A muscle fiber tear is – similar to a torn ligament or a strain – a typical sports injury. During a high load tears thereby not, as the name muscle fiber tear suggests, only a single muscle fiber, but usually a whole muscle fiber bundle. Muscle fiber tears occur particularly frequently in the thigh and calf. Learn more about causes, typical symptoms as well as treatment options of a muscle fiber tear here.
Causes of a muscle fiber tear
Muscle fiber tears and their precursor muscle strains occur many times in sports such as soccer, handball, tennis, squash as well as in short distance sprinting. All these sports are characterized either by sudden maximum loads on the muscles (sprints) or a rapid alternation of deceleration and acceleration.
As a result of such extreme stress, a muscle strain or muscle fiber tear can occur: A muscle fiber tear occurs when the mechanical tensile forces acting in the muscles can no longer be absorbed. This is usually the case after an intense strain that has led to exhaustion of the muscles. Due to the heavy strain, the muscle metabolism can get out of balance and the communication between nerves and muscles can be negatively affected.
The cause of a muscle fiber tear is therefore mostly due to an overload of the musculature. In addition, the risk of a muscle fiber tear also increases significantly due to a too short warm-up phase before training as well as cold weather.
Muscle fiber tear or muscle strain?
If the forces acting in the muscles can no longer be absorbed, overstretching of the muscle fibers occurs. The consequence of such a stretch is first of all a muscle strain: the anatomical structure of the muscle remains unharmed, so there is no destruction of muscle cells.
Strains are usually noticeable by a slight or even somewhat stronger pulling in the affected muscle. If you have pulled a muscle, you should stop moving immediately and rest the muscle. It is also advisable to cool the affected area.
If the muscle is subjected to even greater strain, a muscle fiber tear can occur. In this case, a whole bundle of muscle fibers is usually torn and we feel a sharp pain in the muscles. In contrast to a strain, a muscle fiber tear is always associated with a structural change in the muscles: There is destruction of muscle cells and bleeding into the tissue.
If the muscle is subjected to maximum stress, it can also happen that not only individual muscle fibers tear, but the entire muscle. In such a case, one speaks of a muscle tear. This results in severe bleeding into the tissue and a possible total loss of muscle contraction. The two muscle parts each retract in the direction of their attachment tendon.
Thus, muscle strain, muscle fiber tear and muscle tear differ only in the damage caused in the muscles.
Typical symptoms for a muscle fiber tear
Muscle fiber tears are particularly common in the calf and thigh. This is due to the fact that in many sports the load in these areas is particularly high. A typical symptom of a muscle fiber tear is a sudden onset of pain that initially does not subside even at rest.
In addition, the functional activity of the affected muscle is restricted: The muscle loses strength and movements hurt. Often, simply tensing the muscle without a change in length leads to discomfort. In order to avoid pain, those affected adopt a protective posture in which the affected musculature is relieved.
In some cases, when a muscle fiber is torn, a dent can be felt in the muscles at the affected site – in some cases, this dent is even visible. However, these symptoms can also indicate a muscle tear.
In the case of a muscle fiber tear, there is also bleeding into the tissue, which results in a bruise at the injured site. However, depending on how deep the injured tissue layer is, this may only be visible at a later stage or not at all. Only in the case of larger injuries, such as a muscle tear, where the bleeding is more severe, the bruise becomes visible more quickly.
