Pulled Muscle
Pulled muscle, also called or known as muscle strain happens when a muscle is stretched more than its capacity. Read on to find out more on muscle pulls.
Talk about muscles in conjunction to any vigorous physical activity or sports, the most common happening is a muscle pull. A muscle pull, simply put, is an excess strain on the muscle. Here the muscle is stretched more than its normal tenacity. A pulled muscle is a very routine thing for athletes and those who work out regularly or perhaps when you are starting a workout regime or an exercise routine. Even if you lift something heavy or pull something heavy, it can cause a muscle strain. In addition to that, sometimes a wrong movement of the limbs can also lead to a muscle pull. This and more about a pulled muscle will be dealt in the text below.
Pulled Muscle Symptoms
This is an absolute no brainer.
Muscle pain and a slight swelling (in severe cases) are the obvious symptoms and pointers of a muscle pull. Sometime, if the ligament has ruptured, you might hear and sense a pop. Due to the strain, it might happen that blood circulation in that area has been hampered. That can lead to that area turning blue. In extreme cases, the individual cannot even move the affected part. These are however, the general pulled muscle symptoms
. These can vary slightly, depending on individual cases. That depends on the grade of the injury. These are –
Grade 1
This is the muscle pull of a very primary stage. In this stage, there is a mild pain and no disability and your activities are not limited.
Grade 2 If there is a grade 2 muscle strain or pull, there is a little bit more pain and discomfort. The activities you can indulge in are relegated to moderate intensity and a bit of bruising and swelling can be observed. Read more on pulled calf muscle
.
Grade 3
Here things can get really painful and severe. Swelling and significant bruising is accompanied by a limitation on the activities. This is not exactly a very good situation to be in.
Pulled muscles are typically in limbs and back so pulled muscle in leg and pulled muscle in back is the most observed condition with regards to muscles. Let us take a look now at how to take care and treat pulled and sore muscles.
How to Treat a Pulled Muscle?
When there is a muscle or ligament, the first thing you need to is to think with regards to pulled muscle treatment is RIC and anti inflammatory medications. RIC refers to rest, ice and compression.
Rest If the affected muscle is not rested immediately, it may not augur for the muscle as well as for the ligament. Hence, resting the muscle is absolutely essential. Avoid moving the pulled muscle as far as possible. In case of grade 1, resting the muscle for sometime will do the trick. In case of grade 2 and beyond one has to rest the muscle really well, at least in the first 48 hours. Read more on how to heal a pulled muscle
.
Ice
Chill when you are dealing with a muscle injury. Ice is a wonder remedy and if applied immediately after injury, it can curb the swelling and the pain will subside remarkably too. But remember to avoid applying ice for more than 15 to 20 minutes at one go. Otherwise the the ligament can end up getting worse instead of better.
Compression
A pulled muscle can be further aided by a wrap or a splint in the affected area. That can support the muscle and act as shock absorber. Heat application too, can augur well to attain relief from pain and discomfort emanating from a muscle pull.
Anti Inflammatory Medicines If the pain is severe with grade 2 or 3 strain or pull, painkillers and anti inflammatory medications too, can help reduce the pain. However, it is advisable to avoid taking these medications without consulting your doctor. Read more on pulled muscles in neck
.
In addition to these, slight stretching of the muscle (if that is possible) can help loosen the muscles and improve the condition of the pulled muscle. If there is a swelling, elevating that muscle can also prove to be effective.
The best to deal with this is to avoid it all together by doing a proper warm up before workout and making efforts to strengthen the muscles through various exercises. That is where I end my discussion on pulled muscle! Hope you never have to encounter that! Take care!
