Strained Muscle Stopped You in Your Tracks?
Physical Therapy for Muscle Strains
Do You Know What to Do When You Strain a Muscle?
We’ve all been there before, joining in on your kids’ game of football only to “pull a hammie”, jumping back into the gym after a hiatus and grabbing the same weight you used the last time you were there only to feel a sudden sharp pain in your shoulder muscle, or maybe helping your friend move a couch up the stairs and realizing you should have lifted with your legs. In all of these cases you find yourself dealing with a sore muscle that feels a little (or a lot) worse than just typical post-workout soreness. In fact, you’ve strained a muscle.
While it may be true that there are no inherently “bad” movements for your body, there certainly are movements for which the body is unprepared. When a muscle is overstretched or asked to contract hard against a sudden load, or even just overused, injury can occur. When this happens it is important to take the appropriate steps to allow the muscle to heal and to understand how to reduce the likelihood of it happening in the future. The good news is that low and moderate muscle strains typically heal with conservative care like physical therapy.
HOW DO I KNOW IF IT’S A STRAINED MUSCLE?
If you’ve ever been injured before, you know it can sometimes be hard to pinpoint exactly what structure is causing your pain. When a muscle is strained, you will typically experience pain in that specific muscle when it is contracted strongly or stretched. If the strain is moderate in severity you may also notice some localized stiffness, tenderness, and swelling in the area. You may also observe that the muscle feels weaker than usual. Finally, if it is severe and the muscle belly has separated from the tendon or all the fibers have torn, the range of motion of the joints at either end of the muscle may be either significantly reduced because of guarding or excessive because the torn muscle is no longer limiting it.
It is important to note that in most cases a muscle that has been severely torn will need surgery to repair the injury so the muscle can function normally again. For less severe injuries, physical therapy is just what the doctor ordered. Not only will they help you identify an injury to the muscle versus the joint, for example, but they can guide you through the recovery process in a smart and efficient manner.
HOW LONG IS THIS GOING TO TAKE?
When someone has an injury, the most common first question is: How long will it take to heal? The answer provided by your local physical therapist will depend on several factors. First, the severity of the muscle strain and how many fibers were injured will affect recovery time. Second, comorbid conditions that impair healing like diabetes could impact the time to recover. Third, how well you follow the instructions of your PT for facilitating healing and how diligent you are with your home program can also play a role in the healing time.
Finally, the time it takes to rehabilitate a muscle strain can depend on the demands of the activities in which you are involved. For example, if someone has strained their hamstring but their daily routine involves some walking for exercise and working at a desk, they will likely find themselves “recovered” to their baseline faster than someone who plays professional basketball and will be jumping, running and cutting during practice and games. In this second scenario, the muscle has to heal to a level in which it can withstand the demands of this sport to prevent reinjury.
PHYSICAL THERAPISTS CAN HELP YOU RECOVER
In the first 5-7 days after a muscle strain the primary goal is to protect the muscle so that it can begin healing. The initial repairs that the body makes are quite delicate. If you jump back into activity that stresses the repair too early, you may send yourself right back to square one. During this stage your PT will guide you on how to rest and protect the muscle. They may or may not recommend ice or cryotherapy but may apply different types of compression or taping to improve swelling and inflammation. They may also employ modalities like electrical stimulation or ultrasound. While the injured muscle may be benched for the week, muscles above and below the injury and on the opposite limb can still get a good workout!
Once you’ve passed the acute stage of healing it is time to gradually begin loading and using the injured muscle. Once again, it can be easy to overdo it at this stage which is why it is important to work with someone knowledgeable, like your PT. They will advise you on how much stress and strain the muscle can take at this stage to prevent re-injury. At this stage your PT may perform some gentle soft tissue mobilization to the area and surrounding areas. You may begin some very gentle stretching to help prevent loss of flexibility and start performing submaximal exercises to gradually load the muscle fibers to help them heal and get stronger.
After 2-3 weeks of solid healing, a muscle strain is typically entering what is considered the “chronic phase” which means it is ready to start working back to full strength. It might seem like a good idea to jump back into your former activity level at this point, but the muscle will still be vulnerable to re-injury for some time which is why your PT will program a workout routine for you to build up the muscle’s resilience. This may include a stretching and mobility routine and different strengthening exercises that include isometric, concentric, and eccentric contractions.
One of the great things about working with a PT after a muscle strain is that they will understand the demands that your daily and recreational or professional sporting activities require and can ensure that your program mimics the demands of these activities on the injured muscle. After completing your program, your muscle strain should be healed and you will have the knowledge and understanding of how to maintain these improvements and reduce your likelihood of straining the muscle again.
DON’T GO IT ALONE
Whether you are experiencing a muscle strain for the first time or are stuck in a cycle of healing and re-injury, physical therapy is a fantastic resource to help you recover. There is no need to guess what the best steps are early or late in your recovery. The physical therapists at Evolve are here to educate you on the process of healing, get you back to your favorite activities and teach you how to prevent re-injury in the future.
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About EvolveNY-
Brooklyn's Premier Holistic Physical Therapy Clinics-
There’s physical therapy, there’s training, and then there’s EVOLVE. We use the science of biomechanics merged with fitness to help our patients get better and stay better! First we evaluate, then we heal, then we strengthen our clients so they can reach their goals, feel better, and live happier lives. We do so by utilizing a range of core techniques and specialized treatments to reduce pain, improve mobility, enhance physical strength and deal with the underlying issues, not just the pain itself.
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