Runner's health. Muscle strains.

A muscle strain is a common injury for runners. Learn what it is and how to treat it.

Runner's health. Muscle strains.

A muscle strain, as its name suggests, is a very strong muscular contraction in which the muscle shrinks to form a "knot." Take care of your health; we'll tell you how. The sensation of a muscle strain is very clear: a strong discomfort or pain in a very specific area of the muscle.

It feels like the muscle forms a knot or a ball. A muscle strain is a sustained tension—sometimes it eventually relaxes on its own, and sometimes it doesn't.

A muscle strain usually gives warning signs with small discomforts and cramps. When you've been "overdoing" exercise for a while, or simply when there's a muscle area that isn't sufficiently trained, a strain appears. Of course, it's reversible, but the improvement will depend on its severity and the subsequent treatment.

Mild muscle strains

If the strain is mild, sometimes a few days of rest are enough, but massage is the fastest and most effective treatment to eliminate them definitively. It's important to remember that after a massage for a muscle strain, the area will be very sore, so rest is usually always the best complementary measure for treatment.

Severe muscle strains

If the strain is very severe, the treatment must be comprehensive. First and foremost, consult a physiotherapist. In addition to rest and massage, your recovery can likely be expedited if accompanied by anti-inflammatory gels, electrical stimulation, and so on.

Recovery

The muscle needs time to recover. Sometimes the strain even comes with a bruise that needs time to heal. After this common runner's injury, it's advisable to start running again on not-too-hard surfaces and at very slow paces. Gradually, the muscle will regain its normal function.

A muscle strain does not necessarily imply a muscle tear.

A muscle strain is not the same as a muscle tear, although an extreme strain can cause microfibers to tear. In this case, the treatment is different, as a tear can worsen if not treated properly.

For this reason, it requires more care and more time for recovery. A muscle tear needs to "knit" together again, and the scar could become a future problem if the recovery is not done well.

Always consult a professional. Your health will thank you. Beurbanrunning.com

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