Introduction
When the muscle or tendon becomes overstretched, their overuse results in muscle strain, and the severity depends on the damage to the muscle fiber or tendon, ranging from mild overexertion to partial or complete muscle tear. Muscle strains are common among athletes. Studies have shown that 30 to 50 percent of all sports injuries are caused by strain or tendinitis (inflammation of the thick fibrous cords that attach muscle to bone).
What Are the Types of Muscle Injuries?
The muscles are categorized into three types based on their origin such as cardiac, skeletal, and smooth muscle. Comparatively, the skeletal muscles are more prone to injury and affect significant body movement. Skeletal muscle injuries are further classified into:
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Muscle Strain: Muscle strain is caused due to overstretching, overuse, or improper use of muscle fiber or tendon. The symptoms last for a few weeks, and they recover on their own. The anti-inflammatory and stretching of muscles promote active healing.
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Muscle Tear: The muscle tear affects the blood supply on the affected site with sudden onset of pain, swelling, and bruise (bleeding under the skin due to trauma). Muscle tear cases often require physiotherapy for rehabilitation.
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Rhabdomyolysis: It is a typical condition that occurs when the necrotic muscle fibers release byproducts into the blood vessels with impaired neurological functions or kidney failure. The major causes of rhabdomyolysis are traumatic injury, seizures, stroke, infections, vigorous exercise, and allergic reactions due to certain drugs like cocaine and amphetamines.
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Muscle Contusion: It is also known as bruised muscle and occurs when blunt objects hit the muscle fiber or connective tissue without damaging the skin. It most probably recovers within a few weeks and rarely requires surgery to reduce the swelling and internal bleeding.
What Are the Types of Tendon Injuries?
The inflammatory thick fibrous band that connects the muscle and the bone (tendon) is called tendonitis, most commonly found in shoulders, elbows, wrists, knees, and heels. Tendonitis is characterized into four different types:
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Achilles Tendonitis: Achilles tendonitis is common among athletes and middle-aged people who actively participate in sports. It is characterized by mild to moderate pain in the calf muscle (back of the leg) after running and climbing. Severe inflammation can lead to a tear or rupture of tendons and require surgical intervention for recovery.
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Golfer's Elbow: It is a pain in the forearm or wrist and radiates outside the elbow due to repeated use of wrist muscles by golf and tennis players. The symptoms like pain, stiffness, and muscle fatigue recover after appropriate rest.
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Patellar Tendonitis: Patellar tendonitis occurs due to inflammation of the patellar tendon (the tissue that connects the thigh muscle to the knee and helps in kicking and jumping) and recovers by stretching and strengthening of muscle around the knee, also known as jumper's knee. It is the most common injury among basketball and volleyball players.
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Tennis Elbow: It is the tendon's inflammation around the elbow due to repeated use of such muscle. And it is similar to a golfer's elbow, but the pain that occurs at the bony bump on the outside of the elbow can radiate to the forearm and wrist.
What Are the Causes of Muscle and Tendon Injuries?
Muscle and tendonitis occur due to overstretching of muscle in the following conditions:
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Trauma (accident or self-fall).
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Improper exercise (the one who failed to do warm-up).
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Sports with repetitive movement (tennis, golf, running, and weight lifting).
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The job with excessive physical strain.
What Are the Symptoms of Muscle and Tendon Injuries?
The symptoms vary from one person to another based on severity. The common symptoms are:
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Pain.
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Bruise (internal bleeding).
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Restricted physical activity.
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Spasms.
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Swelling.
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Muscle fatigue.
How to Diagnose Muscle and Tendon Injuries?
The diagnosis is based on the history of injury, physical examination with inspection and palpation of the muscle, followed by imaging tests like X-rays, if needed, to rule out the fracture. Other examinations are:
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Ultrasound Imaging: Ultrasound is the traditional method for diagnosing muscle injuries and simultaneously evaluating muscle contraction and tear.
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Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI): MRI is used in most musculoskeletal diseases. The primary role is to evaluate muscle tendon position and assess the size of edema (swelling) and hematoma (blood clot).
What Are the Treatment and Management of Muscle and Tendon Injuries?
The treatment modalities are broadly divided into immediate care, palliative care, surgery, and post-operative care.
Immediate Care: The immediate care for muscles and soft tissue injuries includes:
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Rest: Plenty of rest prevents muscle retraction and reduces blood clots within the muscle.
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Ice: Using a cold pack for 15 to 20 minutes reduces the swelling and promotes healing.
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Compression: The combined use of ice packs and compression at 30 to 60 minutes intervals decreases muscle temperature and swelling.
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Elevation: The elevation of the affected site with the help of a pillow decreases vascularity (blood flow), which aids in swelling and inflammation.
Palliative Care: Palliative care is used to relieve both signs and symptoms with the help of NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs), steroids, and analgesics (Ibuprofen, Aspirin, and Acetaminophen).
Surgery: Surgical intervention is used only with defective intramuscular bleeding and muscle tear, characterized by persistent extension pain for more than four to six months.
Post-operative Care: Strategic post-operative care is used after surgical and non-surgical treatment to improve the strength of the muscle and tendon. Physical therapy and exercise promote muscle contraction without tension during movement. Cold or heat pack therapy is used to relieve pain and increase blood circulation. The therapeutic ultrasound massages the muscle with high-frequency waves and can relieve pain significantly.
How to Prevent Muscle and Tendon Injuries?
Warming up the muscles before physical or sports activity is the golden standard for prevention. Moderate walking for five to ten minutes generally warms up the muscles. A healthy lifestyle and exercise help to maintain body weight and decrease the stress on the muscle during movement.
Conclusion
Muscle strains and tendonitis commonly occur through repeated physical activity and can range from mild to severe. An enormous amount of rest and rehabilitation of the affected muscle promotes faster healing. Other than that, physical therapy and exercise aid in attaining normal day-to-day life.
