A muscle strain usually comprises of an injury to a particular muscle.
Overall, the level of the injury determines how bad the muscle strain is.
Generally, minor injuries of the muscle lead to overstretching of the muscle. However, more severe complications can lead to complete or partial tears. Hence, these are more drastic in nature.
A muscle strain is also commonly known as a muscle pull. On the whole, they occur in particular areas. For instance, the lower back area, back muscles, and the back of the thigh too.
Above all, they are quite painful and hence require medical attention and appropriate treatment. Hence, that‘s exactly why we’re unraveling all the hidden details that you should know below.
What are the common causes of muscle strain?
There are a number of causes that lead to this painful condition. Hence they include the following:
Lifting heavy objects- When you lift a heavy object, you put unnecessary pressure on your back and leg muscles. Consequently, you can injure them along the way.
Poor posture or positioning- Poor back or leg positioning again makes a muscle sprain common
Repetitive injuries- If you keep getting the same injury over and over again, there’s definitely something wrong. Hence, you need to identify the cause and prevent it from reoccurring.
No warm-up exercises or stretches- Stretches and warm-up exercises go a long way at preventing this condition.
Unhealthy lifestyle- If you eat unhealthy junk and don’t exercise, you put greater stress on all of your bones and muscles.
Symptoms that you should know
The signs and symptoms for this condition vary from one person to another. However, we’ve jotted down some of the most common ones for you below:
- Pain at the location of the muscle sprain
- Swelling in the area of the injury
- The formation of a bruise or the skin turning red or getting discolored
- Limited movements at the point of injury
- The weakness of the muscles
- Muscle stiffness
- The sudden feeling of pain
- Knotted up feeling
Generally, a muscle strain goes away in a few weeks.point 396 |
However, severe conditions require a number of months, before proper healing occurs.point 73 | 1
When should you visit your doctor?
Muscle strains usually resolve without any medical attention. Hence, you should see your doctor when:
- You cannot walk long or short distances.point 34 | Generally, this means your lifestyle is getting affected and you should seek help.point 104 |
- You find it difficult to move both your arms and legs.point 148 | Similarly, the doctor can best assess what’s wrong.point 194 |
- Blood is present at the site of the injury.point 229 |
ADVERTISEMENT On the whole, this is one of the most alarming situations and is termed as an emergency.point 72 |
- When the pain is too much for you to bear.point 105 | Hence, this demands immediate medical attention to rule out other findings.point 170 |
How you can join the road to recovery
Here’s how you can join the road to recovery.point 359 | 1
First Aid:
This form of treatment is for the immediate phase of injury. Hence, once you develop a strain, you should treat it by applying ice as well as resting your muscles. Similarly, you can apply compression and keep your muscles in an elevated position.
Other methods of self-care that you can use to assist in your recovery:
Generally, you can use over the counter painkillers, when the pain is too much to bear.point 243 |
Simultaneously, this helps to reduce swelling too.point 44 | Overall, doctors do recommend applying heat to the area.point 92 | Consequently, this returns blood back to the site of injury and allows for healing.point 162 | Lastly, try to avoid resting your muscles for too long.point 208 |
It will just lead to stiffness as well as weakness.point 42 | 1
Muscle strain is one of the most common injuries to occur in our daily lifestyle. Hence with a few expert tips and tricks, you can be on your road to recovery soon.
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