Human health depends on many parameters. And all of them must comply with the norm, so that a person feels great. Among other components of health, a significant role in maintaining it belongs to sport. But we are not talking about professional workloads, but about those that are useful to every person. It is good when the classes are conducted by a specialist. But many do not have such an opportunity or simply wish to study on their own. In this case, the main thing is to remember that it is better to reduce the load than to hurt yourself. It is very important to know what to do with muscle strain and how to help yourself in the first hours after an injury.
Muscle concept
Muscles are organs of the body consisting of elastic tissue, which has the property of contracting under the influence of nerve impulses. Muscles perform many functions in the human body, but the most important thing is the movement of the body and ensuring its healthy functioning.
Thanks to them, we can blink, smile, swallow. But all these are the simplest possibilities, which are often not even realized. Muscles allow a person to protect themselves, to endure something heavy and achieve significant results in sports.
The work of this organ in our body is controlled by the nervous system.
There are several approaches to calculating the number of muscles in the body, but it is believed that there are 640 of them. The smallest are in the ear, and the largest are the gluteal muscles. It should also be noted that they are all diverse in their form.
In the complex, it is the skeleton and muscles that create the shape of the body. With a healthy lifestyle, as well as with sufficient physical exertion, the human body takes on a beautiful shape and gets rid of excess body fat. Situations are different, therefore, what to do when stretching the muscles of your body, everyone should know, and even more so an athlete.
Causes of stretching
Surely every person has experienced muscle pain. And many had to look for the answer to the question of what to do with muscle strain. But first you need to understand what exactly is happening. After all, the named problem is, first of all, trauma to muscle fibers or their connection with tendons.
This happens when too much tension or overstrain of muscle tissue. And most often this happens during training, but can overtake in ordinary living conditions. So, hard physical labor, lifting too heavy objects and even a banal stay in an uncomfortable position for a long time can lead to the described outcome.
All causes of muscle strain can be grouped:
- Strong ligament tension. Mild pain during stretching is acceptable, but in no case should it be too strong.
- Excessive stress, in which the muscles simply refuse to obey.
- An unexpected change in the load on some muscle or sudden movements. This often occurs when active exercises are performed without a warm-up, or when in the morning a person starts active work with the body.
- Uncontrolled and inconsistent body movements.
Muscles can hurt due to an undeveloped muscle corset, as well as due to poor physical fitness of a person. The two main and most common causes of stretching are exorbitant loads and active work without warming up. All other causes are more superficial. In order to understand what to do when stretching the muscles, it is necessary to realize the degree of muscle damage.
Symptoms of Stretching
When muscles are stretched, pain, swelling and swelling occur, and hematoma can also form. In this case, it is best to limit activity and try not to load a certain part of the body.
If you feel that muscle contraction does not occur, you must consult a doctor, as this may indicate a rupture of tissue. Also, after a severe injury, scars may appear on it, which will lead to the muscle becoming less strong.
Leg muscle
The leg muscles are known to be sore due to severe overload during running, jumping or special exercises. It is very important in training to give them rest and alternate loads on different muscle groups.
For alarming symptoms, it is best to consult a doctor. But what to do when stretching the muscles of the leg at home?
First, you should cool the sore spot with ice or a cold towel. After this, it is important to bandage the limb well, because peace will help to reduce pain.
After a couple of days, it is advisable to start a warming procedure. You can warm the sore spot with a bag of sea salt or a regular heating pad. It will be useful to draw an iodine grid. Compresses are very good. And one of the most effective is considered to be a compress made from gauze soaked in hot milk.
Stretching the knee: what to do
The best assistant in this matter is rest. In the early days, the knee should rest. After this, you should proceed to a set of exercises that are aimed at restoring the functions of the knee joint.
The most important thing to do when stretching the knee muscles is to see a doctor, because the treatment can last for months. Most often, the program for treating a damaged joint includes 4 stages:
- relaxation;
- applying cold logs;
- fixation of the knee joint;
- exercise to prevent swelling.
Cold will reduce pain at first, and the bandage - to avoid unnecessary movements. It is also important to raise the knee above the level of the heart in a supine position so that the swelling goes away.
Calf muscle
This stretching is very dangerous, because it is often accompanied by convulsions. You can pull the calf muscle while running or too active exercises. And, as a rule, this means a partial rupture of the fibers.
What to do when stretching the calf muscle? It all depends on the degree of damage. If this is an easy overload, then it will be enough not to strain it for several days. If there is a partial rupture, then treatment can take months, and a person can not do without professional help. If the degree of damage is the strongest, then only surgery can correct the situation, unfortunately.
Hips
If you are interested in the question of what to do when stretching your thigh muscles, you will have to come to terms with the fact that you will spend some time on crutches. If the case is not so serious, then you should resort to cold applications. However, keep in mind that ice should not be applied to bare skin, as it is possible to catch cold muscles. In addition, it is important to apply a compress, which will exert a certain pressure on the sore spot, which will help to avoid swelling.
If the above actions do not help, you should consult a doctor. Most often, he prescribes physiotherapy and taking non-steroidal drugs. In the most negative cases, again, it is impossible to influence events without the intervention of a surgeon.
Neck sprain
Stretching the neck is one of the most harmless injuries, but you should be very careful with it so as not to cause serious consequences. What to do when stretching the muscles of the neck? They will help you:
- wearing a bandage;
- massage procedures;
- reflexology;
- physiotherapy;
- taking anti-inflammatory drugs;
- relaxation;
- acupuncture.
It is extremely rare to see a doctor when stretching the neck, because you can cure it yourself. And yet, if the pain persists, you should consult a specialist.
Sprained back or arm
If you are considering what to do with stretching your back muscles, you will first have to find out what you should not do. To pull the back muscles hard during training, huge loads are needed, because they are quite strong. Mild pain after exercise is the norm, but stretching is a completely different matter.
In everyday life, most often this happens for one simple reason - with the inept lifting of too heavy objects. Therefore, it is very important to bend your knees when lifting something heavy. Many people ignore this fact and get severe back muscle strain and pain.
And in order to understand what to do when stretching the muscles of the arm, you should realize that emergency medical care is necessary. In this case, it is better not to resort to the methods described above (exercises, compresses, etc.). Damage to any part of the upper limb is rarely insignificant, so the sooner the specialist intervenes, the sooner a good result will be achieved.
If there is time before the ambulance arrives, then the arm should be completely at rest. You can do it with ice or a cold towel. In the case when the pain is unbearable, it is allowed to take painkillers. If bruising is found on the arm, then it should be elevated to avoid swelling.
Summing up, it should be said that it is useful for each person to know what to do with muscle strain. Even if this never happens personally with you, you must be sure that you can help your loved ones.