Most people look at muscle strains as random accidents…
Move the wrong way on a wrong day and “ZING!” you’ve got a strained back that will turn your life upside down for days or even weeks.
Many patients we treat are under the mistaken impression that muscle strains happen out of the blue…
As we’ll see…
This is not the case.
How do you treat muscle strains?
Understandably, people are more focused on the immediate impact these injuries have on their lives.
Strain a hamstring and you’ll be limping for a week. Climbing a few stairs becomes a monumental task…
Strain your neck and you won’t be able to turn your head one way or the other. You end up having to turn your entire body just to have a simple conversation…
Strain your back and in an instant your life becomes miserable. The smallest movements bring debilitating pain…
We see the aftermath of these injuries constantly.
The painfully slow movements when patients walk into the office.
The contorted facial expressions and unnatural standing positions…
Something as simple as getting in and out of the car to walk into our clinic is a struggle.
When you experience this level of pain you only want one thing…
You want the pain to stop.
Unfortunately, this is the point where many people make the mistake of running for traditional medical solutions.
Why?
Because it’s possible they’ll find a temporary fix.
Something to mask or at least numb the pain…
And that may work…for a short time at least.
After all, this is how our health care system has traditionally done things…
But treating your pain this way is a case of “too little, too late.”
The Signs & Symptoms of a Muscle Strain
If you’ve had a muscle strain, especially a severe one, you’re familiar with the pain that comes with it.
Other telltale signs are:
- Pain or tenderness
- Redness or bruising
- Limited motion
- Muscle spasms
- Swelling
- Muscle weakness
The moment you attempt to use a muscle that’s been strained, all the above symptoms can instantly kick in.
Muscle strains vary in severity from mild to a severe tear which may require surgery. Our office can help determine the severity of your injury.
Common muscle strain areas…
So which muscles are more susceptible to strains and tears?
In truth, strains can occur in any muscle in the body.
However, there are some which are injured more often than others.
They are: The hamstrings (the muscles at the back of the thigh), the lower back, neck and shoulders and the calf muscles.
One contributing factor is if the muscle in question crosses two joints in the body such as the hamstring, calves and quadriceps.
How can you reduce your risk of muscle strain?
There are some things you can do to reduce the likelihood of a muscle strain.
Many of these preventative measures fall under the heading of, “Don’t over do it!”
They include:
- The lack of a proper warmup prior to activity (not preparing yourself properly)
- Poor flexibility (this could be genetic or the result of soreness or cold temperatures)
- Poor conditioning (doing something you’re body’s not ready for)
- Overexertion and fatigue (not knowing when enough is enough)
Without treating the root cause, the injury will recur and the pain will return with a vengeance…
And once again, normal life comes to a grinding halt.
The scientific reasons behind what’s happened to you may not matter in those agonizing moments, but eventually, they will.
If you experience frequent, back, hamstring, neck, shoulder strains, it’s time to abandon the “that’s just the way it is” mindset and dig deeper…
It’s time to find the root cause!
Consider this concept…
What if these injuries aren’t random?
What if there were actually “planned” in a way?
What if there were movement patterns you followed as well as muscular imbalances you developed…
Joint, tendon, or muscle group weakness that crept in overtime that caused ALL of these episodes?
What if you found out these injuries occur and then reoccur for specific reasons and that in many cases, you could address those reasons and permanently sidestep the pain?
Picture it…
If the answers to these questions were true, wouldn’t that mean that the vast majority of muscle strains are preventable?!
It would be like having a machine that predicts the future…
“Do this, this and this, and then X will happen.”
Only that “X” is you living a life free of debilitating bouts of pain!
Well, this isn’t a made-up thing…
It is possible.
We’d like to help you shift your mindset from “treatment after the fact” to “prevention before it ever happens”.
While some muscle strains result from unexpected and unpreventable accidents, the vast majority of muscle strains happen for very predictable patterns.
Patterns you have control over.
We’ve only touched upon a few of them here…
Our clinic has studied these patterns or “triggers” as we call them for years.
These triggers are the true cause of your muscle strains.
If you’ve experienced “throwing out your back”…
If you live with frequent neck strains and shoulder pain…
If you endure hamstring strains for no clear reason…
We need to talk.
Our testing protocol can pinpoint the imbalances and weaknesses that lead to many of these recurring injuries.
Together we can put a plan in place that will build a wall between you and the next “random” muscle strain.
This is the real cause of muscle strains and how to treat them properly.
You CAN avoid the “inevitable”…
