Healing Strains

How can muscle heal strain be healed?

Muscle strains can happen when we least expect it and it always seems to be at the worst time. While there is not secret remedy for muscle strains there are a few things you can do to keep yourself comfortable and to heal the muscle properly.

There are several tiers of muscle strains. A tier one muscle strain only has a small part (less than 5mm) of the muscle torn. If a person has a leg strain of this severity, they can typically walk or even slowly jog with limited to no pain. The second tier of strain is often painful while resting and is accompanied by bruising and inflammation. The muscle fibers are actually torn in a second-tier strain. A third-tier strain is the most sever where 85% or more of the muscle tissue torn. This level of tare has large amounts of swelling, bruising and muscle function is often limited.

If you suspect you have a severe strain, be sure to seek medical advice to prevent any long term mobility problems from occurring.

Tier 1 and 2 strains can often be treated at home using the below method:

Day 1 – Apply the RICE method faithfully.

• R – Rest

  • Limiting activity is very important to ensure the injured muscle fibers are damaged any further.

• I – Ice

  • Applying ice in 10-minute increments (10 min. on and 10 min. off) helps limit the amount of internal bleeding and swelling that may occur in the area.

• C – Compression

  • Wrapping the affected area by applying a firm but comfortable amount of pressure also helps limit the amount of internal bleeding that may occur.

• E – Elevation

  • Placing the injured area above your heart can help reduce swelling as well as the amount of internal bleeding that may initially occur.

Day 2 - 5 – Continue using the RICE Method described above and introduce small movements to the affected area.

• Gently move the injured area to increase blood circulation within the tissues. This helps reduce pain in the area and overtime will increase your range of movement.

• Keep all movements within the pain free range. At this stage, if the movement hurts you are not helping the healing process.

• DO NOT stretch the affected muscles. This could disrupt the healing process and can cause additional scar tissue to develop in the area.

Day 5 Onward – Begin strengthening the injured muscle so you can resume normal activities.

• The new tissue cells are smaller and significantly weaker than the old previously injured cells. This means you cannot resume strenuous activities until the new cells are strong enough to support the activity.

• If you are experiencing pain while strength training the area, this is often a good indication the exercise is too strenuous. It is important to slowly increase your actively level to avoid additional injuries to the affected area.

Most tier 1 strains take about 4 weeks to heal while tier 2 strains can take anywhere from 6 – 12 weeks depending on the severity of the injury.

While you are on the path to recovery, we recommend using Pure Personal Care’s All Natural Pain Relief Cream. After the initial application, most people experience relief in 5 minutes or less. Give it a try today so you can Feel Your Best, Naturally.

Resources: How to Treat Muscle Strains or Tears - Bing video