Medication
For immediate self-care of a muscle strain, try the R.I.C.E. approach — rest, ice, compression, elevation: 1 Rest. Avoid activities that cause pain, swelling or discomfort... 2 Ice. Even if you're seeking medical help, ice the area immediately... 3 Compression. To help stop swelling, compress the area with an elastic bandage until...
Therapy
Muscle strain is another term for a pulled muscle. Some experts recommend gentle stretching for muscles that are recovering from a strain. Muscle strains are painful injuries that can disrupt your usual routine. The pain and swelling from a strained muscle are uncomfortable.
Self-care
Rest the muscle for at least a day. Ice immediately, and continue to ice for 10 to 15 minutes every hour, for 2-3 days.
Nutrition
Over-the-counter painkillers like acetaminophen and ibuprofen can relieve muscle pain and swelling. Your doctor may suggest you see an orthopedic specialist for further treatment if you have a severe strain. Trying to return to normal daily activity too soon may lead to another injury.
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What is the best way to treat muscle strain?
What is a muscular strain?
What is the best way to recover from a pulled muscle?
What is the best painkiller for muscle strain?
What is the best treatment for a strained muscle?
Rest the strained muscle and apply ice for the first few days after the injury. Anti-inflammatory medicines or acetaminophen (Tylenol) also help reduce pain and swelling. As the pain decreases, you can use heat on the muscle. Stretching and light exercises to bring blood to the injured area can also be useful.
What is the procedure of muscle strain?
Take the following first aid steps to treat a strain:Apply ice right away to reduce swelling. Wrap the ice in cloth. ... Use ice for the first 3 days. ... Rest the pulled muscle for at least a day. ... Try not to use a strained muscle while it is still painful.
How long does it usually take for a muscle strain to heal?
For a mild strain, you may be able to return to normal activities within three to six weeks with basic home care. For more severe strains, recovery can take several months. In severe cases, surgical repair and physical therapy may be necessary. With proper treatment, most people recover completely.
What is the first aid treatment for strains?
Rest the patient and the injury. Apply an icepack (cold compress) wrapped in a wet cloth to the injury for 15 minutes every 2 hours for 24 hours and then for 15 minutes every 4 hours for 24 hours. Apply a compression elastic bandage firmly to the injury that extends well beyond the injury. Elevate the injured part.
What foods help repair muscle damage?
6 Best Foods to Eat While Recovering From Sports InjuriesFoods that Contain Plenty of Protein. Protein is the nutrient that reinforces your body's muscle tissue. ... 2. Fruits and Vegetables With Vitamin C. ... Omega-3 Fatty Acids. ... Zinc-Rich Foods. ... Vitamin D/Calcium. ... Foods Rich in Fiber.
Should I stretch a strained muscle?
While it may seem counterintuitive, stretching a strained muscle only makes it worse. Your best bet involves avoiding any movement that agitates the affected area and continue to rest until the pain subsides. Light stretching can assist with a minor strain, but only if incorporated a few days after the injury occurred.
What is a grade 3 muscle strain?
Grade 3: Complete rupture of a muscle or tendon. These can present with a palpable defect in the muscle or tendon. However, swelling in the area may make this difficult to appreciate. These injuries sometimes require surgery to reattach the damaged muscle and tendon.
Do anti inflammatories help heal pulled muscles?
No, in most cases anti-inflammatory drugs (like ibuprofen or naproxen) don't help healing. In fact, in some cases it may even delay healing.
What is the best way to treat muscle strain?
For immediate self-care of a muscle strain, try the R.I.C.E. approach — rest, ice, compression, elevation:
What is the best treatment for a sprained limb?
Acetaminophen (Tylenol, others) can be helpful for pain relief during this time period. A physical therapist can help you to maximize stability and strength of the injured joint or limb. Your doctor may suggest that you immobilize the area with a brace or splint.
How long after muscle strain can you take ibuprofen?
Some doctors recommend avoiding over-the-counter pain medications that can increase your risk of bleeding — such as aspirin, ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin IB, others) and naproxen sodium (Aleve) — during the first 48 hours after a muscle strain. Acetaminophen (Tylenol, others) can be helpful for pain relief during this time period.
What to look for in a physical exam for a ruptured tendon?
Diagnosis. During the physical exam, your doctor will check for swelling and points of tenderness. The location and intensity of your pain can help determine the extent and nature of the damage. In more severe injuries, where the muscle or tendon has been completely ruptured, your doctor may be able to see or feel a defect in the area of injury.
Overview
A muscle strain is an injury to one of your muscles that causes it to tear. They’re one of the most common injuries, especially among athletes.
Diagnosis and Tests
Your healthcare provider will diagnose a muscle strain with a physical exam. Make sure to tell them what you were doing when you first noticed your symptoms. Because muscle strains come from physical activities, it’s important they know what led to yours.
Management and Treatment
You can treat most muscle strains with at-home methods of first aid, including:
Prevention
The best way to prevent muscle strains is to stretch and warm up before exercising. Increasing your overall flexibility will also protect your muscles from future injuries. The more flexible you are, the more room your muscle fibers have to stretch before they begin to tear.
Living With
Talk to your healthcare provider right away if you’re experiencing severe symptoms like intense pain. If you’re still feeling pain after a few weeks of at-home treatments, talk to your provider.
How to recover from a muscle strain?
Physical therapy. During recovery from a muscle strain, it’s a good idea to try and stay active to prevent surrounding muscles from weakening. Physical therapy can help promote muscle strength and healing, reducing the risk of reinjury. 9 A physical therapist can show you stretching exercises that may help you maintain flexibility and range ...
How to heal a strained muscle?
Therapeutic massage helps loosen tight muscles and increase blood flow to help heal damaged tissues. Applying pressure to the injured muscle tissue also helps remove excess fluid and cellular waste products. 6 A 2012 study found that massage immediately following an injury may even speed strained muscle healing. 7 If the area is too sensitive for massage, wait about a week and ask your doctor. Then begin massaging the injury and surrounding muscles to help with pain and improve range of motion.
What are the best ways to treat muscle pain?
Compression. Massage. Heat therapy. Physical therapy. Pain medication. 1. Cold therapy. When you strain a muscle, the fibers in the tissue are damaged. This may cause immediate pain, inflammation in the muscle tissue, and swelling in the affected area.
What is muscle strain?
A muscle strain is when muscles or tendons tear or stretch. Many injuries—falls, sudden blows, overuse, and more—may strain muscles. 1 No matter what causes a strain, it’s painful and inconvenient. Whether you strained your neck while parallel parking or pulled a groin muscle playing hockey, knowing how to treat the pain ...
How to treat a strained neck while parallel parking?
Here are six options to help you treat your muscle strain: Cold therapy. Compression.
Can NSAIDs help with muscle strains?
You can relieve pain with over-the-counter medications like aspirin or NSAIDs, which may also help reduce swelling. For more extreme muscle strains, your doctor might recommend a short course of a stronger pain medication. 10 As always, discuss any treatments with your doctor prior to beginning.
Does heat help with muscle pain?
Heat also increases blood flow, which may promote healing. 8 You can alternate hot and cold therapy to help reduce the pain and swelling caused by a muscle strain.
How to treat a strained muscle?
How do you treat a muscle strain? Answer: Rest the strained muscle and apply ice for the first few days after the injury. Anti-inflammatory medicines or acetaminophen (Tylenol) also help reduce pain and swelling.
What is leg strain?
Leg strain is also known as a pulled muscle. It results from damage to a muscle from excessive physical activity. Proper treatment of a pulled muscle includes a cold compress, rest, and elevation of the damaged muscle above the level of the heart.
What is the best treatment for muscle strain?
Compression with an elastic bandage for support. Elevation to allow fluid to drain away. Over-the-counter painkillers like acetaminophen and ibuprofen can relieve muscle pain and swelling. Your doctor may suggest you see an orthopedic specialist for further treatment if you have a severe strain.
What are the different types of muscle strains?
Types of muscle strain. Doctors assess the severity of a strain based on the strength or range of motion you have after the injury. There are three grades of muscle strain: Grade I: A mild strain that damages less than 5% of individual muscle fibers. Grade II: Significant loss of motion and strength. It involves more muscle fibers, but the muscle ...
How long does it take for a grade 1 strain to heal?
Grade I strains heal within a few weeks. Grade II tears can take up to 3 months or longer. If you've had surgery from a Grade III strain, gaining normal muscle function will require months of rehabilitation. If you suspect a muscle strain but didn't hear a "pop" that would require a visit to a healthcare provider, the RICE rule can help.
What causes muscle strain?
Causes of muscle strain. Muscles insert into bones and provide the force that helps you move. If you misuse a muscle or overload it, the resulting force is so great that it causes the tissue to tear. Tears happen in three specific places: In the myotendinous junction, which connects muscles and tendons.
What is a grade 3 strain?
Grade III strains may require surgery and months of rehabilitation. A strain, or pulled muscle, is an injury to your muscle or tendon. It occurs when these fibers are overstretched or torn. A muscle strain can occur because of an accident, misusing a muscle, or simply because a muscle is overworked.
How long does it take for a muscle to heal from a grade 2 strain?
Grade II: Significant loss of motion and strength. It involves more muscle fibers, but the muscle hasn’t ruptured. This type of strain takes around two months to heal. Grade III: The muscle or tendon ruptures, causing swelling and severe pain.
When do you get a strain?
Strains and injuries often occur when you're starting a new exercise program or physical activity.
How to heal a muscle tear?
Your orthopedist may also recommend NSAIDs – non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs – to help reduce swelling. A moderate muscle strain or tear can usually be treated similarly but for a longer period of a time. Normal activities can be resumed when a full range of motion returns without accompanying pain. Moderate tears may require physical therapy . A severe tear that requires surgical repair can take months or longer to heal. In this case, remember the adage: Do no H.A.R.M. – Heat, Alcohol, Running, Massage – all of which can do additional damage by causing more bleeding and swelling in a muscle tear and are therefore forbidden.
How long does it take for a muscle tear to heal?
Moderate tears may require physical therapy. A severe tear that requires surgical repair can take months or longer to heal.
Where do torn muscles occur?
While any muscle can be affected, torn muscles most often occur in the lower back, neck, shoulder and hamstring. Torn muscles are categorized by the severity of the injury: mild which is a simple strain affecting 5% of a muscle’s fibers; moderate which is up to 25%-30% and accompanied by swelling, decreased range of motion and pain;
How do you know if you have a torn muscle?
Symptoms of Torn Muscles. When you tear a muscle, even when it is mild, you will know immediately. Expect pain and soreness, as well as spasms and swelling in the affected area. Depending on the severity of the strain, you may find it difficult to move the area, if at all.
Treatment for muscle strains
Most muscle strains are not severe, and you can treat the symptoms at home. Many experts recommend icing the injury as soon as possible to reduce swelling in the area. Wrap ice or an ice pack in a towel and hold it to the injury for up to 20 minutes at a time. Do not place ice directly on your skin.
Muscle strains and stretching
Once the swelling has gone down and the muscle doesn’t hurt as much, you can incorporate more movement into your recovery. Some experts recommend gentle stretching for muscles that are recovering from a strain. Be careful not to over-stretch and re-injure the healing muscle fibers.
