Muscle pull is a common word used when people injure themselves during physical activity. Sometimes people use the word to refer to muscle cramp.
A muscle cramp will present as a knot or hard spot in the muscle. Cramps are usually caused by over-working muscles, poor hydration, electrolyte imbalances, and insufficient blood flow to the muscle or nerve.
A sprain refers to partial tear of a ligament and corresponding joint. Lactic acid build-up is a by-product of fuels burned by the body for energy during exercise. If lactic acid wastes are not properly flushed out of the bloodstream, an athlete will experience a burning sensation in the muscle — not unlike that of an injury.
A muscle pull is actually a tissue tear. This occurs when the muscle is strained to the point where it is damaged. The more significant the strain, the more the muscle is torn.
Causes of a muscle pull include movements that over-stretch a muscle, overuse of muscles, or fatigue. Symptoms of a muscle pull include soreness and pain (bruising may occur), tenderness on touching and swelling.
Treatment: Rest the muscle; stop doing the activity that caused it to be strained. Further exertion could cause the tear to grow larger and lead to a serious injury.
Let the amount of pain you feel be your guide. If a pulled muscle occurs while you're running or playing a sport the best thing to do is sit the rest of the game out.
Take a few days to recover. On the other hand, icing the area reduces swelling and helps ease pain.
Fill a large storage bag with ice cubes. Wrap it in a thin towel to protect your skin from getting damaged from direct contact with ice. Hold the ice pack to your sore area for 20 minutes several times a day until the swelling reduces. Also, wrapping the pulled muscle can reduce inflammation. Use a bandage to loosely wrap your arm or leg. Do not wrap the area too tightly, you might inhibit blood circulation.
Elevate the muscle. Raising the inflamed area can help reduce the swelling and provide it with the proper rest it needs to heal.
If you pulled a muscle in your leg, rest it on a chair. In the case of an arm use a sling. If the muscle does not heal within days see a physiotherapist.
We, however, advocate preventing an injury before it happens so observe the following:
Warm up. Take time to stretch and get your muscles warmed up before you participate in a physical activity.
If you enjoy running, take a light jog before doing sprints or fast running.
Do strength training. Incorporating weight-lifting and other strength training exercises into your routine can help prevent muscle pull.
Use free weights to build a solid, strong core and keep your muscles limber.
Know when to stop. It is easy to get carried away and force yourself to keep going even when the pain in the leg or arm indicates that you should stop. Remember that putting more strain on a pulled muscle will only make things worse.
Eunice Kabana, Physiotherapist, Chiropractic And Physotherapy Health Centre.
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