Muscle strains and injuries are usually caused by a shearing effect such as a contact injury or a strain. The muscle fibres and their surrounding tiny blood vessels rupture hence the pain.

The healing process for the human body is incredible – the repair cycle kicks in within hours.

It is a complicated physiological process but in a depending on the severity of the injury it’s approximately a cycle of 21 days until your muscle is getting close to where it used to be prior to injury. Due to this process, it is very important to be patient and listen to your body.

The Trap

The classic trap is that you begin to feel ok and pain free by day 7-10 and think “I’m good to train again tonight”. Unfortunately, this is a recipe for a re-injury and starting the whole process all over again.

Management

Therefore, correct management of muscle strains and injuries is very important to prevent re-injury and chronic repetitive problems. In these cases, the majority of clients just need a helping hand to guide the process from acute management through to a short rehabilitation/strengthening programme.

Return

An accurate diagnosis of the grading using clinical experience and knowledge will help facilitate the decisions surrounding an appropriate return to sport. Avoiding the frustration of breaking down is crucial in the return to play protocols.

Thanks for reading,

Ronan Fallon (MISCP)