Muscle ruptures are a serious condition observed with pathological stretching or muscle contraction too fast. In such cases, part of the muscle fibers is literally torn. There is a violation of the integrity of the muscle mass, due to which the further functioning of the muscle becomes impossible.
There are a number of diseases, for example: diphtheria, typhoid fever, etc., in which a violation of the structures of muscle fibers is possible. In such situations, muscle breaks are frequent, even due to light strokes. The restoration of functional ability due to this can take a very long time, and if the gap was extensive, then the final healing may not occur.
Muscle tears vary in the number of fibers affected. So, it can affect both the abdomen of the muscle as a whole, then the gap will be called complete, and only part of the muscle fibers will be affected, then the gap will be partial. It is not necessary to say that if the entire abdomen is damaged, the muscle is practically deprived of the opportunity to contract, and any attempts to set it in motion are accompanied by severe pain. In the case of a partial rupture of muscle function, the muscles are not so severely affected, although any contraction of the damaged muscle will still be accompanied by painful sensations.
Muscle breaks. Complications
Complications of muscle tearing can occur in the event of improper treatment or lack thereof. In such cases, the most favorable outcome will be a long time to restore muscle performance, and in the worst case, the formation of a chronic defect, which will be very difficult to fix later.
Do not confuse muscle rupture with microfractures often found in athletes. Microcracks are an integral part of any sport, as part of the muscle fibers is damaged due to constant contractions. Very often in sports there is a rupture of the calf muscle. Such injuries are characteristic of runners and swimmers. Less commonly seen is a rupture of the pectoral muscle, biceps, and thigh muscles.
Symptoms
Any muscle break is accompanied by a number of characteristic symptoms. The first and, perhaps, the most basic symptom that a person encounters with a muscle break is pain. The pain can be sharp, if the gap is complete and damaged the whole abdomen of the muscle, and dull and not very noticeable, if a small part of the muscle underwent rupture. The second symptom is a marked hemorrhage at the site of damage and severe swelling. The third symptom is a complete or partial loss of the functional activity of the muscle.
Diagnostics
In some cases, the diagnosis of muscle break is very easy to make. So, if there was a complete rupture of the abdomen of some short muscle (for example, biceps), then before the formation of a noticeable hematoma, a noticeable gap can be felt at the site of the tear. In the case of long muscles, such gaps cannot be felt because of fast muscle contractions.
Treatment
The treatment of muscle breaks comes down to ensure that the injured limb is in a state of complete rest, in which the recovery process does not drag on for months. It is highly recommended that a pressure bandage be applied to the area of damage, with which the ends of the torn muscle will be brought together as close to each other as possible. This will reduce rehabilitation time by a very decent time. It is also desirable to immobilize the limb to prevent the possibility of repeated tears. If the gap is wide, then it is necessary to stitch the edges of the damaged muscle, after which the limb needs to be fixed with a plaster cast for up to two to three weeks. After removing the plaster cast, it is necessary to carry out a course of physiotherapeutic treatment and massage, otherwise the muscle will come into shape for a very long time, and movements with it will turn out to be very difficult.