Muscle strain, or muscle pull, or even a muscle tear, implies damage to a muscle or its attaching tendons, caused by the muscle being stretched beyond its limit, tearing the muscle fibers. While anyone can strain a muscle, strains usually occur during activities that require the muscle to tighten forcefully. The muscle is strained either because it is not properly stretched or warmed up before the activity, it is too weak, or because the muscle is already injured and not allowed time to recover. A similar injury occurs if there is a direct blow to the muscle. Once a muscle strain occurs, the muscle is vulnerable to reoccurrence of injury, so it’s important to let the muscle heal properly and to follow preventive protocols. The partial or complete tearing of the muscle can also damage small blood vessels, causing local bleeding (bruising) and pain (caused by irritation of the nerve endings in the area). The amount of swelling or local bleeding into the muscle (from torn blood vessels) can best be managed by implementing the RICE principle. That is; Rest, Ice, Compression and Elevation. The main purpose of this principle is to control inflammation levels, immobilise the site of injury and enhance the recovery process.
