Muscle Strain
Muscle strain is a soft tissue injury caused by indirect trauma, usually as a result of muscle distention, or direct contusion, which can also lead to tears. The severity of the injury depends on the affected fibres, and whether the muscle has completely torn. Injuries can be classified as grade 1, 2, or 3, depending on the number of damaged or ruptured fibres. They usually occur at the muscle-tendon junction during maximum physical activity (sprinting, jumping, etc.), as a result of exceeding the elasticity of the muscle belly. Some factors such as poor fitness, overloaded muscles, lack of warm-up before exertion, muscle imbalance, age, etc., can predispose to muscle strain with varying degrees of severity.
Muscle Strain Symptoms
Sudden pain at the moment of the tear and immediate functional disability, with pain remaining after injury, even at complete rest, and loss of the muscle’s contractile function. Internal muscle bleeding with inflammation. The muscle is well vascularised at the time of injury, causing haematomas.
Muscle Strain Treatment
Depending on the severity of the strain and the time elapsed, different rehabilitation techniques can be applied to the injury, such as immediate cryotherapy, rest, isometric therapy etc., always accompanied by compression garments or specific orthoses that provide compression, support and heat to minimise fibre and muscle-tendon tension during the healing period. This type of orthosis is highly recommended as a method of prevention for patients returning to sporting activity.
