Muscle Strain: Physiotherapy Treatment, Symptoms & Prevention
Florence Griffith Joyner once said, “A Muscle is like a car, if you want it to run well, you have to warm it up early in the morning.” This disclosure seems intensively true when it comes to muscle strain.
Physiotherapy, a friend to everyone's health, treats the aches and pains of joints, nerves, and muscles through warming or massaging the affected part in order to reduce pain and prevent further diseases.
Muscle strains are always a possibility for everyone. You don't need to be a fast bowler or a cricket player to rip off a hamstring, and you don't need to be a muscleman to tear off a bicep. To cut a long story short, muscle strains are omnipresent.
Cricket, one of the most beloved sports in the world, yet a game played for the country and not for the crowd, reports muscle strains as the most common cricket injuries tends to affect 15% of the players regardless of their positions.
In this article, before we shed some light on physiotherapy treatment, one must first understand what muscle strains are and it’s symptoms to manage on-the-spot complications.
Muscle Strains: Do you recall the last time you screamed an ‘ee!' or ‘ouch!' tone when something suddenly aches you from inside out? Your nervous system is signaling your brain via these automated responses.
When your muscle is overstretched, or pulled by pressure, or a condition when muscle fibers no longer cope with the commands placed on them and reaches a breaking point where the body cells pull apart or tear down eliminating a sound of sudden pain.
In other words, muscle strains result from powerful eccentric contractions or excessive stretching of skeletal muscles when they become unable to bear the extensive mechanical stress limiting the movement of affected muscle groups.
Although strains are not limited to any specific parts of the body, they mostly transpire in the shoulders, lower back, hamstring, and neck. Harsh strains require prescription and precise medication, however, average strains can profitably be treated with icing, rubbing, or anti-inflammatory medications.
Causes Of Muscle Strains?
Before we discuss the causes, Let's dispel the myth that only high intensity workouts or painstaking exercises can cause muscular strains. Conversely, even a simple walk can be a birthplace to strains.
● Tiredness or Fatigue.
● Inappropriate warming up.
● Lower Flexibility.
● Manipulation of muscles.
● Overexertion.
Symptoms Of Muscle Strains?
The feeling of an unexpected spark from inside out is muscle torn. Symptoms comprises:
● Soreness.
● Stiffness.
● Restricted moment of affected part.
● Weakness.
● Sudden outbreak of pain.
● Swelling.
● Discoloration.
● Tangle muscles.
Classification Of Strains Regulated by Severity:
● Grade I Strain (Mild): A restricted amount of muscle cells are strained locating less than 5% area. There will be no indications or symptoms unless the on-going activity is over.
An individual may get a sense of slight tightness or contraction. Mild strain requires 2-3 weeks to attain the normal state as before. No major swelling or inflammation is noticed. No failure of motion is observed, yet one must appoint or assess a physiotherapist.
● Grade II Strain (Moderate): This is a stage of immediate extensive damage which is felt even with a simple touch. It’s completely opposite in comparison to the grade I ratio of vandalization.
Moderate strain requires 4-6 weeks to get back the normal state of health. Almost half (50%) of the muscle cells are strained, which limits the body movements, reduces strength, and also can be described as a state of severe pain and swelling. Bruising is noticed.
● Grade III Strain (Critical): A state of constrain or continuously stabbing pain where an individual isn’t able to walk. Nearly 60-100% of the muscle cells are completely strained.
In most of the cases, a surgery is recommended as the muscle gets completely ruptured. Severe or critical strain needs a rehabilitation period of around 6 months to 1 year. Extensive pain, swelling, bruising, and an absolute loss of motion is observed.
A Physiotherapist's Responsibilities Include:
● Appropriate warm-up exercises.
● Appropriate cool-down exercises.
● Maintains the radar of motion.
● Treats muscle strengths and tightness.
● Direct reinjury.
● Moral support to the patient.
Physiotherapy Treatments for Muscle Strains:
As each individual varies in body strength and possess dissimilar healing periods, likewise, physiotherapy treatment varies. To reduce the instantaneous bleeding and rephrase vandalism, POLICE protocol is followed by physiotherapists.
P- Protect
O- Optimal
L- Loading
I- Icing
C- Compression
E- Elevation
In addition to it, physiotherapists also blueprint an annual plan for specific patients to regain their original endurance and strength. Moreover, it is advised to take a follow up of this treatment as soon as your symptoms match to the grade I category mentioned above.
Physiotherapy also includes other therapies like, Cryotherapy, Massage, TENS (Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation), Compression, Laser, Ultrasound, Range of Motion, Shockwave therapy, strengthening and stretching exercises.
Finally, don't let your adrenaline rush too much. Keep calm and consult a physiotherapist. Regardless of whether it is cricket or an Olympic sport, no injury in the world can prevent a player from doing what he loves to do. With the help of simple techniques, every crack can be healed and each tissue can be strengthened.
In case of Muscle Strain, please visit 1Health Medical Center and consult with their orthopedist, Dr Rakesh Mohan. He will help diagnose the problem that's leading to Muscle Strain, formulate a treatment plan, and prescribe medications and physiotherapy as seen fit, to help you find relief from Muscle Strain and lead a happy life.