSK Physiotherapist at Bupa
Next review due January 2025

A musculus strain, or pulled muscle, is an injury to your muscle fibres (a torn musculus). You lot may strain a muscle if yous stretch it beyond its normal comfortable range or go far work besides hard or fast. Muscle strains are mutual and tin happen to any muscle in your body.

Grading of musculus strains

Muscle strains are graded depending on how bad your injury is. This grading can ensure you lot get the correct handling.

• A class one musculus strain is slight damage to your musculus fibres. Your musculus may feel tender and you may have a scrap of pain. Yous should still have normal strength in your muscle, but you may observe information technology as well painful to acquit on with your usual activities.
• A grade two strain is when more of your musculus fibres are injured. Your muscle is likely to exist painful and you may accept a trample and some swelling. You'll probably lose some strength in your muscle, which stops you lot carrying on with your usual activities.
• A grade three muscle strain is a full tear of your muscle (all the way through information technology). Your muscle is normally really painful and yous'll have a lot of swelling and bruising. You may have a dent under your skin at either end of your muscle. And y'all may have felt or heard a popping sensation when you hurt your muscle. You may lose all strength in your muscle so yous can't apply it – if information technology's a leg musculus, you probably won't be able to walk on it.

Causes of muscle strain

There are lots of things that might cause yous to strain a muscle. You may strain a muscle if you:

• are exercising – for case, playing sport
• have strained a muscle in the past
• fall
• move or twist suddenly – for case, sprinting or communicable a falling child
• have a heavy blow to your muscle – for example when playing contact sports such as rugby
• are overweight because this puts more stress on your muscles
• practice a repetitive movement that puts stress on your muscle – for example, painting a ceiling all mean solar day
• don't take enough strength in your muscles for the action you're doing

You're likewise more likely to hurt your muscles if:

• you don't warm up properly earlier you lot practise
• your muscles are tired or weak and not used to the activity yous are doing; tired muscles are less able to back up your joints.

Run across our section on prevention of musculus strains below for ways to protect yourself from strains.

Symptoms of musculus strain

Musculus strain symptoms vary depending on how severe your injury is, but may include:

• hurting
• tenderness when you lot impact the muscle
• swelling
• bruising – it tin can take up to 24 hours earlier you can meet the total bruise
• weakness
• loss of move

For more data, see our department: Grading of musculus strains above.

When should I seek medical help?

If you hear a pop or snap sound when y'all injure yourself, you may accept torn a ligament or broken a os. You'll need to go to your local hospital's accident and emergency (A&E) for handling. Seek medical aid immediately if you have symptoms of a grade three strain.

For more information, see our department: Grading of musculus strains above.

Cocky-assist for muscle strain

If your pulled muscle isn't bad, there are several things you can do at home to ease your symptoms and speed up your recovery.

Follow Police

Follow the Law procedure as soon as possible subsequently you've injure yourself. This will give your muscle a chance to heal and to protect it from any more damage.

• Protect your injury from further harm past resting it immediately. Depending on your injury, you may wish to use a back up such as a caryatid.
• Optimal Loading. It'south of import to commencement moving your muscle over again sooner rather than later. But only do what feels comfortable and speak to a physiotherapist for advice on edifice up your muscle force.
• Ice. Put an ice pack or water ice (frozen peas is a adept pick) wrapped in a towel over your injury. Keep information technology on your injury for around twenty minutes roughly every two hours.
• Pinch. Wrap a bandage on your injury, simply not also tightly. Accept the bandage off before you become to bed.
• Elevation. Raise your injured musculus in a higher place the level of your heart (if possible) – if you've a pulled calf muscle, for example, lie down and put your leg on a stool.

For more information, click to open our POLICE infographic (JPEG, 0.06 MB).

Avoiding Damage

In the first 72 hours, you lot also need to avoid anything that could make your injury worse as detailed in the Harm principle.

• Heat – don't use heat packs, hot water bottles, heat rubs, or take a sauna or hot bathroom.
• Alcohol – avoid all alcoholic drinks.
• Running – don't run, jog or do any other grade of exercise.
• Massage – don't massage your injury.

For more information, click to open our HARM infographic (JPEG, 0.05 MB).

Medicines for muscle strain

If you lot demand pain relief, you can utilize over-the-counter painkillers. You tin can take paracetamol tablets or rub an ibuprofen cream or gel into your injured muscle.

E'er read the patient data leaflet that comes with your medicine and, if you take whatever questions, ask your pharmacist for advice.

Diagnosis of musculus strain

You'll usually know if y'all've strained a musculus afterwards an action considering you'll experience pain straightaway or before long after. In nigh cases, you probably won't need to see a healthcare professional. You may be able to manage your symptoms at home using the self-assist measures outlined in our cocky-help department above.

Only if you lot're not sure what's caused your symptoms or they're very bad or don't get better, contact a physiotherapist or your GP. There are lots of different ways to admission physiotherapy – your GP may refer you lot to an NHS physiotherapist or you lot may be able to refer yourself.

A physiotherapist or GP will commonly exist able to diagnose a pulled muscle past examining you and asking questions nigh your symptoms and medical history. They'll also ask how your injury happened. They'll then manage your handling.

You lot won't usually need to have any further tests for muscle strain. But sometimes, if your injury is very bad or the cause isn't clear, you may need to have a test, such as an ultrasound or a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan. An ultrasound uses sound waves to create an image of the inside of your trunk and an MRI scan uses magnets and radio waves to do the same.

If you have symptoms of a grade iii strain, become straight to your local blow and emergency (A&Due east).

For more information, see our section: Grading of muscle strains above.

Treatment of muscle strain

You can usually treat mild muscle strains at home. But sometimes you may need to run into a physiotherapist for muscle strain handling. If you've completely torn your muscle, you may need an operation to repair information technology.

Physiotherapy for muscle strain

If your injury is very bad or it keeps coming dorsum, physiotherapy may help to strengthen your damaged musculus.

Your GP may refer y'all to a physio or yous tin book an engagement yourself. You lot can also see a physio privately.

Your physio will create a program of exercises to gradually strengthen and stretch your muscles. These exercises volition depend on the blazon of injury you lot take and how bad it is.

Surgery for muscle strain

Yous won't usually demand surgery for a musculus strain. But if your injury is severe or you have a completely torn muscle, you may need an operation to repair information technology. Your GP will refer yous to an orthopaedic surgeon who will explain which blazon of procedure you need. You're almost likely to need surgery if:

• you're not recovering every bit quickly as you should be
• your symptoms are getting worse
• you're getting new symptoms
• your symptoms are worse than they should exist for your type of injury

The type of functioning you need will depend on the location of the tear and muscle involved.

You'll probably need to come across a physiotherapist after your surgery to get dorsum to normal.

Recovery from musculus strain

How long it takes to recover from a pulled muscle will depend on how desperately you're injured. Information technology likewise depends on how agile you need to be subsequently. It may accept y'all a few weeks to be able to walk around as normal and information technology may take longer for you lot to get back to sports. If you lot take a very bad strain, it may take months for you to fully recover.

Prevention of muscle strain

Information technology's important to keep your muscle moving after an injury, just yous may need to make some changes to the style you do things. Yous may exist more prone to hurting that muscle again in the start four to six weeks, and then take extra care. To prevent another injury, warm upwards properly before y'all exercise.

To preclude musculus strains in the time to come, accept care when you practise.

• Warm up your muscles first – do some gentle exercise to get your torso ready for more vigorous activity.
• Cool down properly later on – gradually decrease your activeness levels until your breathing and heart rate return to normal. And exercise some gentle stretches while your muscles are still warm.
• Apply the right exercise or sports equipment.
• Vesture properly fitting sports shoes – and the correct shoes for your activity. And supervene upon these when they wear out.
• Don't exercise when you lot're tired or in pain.
• Have regular days off exercise between training sessions.
• Balance your activities so you include different forms of exercise such as cardiovascular exercise, force training, and flexibility.
• Build up your activities and so you don't push yourself likewise hard too soon.
• If you have whatsoever minor injuries, brand sure y'all have some time off to permit them heal.

If you don't exercise very often, your muscles may get weak, which can brand them more decumbent to damage. So, it'due south important to go on them as strong and flexible every bit possible. You can do exercises to strengthen specific muscles in your body. A physiotherapist tin can give you advice.

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Source: https://www.bupa.co.uk/health-information/muscles-bones-joints/muscle-strain

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