Several factors can contribute to muscle injuries:
Inadequate warm up
Restricted joint mobility
Muscle tightness
Fatigue
Overuse
Inadequate recovery
Muscle imbalance
Previous injury
Poor exercise technique
Spinal dysfunction
Posture
Damage to muscles can result from the following:
1. Direct trauma
Impact
2. Indirect trauma
Overstretch
Overload
With all muscle injuries, an initial assessment is required consisting of:
Observation assessment
Palpation
Identifying pain location
Testing Range of Motion
Performing Active and Passive Movements
Main muscle injuries
Grade 1
- Less than 10% of fibres torn
- Non-Palpable
- 2-3 weeks recovery
Grade 2
- 10-50% of fibres torn
- Palpable
- Severity of pain will depend upon the amount of fibres torn
- 3-6 weeks recovery
Grade 3
- 50-100% of fibres torn
- Visible and Palpable
- Widespread bruising and ‘balling’ of the muscle
- Referral and recovery of around 3 months depending on severity and treatment
Complication of a muscle injury
Scar tissue
Untreated scar tissue is the major cause of re-injury, usually months after you thought that the injury had fully healed. Scar tissue is made from a very brittle, inflexible fibrous material.
Cramp
Cramp is a painful involuntary contraction of a muscle, typically caused by fatigue or a strain.
Healing process
Destruction and Inflammatory Phase: First 24 - 72 hours potentially consisting of:
Pain
Swelling
Redness
Heat
Repair and Remodelling Phase: Depending on Grade injury severity and consists of:
Ice
Heat
Massage
Movement
Exercise
*Disclaimer
Our therapists provide injury treatment, advice, prevention, and rehabilitation exercises through sports massage, deep tissue massage, exercise programming and physiotherapy.
We provide educational content for informational purposes only. Aways seek a medical professionals care and advice regarding injuries.
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