Pulling a muscle is the worst! Not only is it painful, but it can hamper mobility for long periods of time, which is extremely frustrating.
Luckily, there are things you can do every day to lower your risk of experiencing a painful muscle strain that ultimately wears on both your body and your nerves.
Read on as our AFC Urgent Care Chapman Highway center provides further helpful information on muscle strains below.
What Happens When I Pull a Muscle?
A pulled muscle, also known as a muscle strain, refers to damage to a muscle or its attaching tendons. Pulling a muscle can happen when you put undue pressure on muscles during the course of normal daily activities, such as heavy lifting, during sports or while performing work tasks.
Muscle damage can be in the form of tearing (part or all) of the muscle fibers and the tendons attached to the muscle. To know whether you’ve experienced a muscle strain, we’ve listed some common symptoms below.
Muscle Strain Symptoms
- Swelling, bruising or redness due to the injury
- Pain when resting
- Pain when the specific muscle or the joint in relation to that muscle is used
- Weakness of the muscle or tendons
- Inability to use the muscle at all
What I Can I Do to Prevent Muscle Strain?
Because muscle strains happen when the muscle is overstretched, keeping your muscles flexible and warm is one of the best things you can do to lower your risk of experiencing an injury.
We’ve listed a few ways you can do this below!
Ways to Prevent Muscle Strain
- If you’ve been injured before, allow proper time to heal from the specific injury.
- Stretch your muscles daily.
- Cross-train for sports by weightlifting or choosing another activity to strengthen your muscles.
- Warm up before exercise or intense activity.
- Eat foods high in potassium, like bananas and avocados, before exercise to prevent muscle fatigue.
- Properly hydrate before, during and after exercise.
Whether you’ve pulled a muscle or you need other non-emergency medical care, don’t hesitate to visit our AFC Urgent Care Chapman Highway team today!
