Recovery from a Pulled Muscle
Courtney Gordner identifies five ways to come back from a pulled muscle in the middle of training.
When a muscle is stretched too far, a small muscle pull can occur. If this happens to you, it could be weeks before you are ready to train again, so you must take care of the area as much as possible. While the time needed for recovery depends on the severity, it is good to treat the pulled muscle to speed up the process immediately.
Ice the Muscle
Get some ice on the pulled muscle immediately, reducing the swelling and pain. Avoid putting ice on the injury for more than 10 minutes at a time. If the ice pack is left on for more than 10 minutes, a reflex reaction occurs (Hunting effect) where the blood vessels dilate, and blood is again pumped into the injured area, causing further bleeding and swelling. If you do not have an ice pack, frozen vegetables from the freezer will do the trick. When applying ice, never apply directly onto the skin as this may result in ice burns; instead, wrap the ice in a damp cloth (a dry cloth will not transmit cold effectively).
Get Some Rest
Perhaps the most important thing you can do for your muscle is rest it. Keep the muscle elevated to chest level whenever possible. This gives the tear a chance to heal and prevent the muscle pull from worsening. Although you do not have to immobilize the injured muscle completely, you should avoid strenuous movements for one to five days.
If you do not rest and ignore the pain, you will significantly delay your recovery. In some cases, this can turn a minor pull into a grade III pull - possibly leaving you unable to train for weeks. You do not need to be a personal injury lawyer to realize just how devastating an injury like this can be for an athlete.
Take Medication
Since a pulled muscle will swell, taking an anti-inflammatory medication can help. This medication will bring the swelling down, making the injury less painful. Once the swelling goes down, the muscle will start to heal on its own. Muscle creams can also reduce this swelling very quickly.
Apply Heat
After you get the swelling down, applying heat to the injured area can help to heal the muscle. Sitting in a hot bath, applying a hot towel, or using a heating pad can all give you the intended results. If you own a hot tub, it will correctly work the best. If it's cold outside, make sure your water heater is working correctly so that you always have warm water to ease your muscle tension. If you're tight from stress or other activities, you're more likely to get hurt. Hot shows and baths are a great way to help prevent this!
Use a Compression Bandage
Not only does a compression bandage reduce the pain, but it also takes some of the strain off the muscle, which allows it to heal. Avoid pulling the bandage so tight it cuts off your circulation, as this can-do significant damage. If you feel numbness, it means you have wrapped too tightly.
Stretch it Out
As your muscle begins to feel better, you can stretch it a little bit. Do not stretch it too far, as this can cause you to re-injure it. Some light stretching will also make your muscles more flexible, preventing muscle pulls in the future.
Strengthen Your Muscles
Before returning to training, it is essential to rehabilitate the muscle. Start with some light strength training, such as walking around the block, and gradually increase the intensity. Eventually, the pain will go away, and you will be back to normal. Ensure you do not rush your return, as it is easy to aggravate this type of injury without giving enough recovery time.
Page Reference
If you quote information from this page in your work, then the reference for this page is:
- GORDNER, C. (2013) Recovery from a Pulled Muscle [WWW] Available from: https://www.brianmac.co.uk/articles/article154.htm [Accessed
About the Author
Courtney is a freelance writer who loves writing about everything from health fitness to recovery treatment.