An abdominal muscle strain is a mild injury to the abdominal muscles. Athletes are particularly affected by it. The abdominal muscle strain can heal quickly with appropriate measures.
What is an abdominal muscle strain?
An abdominal muscle strain is a strain of the skeletal muscles around the abdomen. The abdominal muscles work together with the back muscles and consist of straight and oblique muscles. The straight muscles cause good posture and allow the upper body to bend forward. The oblique abdominal muscles allow turning sideways. The skeletal muscles are made up of different building blocks. The smallest unit of these building blocks are the sarcomeres. When excessive stretch is applied to them, these muscle fibers can be pulled and tear. This impairs the function of the muscles. Abdominal muscle strains often occur during sports activities. Signs include pain in the muscle area. However, this pain is less than in muscle fiber tear and muscle tear. In the case of the strain, only the smallest unit of the muscle is affected. Nevertheless, the muscle should be spared.
Causes
The cause of an abdominal muscle strain may be overuse of the muscles of the abdominal area due to improper movement, or by stretching the muscles too much. The sarcomeres of the muscles cannot withstand excessive stretching and tear. A previous injury to the muscle that has not healed can also result in an abdominal strain. Therefore, it is important to spare the muscles so that regeneration can take place. An abdominal muscle strain can further result from great exertion. Immediately afterwards, there is pain in the abdominal area. Since straining is produced by the abdominal muscles, pain can also occur when coughing or going to the toilet. Sports with alternating muscle strain can be another cause of abdominal muscle strain. Sports such as soccer, tennis or sprinting would come to mind. These sports involve not only fast movements, but also quick stops. This overloads and fatigues the muscles. An innate low stretching ability of the muscles also comes into consideration. Last but not least, an imbalance of the muscles in the spine can be the cause of an abdominal muscle strain. Some muscle parts are overloaded thereby, by because they must balance the imbalance.
Symptoms, complaints and signs
An abdominal muscle strain often occurs when there is an unaccustomed overload, so that there is a strain of the particular muscle. A common symptom of such an abdominal muscle strain is a sharp pain that is noticeable even at rest. With certain movements, this discomfort can increase considerably, as improvement can only be achieved by sufficient rest and sparing. If the affected person feels a stabbing pain in the abdomen when breathing in and out, then this is also a very clear sign of an existing abdominal muscle strain. Anyone who continues to strain the abdominal muscles may have to reckon with an abdominal muscle tear. Thus, an extensive rest period, with an existing abdominal muscle strain, is very important and useful. Under certain circumstances, an abdominal muscle strain can also spread to other regions of the body if an actual muscle tear should occur. Swelling in corresponding regions can be the first sign of an abdominal muscle tear. In such a case, a visit to the doctor should not be put on the back burner if a timely and rapid recovery is to be achieved.
Diagnosis and course
The primary clues for an examination are increasing pain in the abdominal muscle area. Complementary to these symptoms, there may be decreased range of motion and limited function of the area. Other clues include muscle spasms and muscle stiffness. Because tone is increased in this area, the physician will check for muscle hardness and tenderness. Another important clue is whether stretching is comfortable for the patient and tightness is uncomfortable. An imaging technique is not suitable for diagnosis because the abdominal muscle strain does not cause damage to the muscle fibers. At first, a sudden pulling sensation is felt in abdominal muscle strain. Later, there is severe pain, especially when moving. The pain is caused by an inflammatory reaction and is usually cramp-like. Characteristically, the symptoms increase slowly.The muscle area can still be used at first, but later it can no longer be used. The muscle increasingly hardens and cramps.
Complications
Abdominal muscle strain usually results in relatively severe pain. This pain is intensified because the patient uses these muscles on a daily basis and can hardly prevent their use. For this reason, the rehabilitation of these muscles takes longer. Often there are painful cramps and also pressure pain. Due to the abdominal muscle strain, the affected person also feels a pulling in the abdomen, which can spread to the lower abdomen. In some cases, the abdominal muscle strain causes inflammation of the abdominal muscles, which is treated with medication. In the case of the strain, the patient is severely limited in his movement and thus in everyday life. This significantly reduces the quality of life. Treatment with medication fights the inflammation so that there are no further problems. The symptom itself can be treated with bandages, dressings and by cooling. In most cases, the treatment leads to a positive course of the disease and no further complications arise. If the abdominal muscles continue to be strained after the abdominal strain, there is usually obnoxious pain and cramping.
When should you see a doctor?
An abdominal muscle strain does not need to be treated in every case. In many cases, the discomfort will go away on its own if the strain was not severe. However, a doctor should be consulted if the abdominal muscles are painful or hardened. The affected person should also see a doctor if there are cramps or swellings in the affected regions. It is also not uncommon to experience pressure soreness and significant pain with slight movements of the abdomen. Since the discomfort considerably limits the quality of life of the affected person, a doctor should be consulted if the symptoms of abdominal muscle strain do not disappear on their own. In many cases, the patient has various self-help options available to relieve the discomfort of the abdominal muscle strain. In acute emergencies or after an accident, the hospital should be visited or an emergency doctor should be called directly. Furthermore, a general practitioner can also be consulted for diagnosis. Further therapy then takes place with a sports physician or through physiotherapy.
Treatment and therapy
Since the muscle tissue is not damaged in the case of abdominal muscle strain, treatment is primarily concerned with combating the symptoms. Recovery, not muscle regeneration, is important. The muscle misalignment associated with the discomfort is corrected. In addition, the muscle is relieved and relaxed. Physiotherapeutic treatment is suitable. In case of any suspicion of abdominal muscle strain, all activities should be stopped so that the muscle can regenerate. The treatment is initiated with the so-called PECH scheme. By this is meant: P stands for a pause of the body area. A break is taken only after a slight pulling sensation. Strong pressing should also be avoided. E stands for ice and other means by which cooling of the muscle area can be achieved. Cooling helps to reduce the pain. The C stands for “compression.” Compression, in turn, means applying pressure to the painful area using pressure bandages. The bandage tightens the muscle and protects it at the same time. However, the pressure bandage should not be pulled too tightly so that it does not affect vessels and nerves. Cooling cuffs are very suitable because they combine pressure and cooling. Finally, the H stands for Hochlagern. This is because elevation causes less blood to be transported to the injured tissue. This reduces the tone, i.e. the feeling of tension. After treatment according to the PECH regimen, the patient can take a hot shower or go to a sauna.
Outlook and prognosis
An abdominal muscle strain occurs when the muscles in the abdomen are overused. Certain postures and movements cause a stabbing pain in the abdominal region, so that the affected person is very limited in everyday life. If such a condition is left entirely without medical and drug treatment, the pain will increase considerably. In particularly bad cases, an existing abdominal muscle strain can develop into an abdominal muscle tear, so that a visit to the doctor can no longer be avoided.Especially if the muscles in this area continue to be heavily loaded, the probability of a tear in the abdominal muscles increases. Independent healing is no longer possible without medical and drug treatment. If the affected person decides to undergo such treatment for an existing abdominal muscle strain, then an uncomplicated and prompt recovery can be expected. With appropriate medication and a pronounced rest period, a rapid improvement can be achieved, so that the abdominal muscles can be fully loaded again after about 10 days. However, adherence to a strict rest period is not very easy, as this region of the body is strained by even the simplest of movements.
Prevention
As a preventive measure, a warm-up exercise should be done before exercising. It is especially important to warm up the muscles in cold weather. In addition, athletic exercises should not be performed in an uncoordinated manner or too quickly. As a preventive measure, sufficient water should also be drunk and attention paid to electrolyte intake. Finally, a balanced diet is especially important for athletes to avoid abdominal muscle distortion.
Aftercare
A pulled abdominal muscle is usually a very painful affair, but it does not always require medical attention or medication. With mild to moderate strains of the abdominal muscles, the healing process is completely self-sustaining. Thus, all follow-up examinations can be completely dispensed with. However, if a severe abdominal muscle strain is present, a follow-up examination may be recommended. If a medical treatment was successful in advance, follow-up examinations must not be dispensed with under any circumstances. Often, affected individuals put strain on this sensitive region far too early, causing the pulled abdominal muscles to flare up again. This is exactly what can be prevented by subsequent examinations. An appropriate doctor can give the affected person appropriate medication and tips along the way so that such a strain of the abdominal muscles does not break out again. In the case of a severe strain of the abdominal muscles, one or, if necessary, several follow-up examinations should take place afterwards. This is the only way to prevent possible complications in the healing process. In the case of a slight strain of the abdominal muscles, this can be completely dispensed with. Even without medical treatment or subsequent examinations, there is nothing standing in the way of a complete recovery. Nevertheless, at the slightest signs of aggravation, an appropriate doctor must be consulted.
What you can do yourself
If an abdominal muscle strain is suspected, all sports activities should first be stopped. The actual treatment follows the PECH scheme (rest, ice, “compression”, elevation). Movements that could put additional strain on the abdominal muscles (e.g., heavy pressing on the toilet) are ideally paused until the strain has healed. To relieve pain, the affected area should be cooled with ice and other cold applications. In addition, the distorted muscle must be strengthened with compresses and pressure bandages and its blood circulation promoted by elevating it. Accompanying these immediate measures, hot showers or a short sauna session can help. In addition, the abdomen can be regularly rubbed with rubbing alcohol, arnica tincture or calendula ointment. A decoction of sage, hyssop and corn, which is also applied directly to the pulled muscle, has also proven effective. After the acute phase, any pain and movement restrictions can be alleviated by physiotherapy and electrotherapy. Finally, after a few days, light sports may be practiced again with an abdominal muscle strain. Cycling, swimming or walking promote blood circulation and loosen the affected muscles after a strain. If the symptoms persist despite all measures, a physician or sports physician should be consulted with an abdominal muscle strain.
