Muscle Strains - The Facts

The Facts:

1) A muscle strain is simply where muscle fibers are torn (or ripped). Ouch!

2) You cannot sprain a muscle. Ligaments are SPRAINED, muscles are STRAINED. Simple hey!

3) A muscle can be torn under the power of it's own contraction. Think of a sprinter powering out of the block and 'pulling up' - that will be a muscle strain.

4) A muscle strain will be painful AND weak at the same time.

5) Muscle strains are often confused with other issues such as muscle spasms, cramps or even DOMS (delay onset muscle soreness).

6) With more severe muscle strains there is often a palpable depression or lump in the muscle [*an experienced therapist will be able to tell you if there has been a tear or not].

---- ---- ----

Muscle strains are arguably one of the most misdiagnosed injuries I come across.

I see muscle strains several times a week in the clinic, however people often come to me thinking they have a muscle strain when in fact it's something different altogether.

Usually they have a muscle spasm, cramp or even DOMS (delay onset muscle soreness).

However there are others who come in with a genuine muscle strain. It's important to know what we've got because they need to be dealt with in slightly different ways.

A genuine muscle strain will have the following characteristics:

1) It's onset will be acute. What I mean by this is you won't get a muscle strain being inactive i.e. sleeping overnight or sitting at a desk for a long period. A true muscle strain involve tearing muscle fibers so most often a fast powerful movement will be involved.

You will normally be aware of the incident that caused the injury!

2) The muscle will be painful AND weak at the same time. A muscle that is weak but not painful is still a concern but will indicate something else!