Dr Gholam Sarwar
drgholamsarwarseo@gmail.com
9891766118
84A, Sector-6, Pocket -2, DDA Flats, Dwarka, New Delhi - 110075
Muscle injuries are the most common type of injury in an athlete. In this article we want to focus on muscle elongation or muscle pull, the mildest muscle type injury, a priori.
Muscle strain is the famous “pull”. As Dr Sarwar, physiotherapist in Delhi, explains, it occurs when the muscle is stretched “beyond its possibilities”. It is usually considered the previous step to a muscle rupture and is considered a minor injury. "It is the most benign of muscle injuries," says Dr Sarwar, physiotherapy doctor in Delhi.
What is muscle stretching
Elongation occurs as a result of eccentric muscle contraction at the two ends of the muscle. It normally occurs in polyarticular muscles, such as the quadriceps and hamstrings. The fundamental difference with the break is that in the elongation the fiber does not break, or a minimal break occurs. “The rupture produces a hematoma, which takes longer to reabsorb and always leaves a scar, larger or smaller”, explains the physiotherapist in Dwarka. In contrast, stretching does not leave a scar, so the muscle does not lose functionality.
"It always occurs as a function of muscular overloads and imbalances ", illustrates the doctor. There are very characteristic examples. For example, in a short race: the explosive contraction of the quadriceps can produce an excessive lengthening of the hamstring. In soccer players it can occur when hitting the ball with force, which produces a sudden stretching of the posterior thigh muscles.
The sport most affected by muscle strain or pull is precisely football. "It generally occurs in the hamstring," explains the best physiotherapist in Dwarka, "followed by the rectus femoris, the adductors, and the twins."
When does a pulled muscle occur?
The elongation has several characteristics:
Symptoms of muscle strain are mild. The pain is usually diffuse, so that it is difficult to locate the exact point. Unlike a muscle tear, which usually generates rapid functional impotence, elongation can allow practicing sports, although with less intensity. "You can tell that something has happened, and sometimes it is not distinguishable from an overload because it is not excessively painful," Dr Sarwar abounds.
How to prevent muscle strains
Elongation is a type of injury that can be largely prevented, as long as some basic guidelines are taken into account:
What to do when you have a pulled muscle
Despite the apparent lightness of the muscle strain, it is advisable to stop practicing sports for a few days.
The treatment can be carried out in two phases:
"Properly diagnosed, it should not take more than ten days to return to normal activity," concludes the physiotherapist in Dwarka.