Pulled Muscle

Talk about muscles in conjunction to any vigorous physical activity or sports, the most common happening is a muscle pull. A muscle pull, simply put, is an excess strain on the muscle. Here the muscle is stretched more than its normal tenacity. A pulled muscle is a very routine thing for athletes and those who work out regularly or perhaps when you are starting a workout regime or an exercise routine. Even if you lift something heavy or pull something heavy, it can cause a muscle strain. In addition to that, sometimes a wrong movement of the limbs can also lead to a muscle pull. This and more will be dealt with, in the text below.

Indications of a Pulled Muscle
This is an absolute no brainer. Muscle pain and a slight swelling (in severe cases) are the obvious symptoms and pointers of a muscle pull. Sometime, if the ligament has ruptured, you might hear and sense a pop. Due to the strain, it might happen that blood circulation in that area has been hampered. That can lead to that area turning blue. In extreme cases, the individual cannot even move the affected part. These are however, the general symptoms. These can vary slightly, depending on individual cases. That depends on the grade of the injury. These are -

Grade 1
This is the muscle pull of a very primary stage. In this stage, there is a mild pain and no disability and your activities are not limited.

Grade 2
If there is a grade 2 muscle strain or pull, there is a little bit more pain and discomfort. The activities you can indulge in are relegated to moderate intensity and a bit of bruising and swelling can be observed.

Grade 3
Here things can get really painful and severe. Swelling and significant bruising is accompanied by a limitation on the activities. This is not exactly a very good situation to be in.

Pulled muscles are common in limbs and back. Let us take a look now at how to take care of and treat pulled and sore muscles.

How to Treat a Pulled Muscle?
When there is a muscle or ligament, the first thing you need to do is get treatment - RIC and anti-inflammatory medications. RIC refers to rest, ice and compression.

Rest
If the affected muscle is not rested immediately, it may aggravate the muscle as well as the ligament. Hence, resting the muscle is absolutely essential. Avoid moving the pulled muscle as far as possible. In case of grade 1, resting the muscle for sometime will do the trick. In case of grade 2 and beyond one has to rest the muscle really well, at least in the first 48 hours.

Ice
Chill when you are dealing with a muscle injury. Ice is a wonder remedy and if applied immediately after injury, it can curb the swelling and the pain will subside remarkably too. But remember to avoid applying ice for more than 15 to 20 minutes at one go. Otherwise the ligament can end up getting worse instead of better.

Compression
A pulled muscle can be treated by a wrap or a splint in the affected area. That can support the muscle and act as shock absorber. Heat application too, can augur well to attain relief from pain and discomfort emanating from a muscle pull.

Anti-Inflammatory Medicines
If the pain is severe with grade 2 or 3 strain or pull, painkillers and anti-inflammatory medications too, can help reduce the pain. However, it is advisable to avoid taking these medications without consulting your doctor.

In addition to these, slight stretching of the muscle (if that is possible) can help relax the pulled muscle. If there is a swelling, elevating that muscle can also prove to be effective.

The best to deal with this is to avoid it all together by doing a proper warm up before workout and making efforts to strengthen the muscles through various exercises. Take care!