What happens when muscle fibers tear?
Muscle damage can be in the form of tearing (part or all) of the muscle fibers and the tendons attached to the muscle. The tearing of the muscle can also damage small blood vessels, causing local bleeding, or bruising, and pain caused by irritation of the nerve endings in the area.
How long do torn muscle fibers take to heal?
For a mild strain, you may be able to return to normal activities within three to six weeks with basic home care. For more severe strains, recovery can take several months. In severe cases, surgical repair and physical therapy may be necessary. With proper treatment, most people recover completely.
What does it feel like when muscle fibers tear?
Symptoms of Torn Muscles Expect pain and soreness, as well as spasms and swelling in the affected area. Depending on the severity of the strain, you may find it difficult to move the area, if at all. You may note swelling as well as bruising and discoloration accompanied by a “knotted up” feeling or stiffness.
How do you treat a torn muscle fiber?
Treatment
- Rest the injured muscle (and take a temporary break from sports activities).
- Ice the injured area to reduce swelling.
- Compress the muscle with an elastic bandage.
- Elevate the injured area.
Do muscle fibers tear during exercise?
When you lift a heavy weight, what you’re really doing is creating micro-tears in your muscle fibers. The muscles then have to repair themselves and when they do, they get stronger, which results in muscle growth.
How do you fix a torn muscle?
approach — rest, ice, compression, elevation:
- Rest. Avoid activities that cause pain, swelling or discomfort.
- Ice. Even if you’re seeking medical help, ice the area immediately.
- Compression. To help stop swelling, compress the area with an elastic bandage until the swelling stops.
- Elevation.
Should you massage a muscle tear?
Therapeutic massage helps loosen tight muscles and increase blood flow to help heal damaged tissues. Applying pressure to the injured muscle tissue also helps remove excess fluid and cellular waste products. A 2012 study found that massage immediately following an injury may even speed strained muscle healing.
How long does it take for a torn tendon to heal?
Healing can take up to 12 weeks. The injured tendon may need to be supported with a splint or cast to take tension off of the repaired tendon. Physical therapy or occupational therapy is usually necessary to return movement in a safe manner.
When does a torn muscle require surgery?
Most muscle strains do not require surgery, and a full recovery is expected. If there is a partial tear then the athlete can return when they are pain free and have normal strength and motion. This usually occurs following anywhere from a few weeks to a few months of appropriate treatment and therapy.
Is it good to tear muscle fibers?
“Once these occur, the body sends good nutrition and good blood to the area to heal. This, in turn, is how you grow musculature. Over time, if done correctly, the microtears you sustain from exercise will eventually accumulate to form muscle mass. “You have to break muscle down to build it back up stronger,” he says.
Do muscles have to tear to grow?
Muscles Grow Only if They’re Forced to If a workout causes too few micro-tears in the fibers, then little muscle growth will occur as a result because the body figures it doesn’t need to grow to deal again with such a minor stimulus.