What are the most effective treatment options for pulled muscles. How can you prevent muscle strains during physical activities. What are the risks associated with untreated muscle injuries. How does the RICE method compare to newer approaches like PEACE and LOVE.

Understanding Pulled Muscles: Causes and Common Locations

Muscle strains, commonly known as pulled muscles, occur when a muscle is overstretched or torn. These injuries can range from mild soreness to severe pain requiring medical attention. Pulled muscles are particularly common among athletes and fitness enthusiasts, often resulting from poor conditioning, fatigue, or inadequate warm-up routines.

The most frequently affected areas include:

• Lower back
• Neck
• Shoulders
• Hamstrings (back of the thigh)

When a muscle strain occurs, individuals often report a distinctive popping or snapping sensation, accompanied by significant pain. This sensation is the result of muscle tissue being stretched beyond its limits.

The RICE Method: A Time-Tested Approach to Muscle Strain Treatment

The RICE method remains one of the most widely recommended approaches for treating mild to moderate muscle strains. This acronym stands for Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevation. Let’s break down each component:

Rest

Allowing adequate time for healing and avoiding physical activity is crucial. This gives the strained muscle a chance to repair itself without further stress.

Ice

Applying cold packs to the affected area helps reduce inflammation and pain. It’s recommended to ice the muscle 4-8 times daily for 20-minute intervals, always using a barrier between the ice and skin to prevent tissue damage.

Compression

Applying steady, gentle pressure to the injured area helps prevent swelling and inflammation. This is typically achieved by wrapping an elastic bandage around the affected muscle.

Elevation

Raising the injured area above heart level helps reduce swelling by promoting fluid drainage. Use pillows or other supports to elevate the affected limb while resting.

Beyond RICE: The PEACE and LOVE Approach to Muscle Strain Recovery

While the RICE method remains popular, some healthcare professionals now advocate for a more comprehensive approach known as PEACE and LOVE. This method is divided into two phases: immediate treatment (PEACE) and ongoing recovery (LOVE).

PEACE: Immediate Treatment

The PEACE approach is designed for use immediately after injury and during early healing stages:

• Protect: Reduce use of the injured area to prevent further irritation.
• Elevate: Raise the injured area above heart level to reduce swelling.
• Avoid anti-inflammatory treatments: Some experts believe inflammation is crucial for healing.
• Compress: Use tape or an elastic bandage to provide support.
• Educate: Learn about the recovery process and set realistic expectations.

LOVE: Ongoing Recovery

The LOVE method focuses on active recovery after the initial rest period:

• Load: Gradually return to using the strained muscle, staying within pain-free limits.
• Optimism: Maintain a positive outlook on the healing process.
• Vascularization: Engage in cardiovascular activities to promote blood flow and healing.
• Exercise: Incorporate gentle exercises to restore strength and flexibility.

Medical Interventions for Severe Muscle Strains

While most muscle strains can be treated at home, severe cases may require professional medical attention. Here are some interventions that healthcare providers might recommend:

Anti-inflammatory Medications

Over-the-counter pain relievers such as ibuprofen (Advil) or aspirin can help reduce swelling and alleviate pain. However, it’s important to consult with a healthcare professional before starting any medication regimen.

Physical Therapy

For more severe strains or those that don’t respond to home treatment, physical therapy may be necessary. A trained therapist can guide you through exercises designed to restore strength, flexibility, and function to the affected muscle.

Surgery

In rare cases involving complete muscle tears or ruptures, surgery might be considered. This option is typically reserved for severe injuries that don’t respond to conservative treatments. The decision to pursue surgery depends on factors such as age, type of injury, symptoms, and overall health status.

Essential Supplies for At-Home Muscle Strain Treatment

To effectively treat a muscle strain at home, you’ll need the following supplies:

• Ice packs or bags of frozen vegetables
• Plastic bags (to contain ice and protect skin)
• Clean towels
• Compression bandages (e.g., ACE bandages)
• Pillows for elevation
• Over-the-counter pain relievers (as recommended by a healthcare provider)

In some cases, additional assistive devices may be necessary, especially if the strain affects a limb:

• Crutches
• Slings
• Braces
• Wheelchairs (for severe lower body strains)

It’s important to note that these devices are typically temporary and should be used under the guidance of a healthcare professional.

Preventing Muscle Strains: Strategies for Athletes and Fitness Enthusiasts

While it’s not always possible to prevent muscle strains entirely, there are several strategies you can employ to minimize your risk:

Proper Warm-up

Always begin your workout or athletic activity with a thorough warm-up. This increases blood flow to your muscles, making them more pliable and less prone to injury.

Gradual Progression

Avoid sudden increases in the intensity or duration of your workouts. Gradually build up your strength and endurance over time to allow your muscles to adapt.

Proper Form and Technique

Learn and maintain proper form for all exercises and sports-specific movements. Poor technique can put unnecessary stress on your muscles, increasing the risk of strains.

Regular Stretching

Incorporate flexibility training into your routine. Regular stretching can help improve your range of motion and reduce the risk of muscle strains.

Balanced Strength Training

Develop a well-rounded strength training program that addresses all major muscle groups. Muscular imbalances can increase your risk of strains and other injuries.

Adequate Rest and Recovery

Allow sufficient time between intense workouts for your muscles to recover. Overtraining can lead to fatigue and increase your risk of injury.

Proper Nutrition and Hydration

Maintain a balanced diet and stay well-hydrated. Proper nutrition supports muscle health and recovery, while hydration helps maintain muscle elasticity.

The Importance of Proper Treatment: Long-Term Consequences of Untreated Muscle Strains

Failing to properly treat a muscle strain can lead to several long-term consequences:

Chronic Pain

Untreated strains may result in persistent pain during everyday activities, particularly during exercise or sports.

Muscle Weakness

Without proper healing, the affected muscle may not regain its full strength, leading to ongoing weakness and reduced performance.

Increased Risk of Re-injury

A poorly healed muscle strain is more susceptible to future injuries, creating a cycle of recurring problems.

Compensatory Injuries

When one muscle is weak or painful, you may unconsciously alter your movement patterns, potentially leading to injuries in other areas of the body.

Reduced Range of Motion

Scar tissue formation in untreated muscle strains can lead to decreased flexibility and limited range of motion.

Given these potential consequences, it’s crucial to take muscle strains seriously and provide appropriate care and treatment.

When to Seek Professional Medical Care for a Muscle Strain

While many muscle strains can be effectively treated at home, there are situations where professional medical care is necessary. Here are some signs that indicate you should consult a healthcare provider:

• Severe pain that doesn’t improve with rest and home treatment
• Significant swelling or bruising around the injured area
• Inability to move the affected limb or muscle
• Numbness or tingling sensations in the injured area
• Signs of infection, such as fever or redness spreading from the injury site
• A popping or snapping sound at the time of injury, which may indicate a complete tear
• Pain that persists for more than a week despite consistent home treatment

A healthcare professional can provide a proper diagnosis, rule out more serious injuries, and recommend an appropriate treatment plan tailored to your specific situation.

The Role of Rehabilitation in Muscle Strain Recovery

Rehabilitation plays a crucial role in the complete recovery from muscle strains, especially for more severe cases or those affecting athletes and highly active individuals. A comprehensive rehabilitation program typically includes:

Progressive Strengthening Exercises

Carefully designed exercises that gradually increase in intensity help rebuild strength in the affected muscle without risking re-injury.

Flexibility Training

Stretching and range of motion exercises help restore flexibility to the injured muscle and surrounding tissues, reducing the risk of future strains.

Proprioception Training

Exercises that improve balance and body awareness can help prevent future injuries by enhancing overall muscle control and coordination.

Sport-Specific Training

For athletes, rehabilitation often includes exercises that mimic the movements and demands of their specific sport, ensuring a safe return to full activity.

Pain Management Techniques

Learning proper techniques for managing residual pain and discomfort can help individuals return to normal activities more comfortably.

Working with a physical therapist or sports medicine specialist can ensure that your rehabilitation program is tailored to your specific needs and goals, maximizing your chances of a full recovery.

Nutritional Support for Muscle Strain Recovery

Proper nutrition plays a vital role in the healing process of muscle strains. Here are some key nutritional considerations to support recovery:

Protein Intake

Adequate protein is essential for muscle repair and rebuilding. Aim for lean sources of protein such as chicken, fish, lean beef, eggs, and plant-based options like legumes and tofu.

Anti-inflammatory Foods

Incorporating foods with anti-inflammatory properties can help reduce swelling and promote healing. Examples include fatty fish (rich in omega-3 fatty acids), berries, leafy greens, and nuts.

Vitamin C

This vitamin is crucial for collagen synthesis, which is important for tissue repair. Citrus fruits, bell peppers, and broccoli are excellent sources of vitamin C.

Zinc

Zinc plays a role in tissue repair and immune function. Good sources include lean meats, seafood, whole grains, and legumes.

Hydration

Staying well-hydrated is essential for overall tissue health and can help reduce muscle stiffness. Aim for at least 8 glasses of water per day, adjusting based on activity level and climate.

While nutrition alone won’t heal a muscle strain, a balanced diet rich in these nutrients can support your body’s natural healing processes and potentially speed up recovery.

The Psychological Aspect of Muscle Strain Recovery

Recovering from a muscle strain isn’t just a physical process; it also has significant psychological components. Understanding and addressing these aspects can contribute to a more effective and positive recovery experience:

Patience and Realistic Expectations

It’s important to understand that healing takes time. Setting realistic expectations for recovery can help prevent frustration and discourage rushing back to full activity too soon.

Stress Management

Stress can negatively impact the healing process. Incorporating stress-reduction techniques such as deep breathing, meditation, or gentle yoga (as appropriate for your injury) can be beneficial.

Positive Visualization

Mentally rehearsing successful healing and return to activity can help maintain a positive outlook and potentially support the physical recovery process.

Goal Setting

Setting small, achievable goals throughout the recovery process can provide a sense of progress and motivation.

Seeking Support

Don’t hesitate to seek emotional support from friends, family, or a mental health professional if you’re struggling with the psychological impact of your injury.

By addressing both the physical and psychological aspects of recovery, you can create a more holistic and effective approach to healing from a muscle strain.

Treatment Options, Risks, and Prevention

The RICE (rest, ice, compress, elevate) method is the most common way to treat mild muscle strains, but there are other approaches. More severe cases may need medication, physical therapy, or surgery.

Overexerting your body can lead to numerous injuries. A muscle strain, or pulled muscle, occurs when your muscle is overstretched or torn. This can be minor and like soreness after an intense workout, or it can be so severe that it needs medical attention.

Muscle strains are a very common injury. Most people who participate in sports have experienced it at some point in their lives. Poor conditioning, fatigue, and an improper warmup can lead to a muscle strain.

When muscle strain occurs, people often report a popping or snapping sensation. This is the feeling of the muscle tissue being stretched until it snaps. This is often a very painful experience. Strains most commonly occur in the:

• lower back
• neck
• shoulder
• hamstring muscle, which is located in the back of the thigh

There are several different ways to treat muscle strains. The extent of the treatment depends on the extent of the strain.

Diagnosing and treating a muscle strain:

• alleviates pain and inflammation
• reduces the risk of further injury
• helps you regain full use of your body
• gives your body a chance to rest and heal properly

Without proper treatment, you may experience recurring injuries or pain and weakness in the muscle during everyday use. It can be especially painful during exercise and athletic activities.

In some cases, surgery may be necessary to repair a muscle that’s torn as opposed to one that’s strained. A doctor will consider your age, type of injury, symptoms, and other factors to decide if surgery is an option. Surgery is typically only considered for severe muscle injuries.

Approaches to treatment depend on the type and severity of your injury.

If needed, anti-inflammatory pain relievers such as ibuprofen (Advil) or aspirin can help reduce swelling and pain.

Physical therapy may also be needed.

Surgery is sometimes considered for torn or ruptured muscles. You and your doctor will discuss all surgical or nonsurgical options available to repair your muscle.

Supplies

Most muscle strains are minor and don’t require professional medical treatment. Properly treating muscle strain requires the right supplies and a comfortable place to rest. You may need the following supplies:

• ice
• plastic bag
• towel
• compression bandage, such as an ACE bandage
• pillows
• painkillers

Depending on the muscle affected, you may need assistive devices to help stabilize the muscle, especially if it affects one of the limbs. These can include:

• crutches
• a sling
• a brace
• a wheelchair

With proper treatment, all of these devices are temporary.

RICE Method

According to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS), the most common and effective treatment for muscle strains is the RICE method. The individual letters of RICE stand for rest, ice, compression, and elevation. In particular, RICE involves the following:

• Rest by taking an adequate amount of time to heal and avoiding physical activity. This can help strained muscles and other injuries.
• Ice your muscle by using cold packs with a barrier between them and your skin four to eight times per day for 20 minutes at a time.
• Compress your muscle by applying a steady, gentle pressure on it. This prevents swelling and inflammation, which are thought to delay healing. Wrapping an elastic bandage around the affected muscle is best.
• Elevate the injury above your heart to reduce swelling. Use pillows or other devices to raise an affected limb while you rest.

Although the RICE approach remains popular, newer approaches also exist. Some health care professionals recommend using the PEACE and LOVE method for muscle strains.

The PEACE approach is meant to be used right after your injury and during early healing. The letters in PEACE instruct you to:

• Protect the injury from irritation by reducing your use of the strained limb or area. As your pain lowers, try to get back to using the strained area as soon as possible.
• Elevate the injury above your heart to help reduce swelling, using pillows or other supports.
• Avoid anti-inflammatory treatments like NSAIDs and ice. Some believe that inflammation is important for healing a strain.
• Compress the muscle with tape or an elastic bandage.
• Educate yourself to know how long recovery can take and what to expect along the way. Talk with your doctor or health care professional.

After the first few days of rest, the LOVE method applies a more active approach to healing. The letters in LOVE stand for:

• Load: Get back to using your strained muscle as much as you can, as long as you aren’t causing pain.
• Optimism: Do your best to remain positive about your healing process.
• Vascularization: Try to find ways to get active. Working on your cardiovascular health might help you heal.
• Exercise: Do the exercises that are recommended by your doctor or health care professional, if they recommend any.

If you’re choosing between the RICE method and the PEACE and LOVE method, it’s best to discuss your options with your doctor.

There are very few risks of treating a muscle strain. However, there’s a small chance of taking too many painkillers or leaving an ice pack on the skin for too long.

If you try to use the injured area, watch out for pain or any other signs that the injury is getting worse.

Always follow dosage instructions on all prescription or over-the-counter medications. Use a barrier such as a towel between an ice pack and your skin. Allow your skin to warm up in between icing intervals.

Surgery to repair a torn muscle carries certain risks. These can include:

• bleeding
• blood clots
• infection
• pain
• stiffness
• slowed healing time

The last thing you want to do is reinjure a strained muscle. There are several ways you can prevent a muscle strain from recurring, including:

• allowing for proper time to heal from an injury
• stretching your muscles daily
• cross-training for sports by weightlifting or choosing another activity to strengthen your muscles
• warming up before exercise or intense activity
• eating foods high in potassium, like bananas and avocados, before exercise to prevent muscle fatigue
• properly hydrating during exercise

Talk with a doctor about what steps you can take to avoid muscle strains if you experience them regularly.

If you have a muscle tear that requires surgery, medication or physical therapy may be necessary after your procedure. Your doctor will provide specific follow-up instructions based on the type and severity of your injury.

#34: How to Avoid Pulled Muscles

If you’ve ever pulled a muscle, you know how painful it can be. That’s why it’s extremely important to take the proper precautions to prevent muscle strain, pulled muscles and muscle tears.

A pulled muscle occurs when you overstretch or tear the muscle. You can strain, pull or tear any muscle, but the most common muscles that get pulled are in the lower back, neck, shoulder and hamstring. Pulled muscles and muscle tears occur as a result of fatigue, lack of proper stretching and flexibility, poor conditioning, overuse, or something as simple as incorrect form during your workout.

Warm-Up and Cool Down

Before you begin your workout you’ll want to prepare your body and muscles for the demanding activity they’re about to endure. Getting your blood pumping and increasing your body temperature during your warm-up helps decrease the likelihood of muscle strain, pulled muscles and muscle tears. Warming up can include a brisk walk or light calisthenics.

The cool down period is important for muscle recovery, supporting blood circulation and sending oxygen to your muscles, which are in a deficit following a strenuous workout. Electric muscle stimulation can help speed up muscle recovery as you cool down post workout. Using PowerDot, simply set your EMS device to warm up, light recovery, active recovery, extended recovery or massage mode depending on the level of muscle stimulation you need to cool down and recover. Electrical muscle stimulation promotes blood flow and helps flush out lactic acid build up in the muscles.

Stretch Pre- and Post Workout

Stretching keeps the muscles flexible, strong and healthy, helping to maintain range of motion in the joints. It also reduces tension in muscles, supports blood circulation and can lead to increased energy levels. Performing a slow, deliberate stretch across muscle groups helps prevent muscle strain, pulled muscles and muscle tears during your workout. When stretching is not incorporated into your workout regimen, the muscles shorten and become tight, putting you at risk for joint pain, muscle strain and even muscle damage.

Incorporate Strength Training into Your Workout

Strength training is a key component in preventing muscle strain, pulled muscles and muscle tears. It improves the strength of the muscles, tendons, and even the ligaments and bones. The stronger muscles and tendons help hold the body in proper alignment, and also protect the bones and joints when moving or under impact. Muscles that are not used regularly may become weak, which presents a problem when that muscle is called into play suddenly during an activity or workout.

A weaker muscle can’t handle the sudden stress from a workout, causing injury including muscle strain, pulled muscles or muscle damage. It’s important to alternate muscle groups so you don’t overwork a particular muscle. Incorporating a full-body strength training into your workout routine will help eliminate any weak areas and balance the body for other activities. Strength training also increases speed, strength, agility and muscular endurance, which will benefit athletes of every sport.

Change Sleeping Positions

How you sleep can also help prevent and treat muscle strain, pulled muscles and muscle tears. The two ideal positions for sleeping are on your back or side. Avoid sleeping on your stomach due to the possibility of creating tension in the body. Tension in the neck and lower back can create compression of the discs, degeneration and pulled muscles.

When sleeping on your back, keep one pillow under your head and one or two under your knees. The pillow under your head should comfortably support the natural curve of your neck. The pillows under your knees should keep your lower back flat against your mattress. If you’re a side sleeper, keep one pillow under your head and one between your legs. The pillow between your legs should keep your legs parallel and prevent them from crossing over one another.

There is a science to sleep. Using electronic muscle stimulation on a regular basis helps restore muscles and ease muscle tension, allowing the body to relax and slip into a deeper, more restful sleep.This is where electrical muscle stimulation comes in to support muscle recovery, maintain health and wellness, and improve your sleep–all of which contribute to an overall healthy lifestyle.

Try Electric Muscle Stimulation (EMS)

Electrical muscle stimulation is proven to speed up muscle recovery–but don’t wait for an injury to use it. PowerDot EMS can also help prevent the injury from occurring in the first place.

You can use electric muscle stimulation to warm up for 5-7 minutes pre-workout using our warm up or light, active, or extended recovery settings. Our smart muscle stimulator helps reduce muscle discomfort and keeps inactive muscles moving. Cool down with another 5-7 minutes of massage to help relax and lengthen the muscles. Electrical muscle stimulation gently engages type 1, slow-twitch muscle fibers when used for recovery, helping to reduce muscle tightness, soreness, weakness and muscle strain as well as prevents pulled muscles, muscle tears and other injuries.

PowerDot provides a discreet solution for muscle recovery that is safe, clinically proven and FDA cleared. Apply your EMS pads on-the-go while you’re running errands or immediately post workout. Or wait until you get home, curl up on the couch with a blanket and your favorite TV show, and enjoy a hands-free massage.

Discover how you can perform better and recover faster by using EMS to oxygenate your muscles and blood.

Back muscle strain: symptoms and treatment

Back muscle strain is a common condition that is characterized by damage to muscle fibers and soft tissues. It is accompanied by pain and discomfort, aggravated by sudden movements. To restore damaged structures, it is recommended to follow the doctor’s prescriptions, attend physiotherapy and osteopathic sessions.

At Dr. Length’s clinic, all patients with back sprains use complex treatment and an individual approach. The combination of traditional methods and author’s methods of therapy allows you to get a guaranteed result in improving the patient’s well-being.

The main reason for stretching the back muscles is a sharp increase in load, which leads to damage to muscle fibers and soft tissues. This condition can occur when playing sports, at work associated with physical labor, as well as with sudden movements.

Risk factors for injury:

• weak muscular frame that cannot withstand intense motor loads;
• low level of physical activity leading to unpreparedness of the musculoskeletal system;
• traumatic injuries;
• diseases of the spine, muscular system.

These conditions are characterized by an increased risk of injury to the skeletal muscles located on the back. In this case, the patient develops characteristic symptoms.

How sprain manifests itself: signs and symptoms

The main symptom of muscle strain is a sharp pain syndrome, which is accompanied by limited mobility. The patient experiences difficulty when trying to turn the body to the side or bend over. Similar symptoms are associated with reflex muscle spasm.

Severity of pain – from mild to intense, in which any movement is impossible. The area of ​​damage may be edematous, swollen, reddened when compared with healthy areas of the body. With a traumatic origin of damage to the skin, hematomas become noticeable.

Pain in some cases extends to the groin, buttocks or thighs. This is due to irritation of the nerve bundles when they are damaged. If the pain is localized, then only soft tissues or muscles are damaged.

There are several degrees of sprain severity:

• Moderate degree is characterized by a mild pain syndrome, which disappears within 2-4 days.
• Moderate severity is associated with severe pain that limits the mobility of a person, requiring medical attention.
• Severe muscle strain results in severe swelling, bruising, limited range of motion. Symptoms persist for several weeks. During this period, the patient needs complex treatment.

If the back muscles are strained, pain persists for more than 2 days, or the inability to move the body, seek medical attention immediately.

Approaches to treatment

Stretching of the back muscles requires complex therapy. In the first 2-3 days, it is recommended to observe bed rest, complete immobilization. This allows you to avoid the progression of damage, to prevent complications of the injury. Cold compresses are used to reduce swelling. It is possible to use painkillers, anti-inflammatory drugs.

The clinic practices modern methods of treatment – manual therapy, osteopathy, Di-Tazin procedures, kinesio taping and physiotherapy techniques. They work in combination, providing a quick recovery of damaged tissues, the disappearance of pain, finding balance in movements.

Di-tazine therapy

Di-tazine treatment is the author’s method of non-invasive elimination of muscle strain and other diseases of the musculoskeletal system. It combines three types of exposure: photodynamic laser therapy, multicomponent electrophoresis, manual techniques. Each of these methods has its own positive effect on the body:

• Manual techniques eliminate violations of muscle tone, ensure the normalization of blood circulation in the area of ​​injury.
• Electrophoresis with drugs allows you to stimulate the recovery of damaged muscle fibers, soft tissues. Medicines with anti-inflammatory, analgesic and stimulating effects are used.
• Photodynamic treatment with the introduction of Photoditazine into the body. This drug accumulates at the site of injury. When this area is exposed to the LED installation, the drug molecules are activated, stimulating regeneration.

The Ditazine therapy method can be used in patients of any age. The list of contraindications is minimal. The procedure is not used if the patient has benign or malignant neoplasms.

Osteopathy

This is a modern branch of medicine that differs from other areas of medical care by a comprehensive approach to the diagnosis and treatment of diseases. The best osteopaths in our clinic take into account the system nature of the human body, the individuality of reactions to any internal and external factors. Thanks to this, the doctor can establish the true root cause of the pathology, and by eliminating it, achieve a complete recovery of the patient.

In osteopathy and manual therapy, the doctor uses only his hands to influence the human body. This allows you to achieve high safety while maintaining the effectiveness of treatment. Such therapy should only be provided by a specialist who has received appropriate basic training and experience in the treatment of such diseases.

A positive therapeutic effect is observed when using exercise therapy and massage. Both methods are indicated for patients outside the acute period of stretching, when restoration of damaged structures is required. Physiotherapy exercises and massage improve blood supply to muscles and soft tissues, stimulate their regeneration, which helps to avoid complications and progression of disorders.

Kinesiology taping can be used for muscle strain. This is a modern method of prevention and treatment of such injuries, which is actively used in professional sports. Tape is a special adhesive tape applied to the back area by a specialist. Thanks to this device, the load on muscle fibers, tendons, ligaments, and soft tissues is reduced. With independent kinesio taping, the effect may be absent, since the tapes are applied in a certain way.

In addition to the above methods of treating muscle strain, medications are used, and outside the acute period, physiotherapy procedures are used. Such techniques are aimed at eliminating the symptoms of damage, primarily pain and inflammatory changes. In the clinic of Dr. Length, therapy is mainly based on modern approaches: osteopathy, manual and Di-Tazin therapy. Their combination allows you to quickly remove the clinical manifestations of the disease in patients, gradually achieving a full recovery.

Why do patients come to us?

Clinic Dr. Length has a great positive experience in the treatment of sprains of the back muscles. It became possible due to the following factors:

• Use of only modern methods of diagnostics and treatment. All our approaches are based on scientific research. The work uses the clinical recommendations of Russian and foreign medical communities.
• All specialists of the medical institution undergo regular training in the leading centers of osteopathy and manual therapy, mastering new techniques, improving their skills.
• Appointment of rehabilitation measures that allow you to restore the quality of life of the patient, prevent relapses.
• Individual approach to each patient. Stretching of the back muscles is often associated with diseases of the musculoskeletal system, internal organs or the nervous system. Thanks to osteopathy, it is possible to identify the root cause of violations, to choose methods for its elimination.

To make an appointment with a doctor, call or leave a request on the website. The administrator of the center will contact you and answer your questions.

Material verified by an expert

Mikhailov Valery Borisovich

Manual therapist, vertebrologist, neurologist

Work experience – 25 years

How to identify and cure muscle strain?

How to identify the symptoms of muscle strain for treatment?

Sprain can occur when a person lifts heavy objects too abruptly or unsafely. If a lot of time passes after the onset of the injury, but the pain is still felt, then this may not be a muscle strain, but a more serious injury.

Muscle strain can be identified by whether the pain is felt in one muscle or in several. Painful symptoms of muscle strain appear at a certain point on the muscle, in this place there may be redness, increased skin temperature, swelling.

Also keep in mind that when damaged, muscle fibers can increase to about five times the size of healthy fibers. You should check for various muscle deformities, such as depressions, bumps and bumps.

How to treat muscle strain?

To date, there have not yet been developed methods for accelerated and effective healing of sprains without complications, but there are methods that reduce pain and reduce the recovery time of the damaged muscle area.

First of all, if you still happen to encounter such an injury, you should protect yourself and try to prevent the recurrence of stretching. To do this, you need to accurately determine the cause and location of the injury.

Secondly, during the acute period of injury from severe muscle strain, it is better to refrain from physical exertion on the body, especially on the sore muscle.

Thirdly, at the beginning of rehabilitation activities, it is necessary to carry out the most painless set of exercises that do not provoke muscle stress.

Fourth, after the acute period has passed, you should move on to more thorough daily workouts.

As the rehabilitation progresses, if you manage to move on to strength training, you need to train the muscles, improve their readiness for contractions with a very gradual (not sharp) increase in load.

In case of muscle strain, first of all, a chiropractor can help, who will develop the most effective massage technique and exercise therapy.

In the case of a constant increase in pain and persistence of signs of pain for several weeks, even after therapeutic massage and exercise therapy, you need to consult a neurologist or surgeon for diagnosis, who will tell you how and how to treat muscle strain. Since we can talk about more serious injuries.

How can you help yourself immediately after an injury?

• Apply ice to the stretch;

• Try massage;

• Take a contrast shower;

• Prevent overheating of the body;

• Avoid stress on the affected muscle;

You should be very careful about the treatment of muscle strain, such as taking painkillers or injections of platelet-rich plasma. These methods have their own contraindications and complications, so they require a doctor’s appointment. If you do not have time to contact the clinic, you can use the advice of doctors online.

To prevent muscle strain, you should always warm up with stretching before the main workout, strictly alternate a moderate load on the muscles with rest. You should not start injuries received during sports – if massage and a cold compress do not help, then you need to see a doctor.

There are contraindications. Specialist consultation is required.

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