Definition
A rupture of the abdominal muscle barrel is an injury to the abdominal muscles. It is usually caused by physical activity, often also by sports. In the case of a torn muscle fibre, the enormous strain on the muscle tissue causes damage to the muscle fibres.
Fibers are torn off in the process. Some tiny muscle fiber tears have been experienced by most people at some point in their lives – a sore muscle. The next preliminary stage of a torn muscle fiber tear on the abdomen is the abdominal muscle strain.
A torn muscle fiber, which can also be called a tear in sports medicine, is larger and more painful due to the extent of the injury. The muscle fiber tear can occur in the straight and the oblique abdominal muscles, which has a significant influence on the symptoms and the subsequent limitation of movement. As with all muscle fiber ruptures, the top priority with the abdomen is to protect the muscles (as far as possible) and allow sufficient time for the recovery process.
Causes
The causes of a torn muscle fibre in the abdomen can be many and varied, but they always have one thing in common – the overuse of the abdominal muscles. Tears in the muscles can occur during sports as well as in conditions that strain the muscles in an excessive and unnatural way. Such a condition is, for example, pregnancy or an illness such as severe coughing.
Sports that put particular strain on the abdominal muscles are, for example, soccer and tennis, as the body is constantly jerking. Due to possible temperature fluctuations, corresponding sports injuries can occur, especially in winter, when warming up before training or outdoor games is not enough. Strength training can also lead to injuries of various muscle groups, including the abdominal muscles.
The main focus here is on exercises in which the muscles are supposed to lift more than the body weight, as is the case in bodybuilding in particular. Normally, the abdominal muscles withstand the tension that arises when coughing in the abdominal and chest muscles. After some time, patients may report sore muscles in the abdomen, which in the worst case can be caused by a slight strain.
Only in rare cases can a torn muscle fibre occur. The muscles are designed to be able to cope with the everyday and natural strains. If the muscles are weakened or if they are affected in a special way, their strength can be reduced – as can sometimes happen during pregnancy.
As the abdomen gets bigger, the abdominal muscles are increasingly stretched. How well it handles this can vary from woman to woman. If, however, a cough develops during pregnancy (e.g. a chesty cough, where the frequency of coughing is greatly increased), the muscles may eventually become permanently overstrained and have to give in to the strain.
During pregnancy the abdomen is probably stressed like no other part of the female body. The connective tissue, the skin, but also the muscles have to adjust to the growing child. Various problems can occur in this process, which are usually caused by excessive stretching.
In addition to stretch marks and slackened connective tissue after birth, muscle complaints during pregnancy are not unusual. The muscles become weaker over time and in some cases give way to strain, for example when an illness is associated with a severe cough. The abdominal muscles could have endured one of these circumstances in their weakened state, but in combination the tissue is sometimes overstrained – the result is an extremely painful rupture of the muscle fibers on the baby’s abdomen. The affected women usually have no choice but to sit out the injury. In addition, any pain in the abdominal area should be treated to ensure the health of the growing child.
