Muscle Tear|Types|Treatment|Recovery Period|Causes|Symptoms (2023)

FAQs

How much time does it take to heal muscle tear? ›

Those with muscle injuries that do not require surgical treatment are generally able to recover and resume normal activities within two to eight weeks.

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; and severe which is an actual tear in a muscle that is accompanied by extensive swelling.

Swelling, bruising, or redness due to the injury. Pain at rest. Pain when the specific muscle or the joint in relation to that muscle is used. Weakness of the muscle or tendons.

An MRI is the best type of imaging for looking at tissue. Your physician may order an MRI on the damaged muscle to find or learn more about your injury. This type of muscle tear imaging can pinpoint the location of even the smallest muscle strains and determine whether a partial or complete strain has occurred.

After this inflammatory phase, the muscle begins to heal by regenerating muscle fibers from stem cells that live around the area of injury. However, a significant amount of scar tissue also forms where the muscle was injured. Over time, this scar tissue remodels, but the muscle tissue never fully regenerates.

The most important thing you can do for a pulled muscle is resting it. Even if it's light stretching, continuing to stress a pulled muscle could result in further damage to muscle and a much longer healing time.

Playing through your injury or returning to work after an accident without seeking medical attention ultimately worsens it. Your muscles don't heal correctly and the rest of your body has to compensate for the weakened area. This aspect can result in additional strain, overuse injuries or fractures.

A large portion of muscle injuries, even many tears, can be treated conservatively without the need for surgery. This includes rest, ice, compression, elevation, over-the-counter medication and physical therapy. However, in some cases especially a completely torn muscle, patients require surgical repair.

Like a muscle strain, the most common muscle tears occur in the lower back, neck, shoulder, and hamstring. Muscle tears often cause a sudden onset of severe pain, as well as bruising, swelling, and weakness.

What is a Stage 2 muscle tear? ›

Grading muscle tears

Grade 2: With a grade 2 tear you've torn a significant number of muscle fibres and there is usually quite a bit of swelling and bruising as well. You may have pain even when you're lying down or sitting still and it is usually quite painful when you try and use the muscle.

But severely injured muscles, such as muscles that have been torn, frequently require treatment involving medication and invasive surgeries, and recovery can take a long time. However, recent research suggests that something as simple as massaging the injury site can speed up healing.

The initial approach to Physical Therapy of your muscle strain will depend on how long after your injury that you seek treatment. The immediate line of defense straight after a muscle strain should be the application of ice and compression, followed by rest and elevation for the affected muscle.

Often muscle pain is treated by rheumatologists but osteopaths specialize in the muscle/skeletal system and there are kinesiologist and chiropracters in the alternative health fields.

Even a small muscular injury can lead to a chronic pain pattern which persists for months or even years, because the nervous “system stays on alert,” waiting for the scar tissue to heal completely and become aligned with the surrounding muscle tissue.

Most people can recover by resting their muscle and using at-home treatments like ice and over-the-counter medicine. If you're feeling pain for a few weeks after your injury or have severe symptoms, see your healthcare provider.

Don't stretch!

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.

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.

Is heat good for a muscle tear? ›

A pulled muscle should first be treated using the R.I.C.E. method. During the first 72 hours, heat should be avoided to prevent increased swelling and inflammation. After about 72 hours, heat can be incorporated into treatment to increase blood flow and aid the overall healing process.

Muscle tears will heal within six week unless they are very severe. Non-structural muscle strains can recover even sooner as they are usually just muscle spasm. The first few weeks are a vulnerable time for your body as it repairs.

By lifting weights, you are actually causing tiny tears (known as “micro-tears”) in the muscle fibers, which the body then repairs and adapts the muscles to better handle the stimulus that caused the damage. This is the process by which muscles grow (scientifically termed hypertrophy).

When dystrophin levels are low, the membranes around muscle cells become weak. They tear easily.

A Grade 1 strain is a minor strain. You've overstretched a muscle or tendon and may have the beginning of a tear. You may feel stiff, but you can still use the arm, leg, or other part of your body that has sustained the injury.

Grade III (severe) strains represent the complete rupture of the muscle. This means either the tendon is separated from the muscle belly or the muscle belly is actually torn in 2 parts. Severe swelling and pain and a complete loss of function are characteristic of this type of strain.

Grade III. Severe pain, and disability; severe swelling, ecchymosis, hematoma; palpable defect and loss of muscle function; muscle or tendon rupture.

Previous research has shown that protein can ease soreness, speed up recovery, and help repair the muscles that are torn during weightlifting. Plus, one review of nearly 50 studies found that protein supplementation greatly enhanced muscle strength and size during resistance training.

Anabolic steroids may aid in the healing of muscle contusion injury to speed the recovery of force-generating capacity.

When you strain a muscle, you tear some of the muscle fibers. The more fibers you tear, the more serious your injury is and the longer it will take to recover. The strain may also affect your tendon and the research has shown that any muscle injury where the tendon has also torn usually takes a lot longer to heal.

What is the best supplement for muscle tear? ›

Vitamins C and E

Consuming vitamin C and vitamin E offers benefits for treating and preventing muscle tears. After muscle tissue damage, your muscle tissue undergoes remodeling to repair the tears. Vitamin C helps you produce the collagen needed for this remodeling process.

Vitamin A, vitamin C and zinc help your body to repair tissue damage, fight infections, and keep your skin healthy. Try to eat foods from the lists below. Vitamin A is found in animal foods and some brightly coloured vegetables and fruits. Many vegetables and fruits are high in vitamin C.

B Vitamins (B6, Folate & B12)

Another interesting fact is that vitamin B6 is needed to support the absorption of vitamin B12. Together, these B vitamins are essential in the production of red blood cells and immune system cells, both of which are invaluable to muscle growth and repair.

Fibromyalgia. Hypothyroidism (underactive thyroid) Influenza (flu) and other viral illness (influenza-like illness) Lupus.

A CK test is most often used to diagnose and monitor muscular injuries and diseases.

After a muscle tear, the damaged fibres slowly begin to heal and reattach to each other. This process can be quite fragile and during the early stages, aggressive stretching of recovering tissue can impair healing or even lead to more tearing.

Playing through your injury or returning to work after an accident without seeking medical attention ultimately worsens it. Your muscles don't heal correctly and the rest of your body has to compensate for the weakened area. This aspect can result in additional strain, overuse injuries or fractures.

What does a Grade 2 muscle strain feel like? ›

Grade II strain.

This is a moderate strain, with a greater number of injured fibers and more severe muscle pain and tenderness. There is also mild swelling, noticeable loss of strength and sometimes a bruise.