MUSCLE STRAIN

Muscle strain -- or muscle pull or even a muscle tear -- implies damage to a muscle or its attaching tendons. You can put undue pressure on muscles during the course of normal daily activities, with sudden heavy lifting, during sports, or while performing work tasks.

In mild cases, only a few muscle fibers are stretched or torn, and the muscle remains intact and strong. In severe cases, however, the strained muscle may be torn and unable to function properly. To help simplify diagnosis and treatment, doctors often classify muscle strains into three grades, depending on the severity of muscle fiber damage:

• Grade I strain. In this mild strain, only a few muscle fibers are stretched or torn. Although the injured muscle is tender and painful, it has normal strength.



• Grade II strain. This is a moderate strain, with a greater number of injured fibers and more severe muscle pain and tenderness. There is also mild swelling, noticeable loss of strength and sometimes a bruise.



• Grade III strain. This strain tears the muscle all the way through, sometimes causing a "pop" sensation as the muscle rips into two separate pieces or shears away from its tendon. Grade III strains are serious injuries that cause complete loss of muscle function, as well as considerable pain, swelling, tenderness and discoloration. Because Grade III strains usually cause a sharp break in the normal outline of the muscle, there may be an obvious "dent" or "gap" under the skin where the ripped pieces of muscle have come apart. 

Symptoms

Symptoms of muscle strain include:

• Muscle pain and tenderness, especially after an activity that stretches or violently contracts the muscle -- Pain usually increases when you move the muscle but is relieved by rest.
• Muscle swelling, discoloration or both bruising or redness, or open cuts due to the injury

 

• Muscle cramp or spasm 
• Pain at rest 

• Either a decrease in muscle strength or (in Grade III strains) a complete loss of muscle function
• A pop in the muscle at the time of injury

 

• A gap, dent or other defect in the normal outline of the muscle (in Grade III strain)  
• Weakness of the muscle or tendons (A sprain, in contrast, is an injury to a joint and its ligaments.)

Seeking Medications


If you have a significant muscle injury (or if home remedies bring no relief in 24 hours), call your doctor.
If you hear a "popping" sound with the injury, cannot walk, or there is significant swelling, pain, fever, or open cuts, you should be examined in a hospital's emergency department.

Medical doctor @ physical therapists note your symptoms and past medical history, your doctor will examine you, checking for muscle tenderness, spasm, weakness and decreased muscle movement.

X-rays or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan may be helpful.

  

If you have back pain, your doctor may order additional tests to check for a urinary tract infection or a problem involving the vertebrae (backbones), vertebral disks, spinal canal or spinal cord.