How to treat Muscle Pulls

No matter how diligently you warm up and stretch, warm down and stretch, you may still pull a muscle from overuse, fatigue, or injury. A muscle pull is probably the most common sports injury.

The universally held treatment for a muscle pull or tear is to apply ice. This relaxes the muscle and helps relieve any spasm. Apply ice to the injured body part and rest it until the pain and swelling subside. Apply the ice for about 20 minutes at a time for several days to reduce inflammation. Then, start rehabilitating the body part with a gentle exercise and stretching program.

It is of utmost importance to stretch the muscle while it heals. A pulled muscle usuall goes into spasm, which is a protective mechanism that causes the stretched muscle fibers to contract. If the fibers are not gradually relengthened, the muscle will pull again once you return to activity because it would have healed in a shorter state. Stretching the muscle gradually, not violently will decrease your chances of reinjuring it.

In general, you can return to action when you are able to stretch the injured body part without pain as far as you can stretch the healthy one on the other side of your body.

Source: Tennis Injury Handbook by Levy, M.D. and Fuerst

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