What Is Muscle Strain-how To Prevent It

The human body has three types of muscles out of which skeletal muscles make up the majority. These muscles are made up of fibers, which attach to the bones via tendons. During movement of limbs, these fibers contract and consequently pull the limbs towards the body. During this contraction, if the muscles experience a very strong resistance, then they tear while trying to contract against the resistance. This tear can be in a few of the fibers or all of the fibers of the muscle. This usually occurs at the site of attachment of the fibers to the tendons. This kind of damage to the muscle comprises a muscle strain.

Types of Muscle Strains

Muscle strains are of two types, namely acute and chronic. Acute strains are classified into Grade 1 to 3 depending on the severity of the injury. Grade 1 involves a few minor tears due to overstretching of the fibers, resulting in some discomfort while doing activities involving the strained muscle. In Grade 2, you observe swelling and any activity causes pain due to partial tearing of some muscle fibers. Fully torn muscle fibers are classified into Grade 3. In a Grade 3 muscle strain, you can’t move the affected muscles without undergoing severe pain. A muscle strains which is recurring and/or prolonged (more than a month) is a Chronic muscle strain.

How to Prevent Muscle Strains

Muscle strains are quite painful and you definitely want to avoid it. Especially if you are a sportsperson, a muscle strain can put you out of play for some time. A few preventive steps will go a long way in helping you avoid a strain.

1. Conditioning: You must develop flexibility and strength in your muscles. If your muscles are tight then they become vulnerable to strains. To avoid this, flexibility and suppleness of muscles is necessary. Similarly, if you are using a set of muscles to do some activity and one of the muscles is weaker than the others, it becomes more susceptible to muscle strain. To prevent this you must follow a proper exercise regime that will help increase your flexibility and strengthen the muscles. You should preferably consult your physio or trainer and develop a proper exercise regime.

2. Warm-up: Before undertaking any rigorous physical activity, a proper warm-up is essential. A warm-up should involve some cardiovascular exercise such as jogging or cycling for 15-20 min. This increases the body temperature and the muscles become warm. This increases their extensibility and reduces risk of injury.

3. Stretching: You should practice stretching exercises at the end, when the muscles are warm and flexible. You should stretch slowly and gradually. This ensures that the muscles have time to react. A good technique for stretching is very important. Improper stretching may cause muscle injury in the first place.

4. Muscle-Fatigue: Constant use of muscles causes small tears, which develop into strains later on. To prevent this, take breaks from training to ensure recovery time for muscles.

By: Kya

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