Pulled Chest Muscle Symptoms

Muscles in the chest area are involved while performing regular day-to-day activities such as lifting an arm, bending over, sitting up, or lying down in bed. Due to frequent use, overloading of the muscles is quite obvious, leading to pulled chest muscles. This painful condition is also referred to as chest muscle strain. In most cases, it turns out to be a mild condition and severe injury is reported in a few instances. However, the concerning part with chest muscle strain is difficulty in identifying the symptoms.

Who are at Risk for Pulled Chest Muscles?

When we say muscle strain in the chest, two major muscles are mostly affected, namely, the pectoralis major and pectoralis minor. Situated in front of the ribcage, the former type is a large muscle, while pectoralis minor is a small muscle located underneath the major one. The root cause of pulling chest muscle is overstretching of one of these two muscles (or both) from the normal limit, either due to excess weight or pressure. This results in small tears of the muscle fibers, particularly at the junction of muscles and tendons.

In addition to muscle overstretching, physical trauma in the upper body portion causes pulling of the chest muscles. Though anyone can experience a chest muscle strain, it is more common amongst athletes and those who indulge in strenuous physical activities. Thus, sportspersons such as tennis players, football players, boxers, weightlifters, basketball players, and other people whose professions require quick movement of the chest muscles and recurrent usage of the upper body portion are highly susceptible to chest muscle strain. Notable symptoms of a pulled chest muscle are experienced within 24 hours after the injury.

Signs and Symptoms of Pulled Chest Muscles

The most evident sign of pulled chest muscle is pain in the localized area. But, prior to the manifestation of the pain symptoms, one may experience pulled muscle feeling in the chest area, which worsens as a sharp burning pain during movement and/or rotation of the afflicted portion. Within a few days, muscle strain becomes obvious even while lifting or moving the arms. Depending upon the severity of the condition and the symptoms present, pulled chest muscles can be classified into the following three grades:

Grade 1: Pulled muscle in chest portion characterized by mild discomfort is categorized as Grade 1 symptom. The discomfort symptom is exhibited within 24 hours of sustaining tissue injury. Under such a condition, the person can manage and perform free movement activities.

Grade 2: The pulled chest muscle with moderate pain is termed as Grade 2 injury. Very often, it is accompanied with swelling and inflammation in the affected chest area. An individual with Grade 2 pulled chest muscle symptoms experience sharp pain during high level physical activities.

Grade 3: Needless to mention, this is the most severe case of chest muscle strain. Symptoms of Grade 3 pulled chest muscle include intolerable pain, muscle spasms, increased sensitivity of the muscles, loss of strength, tenderness, swelling, and bruising of the affected chest portion.

How to Recover Pulled Chest Muscles Properly?

A strained muscle takes some time to recuperate completely. While a mild pulled chest muscle usually heals within a few days to a few weeks period, Grade 3 injury recovery period lasts from several weeks to a few months time. If a person experiences symptoms related to pulled chest muscles, then he/she should stop straining or performing other physical activities until full recovery is achieved. In fact, proper resting of the muscles is the main approach for management and treatment of pulled chest muscle symptoms. Continuing workouts with chest muscle strain will aggravate the condition, resulting in tendon injury.

Applying ice packs over the affected area will help in relieving muscle pain to some extent. But, for actual treatment of pulled chest muscle, one should consult and seek advice from an exercise professional or a healthcare provider. Do not follow unsure individual tips to address pulled chest muscle as they may worsen the condition, rather than reducing the chest pain. And to prevent recurrence of a pulled chest muscle, it is always advisable to perform warming up and warming down exercises before and after doing a workout schedule.