More or less violent impacts on the musculoskeletal system, which includes muscles, tendons, fascia and joints, represent sprains, contusions and strains. A sprain can only occur at joints. Preferred joints here are the ankle and wrist. Contusions, on the other hand, affect more the soft tissues, the muscles and the often overlying tendinous plates, the fasciae. Strains are suffered only in the muscles and their ends, which are called tendons. Each of the above injuries differs from the others by specific characteristics. Therefore, the behavior and treatment is also different.
Causes of strains
Strains occur in muscles and tendons as a result of excessive or misdirected stress, usually when the muscles are in a poorly trained state.
So what can you do yourself if you suffer an injury of this type?
Strains occur in muscles and tendons as a result of excessive or misdirected stress, usually when the muscles are in a poorly trained state. Injury susceptibility is also present when injury residues have not been fully cured. But also present focal foci, that is, foci of pus, as can occur mostly on teeth, tonsils, sinuses, appendix, etc., are observed by so-called scattered foci on distant parts of the musculoskeletal system often repetitive strains.
Treatment
If remedial action is not taken here, permanent improvement is unlikely. Strains differ from fiber tears in that there is no separation (tearing) of tissue fibers, only overstretching. These differences are clearly indicated by the following symptoms:
Muscle strain
- Pain increasing with exertion, but allowing movement, albeit diminished. After a period of rest at first greater discomfort, which then decreases noticeably in the subsequent phase of movement.
- There is no blue-red discoloration and hardly any swelling visible.
- A painful circumscribed area, responsive to pressure, is palpable and of harder consistency than the surrounding tissue. Also, the pain of stretching is symptomatic.
- Controlled movement is soon possible again, with optimal treatment, the recovery time can be relatively short.
- Healing occurs without a palpable tissue scar or muscle callus in the affected area.
Muscle fiber tear
- Spontaneous pain like being stabbed or thrown a stone at the injured area, usually making further normal movement impossible.
- Usually occurs a visible bruise, which not infrequently shows discoloration to below the injury site.
- A muscle gap is palpable at the injury site, which is very painful when pressed. There is a strong impediment to movement and defensive tension, especially when stretching the muscles.
- Controlled movement and load is usually possible only after healing of the tear. The recovery time takes much longer than a muscle strain, about 4 – 8 weeks.
- After healing always remains a palpable scar callus.
