Any physical activity that is somehow present in the life of every person can lead to unpleasant consequences. One of them is stretching the muscles of the arm. How to understand that medical care is needed, as well as what are the methods of treating this injury?
Why is this happening?
Stretching the muscles of the hand is damage to the soft tissues without disturbing their uniformity, in rare cases, tears of the fibers can occur. Injury occurs because a physical force acts on the muscles, which stretches the fibers on one side, while the opposite side is fixed. This force should be significantly higher than tissue resistance.
Thus, stretching of the muscles of the arm most often occurs in the following cases:
- Work related to hand movements. This directly relates to movers, athletes, workers.
- Physical exercises that give a big load on the hands - push-ups, pull-ups.
- Bad fall.
In young children, injury occurs when active games or a sharp pulling on a limb by any of the adults.
What are the sprains?
There are three degrees of stretching of the muscles of the hand, which require a different approach and have different symptoms:
- The first degree is characterized by minor damage. The pain is moderate and increases with the rotation of the hand. Most often, therapy is not required, since the discomfort passes within a few days on its own.
- The second degree is manifested by acute pain, which also intensifies with movement, in addition, edema of the damaged limb appears.
- A severe degree is caused by a partial rupture of muscle tissue or ligaments. In this case, there is quite severe pain, significant swelling and hemorrhage.
It is also noted that stretching can be acute and chronic. If the acute occurs as a result of any traumatic action, then the chronic is formed when performing the same type of hard work, in which the hands are involved.
Symptoms
The main symptom by which you can independently diagnose an injury is pain. It occurs suddenly and is permanent. However, there are other symptoms of arm sprains :
- swelling of the damaged wrist;
- hemorrhages that look like hematomas;
- redness of the skin;
- unpleasant contractions in muscle tissue;
- significant difficulty in movement.
In some cases, pulsation in the injured limb may occur, the temperature at the site of damage may increase, which indicates an inflammatory process.
First aid
When stretching the muscles and ligaments of the hand, it is necessary to perform some pre-medical measures. It is more convenient if there is a person next to the victim who can provide such assistance, but if at the time of the injury the person was alone, then self-help is acceptable. In this case, you must perform the following actions:
- a damaged limb must be immobilized with an elastic bandage;
- with severe pain, you can take painkillers or apply ice to the damaged area.
It is strictly forbidden to rub or knead a sore spot, as this can only exacerbate the problem. It is very important to consult a traumatologist so that he prescribes treatment and excludes more serious injuries such as fractures.
Diagnostics
If you suspect a muscle strain, you should consult a trauma doctor who will prescribe such studies as are necessary to make a correct diagnosis:
- general blood test, which indicates the presence of an inflammatory process in the body;
- X-rays are necessary to clarify the localization of muscle fiber rupture;
- magnetic resonance imaging is necessary in cases where an x-ray is not enough to diagnose an injury, moreover, such a research method is considered the safest;
- Ultrasound helps to find out the general condition of muscle and connective fibers;
- arthroscopy - a procedure that involves the introduction through small punctures of the optical system; it is necessary in case of suspected rupture of ligaments.
Diagnostic findings help determine how to treat arm sprains.
Treatment
Most often, such injuries are minor, and therefore do not require close medical attention, and therapy can be carried out at home. However, consultation with a physician is still necessary to make sure that stretching is not dangerous for further limb mobility.
At first, it is advisable to apply ice to a sore spot every 4 hours, so you can not only relieve pain, but also significantly reduce soft tissue edema. In this case, the time of a single application should not exceed 30 minutes, so as not to freeze the skin.
After a few days, the ice should be replaced by warming alcohol compresses, however, all attempts to warm up the damaged area by rubbing and massaging are strictly prohibited.
In addition, ointments are also used when stretching the muscles and ligaments of the arm. Most often prescribed drugs with anesthetic effect, such as Ketonal, Nurofen, Dolobene. Also, ointments with stretching of the muscles of the hands can have a vaso-reducing effect. These are drugs such as Troxevasin, Nikoven.
Features of treatment in children
Stretching the muscles of the arm in children may not be immediately diagnosed, since with minor painful sensations, the child may simply not attach importance to them and not tell the parents in a timely manner. However, careful parents are alarmed by the fact that it is difficult for a baby to perform certain movements with his hands, and his wrist is swollen. In this case, it is necessary to apply a tight bandage from an elastic bandage, because the child is not able to consciously control the movements of the hand and may forget that sudden movements are undesirable.
The rest of the therapy coincides with the treatment in adults with one nuance - painkillers should be given to the child, taking into account age and weight.
Recovery period
The healing time depends on the severity of the injury. Most often, minor injuries also go away without treatment of muscle sprain in 7-10 days. This is due to the fact that muscle tissue is well supplied with blood vessels and its recovery occurs quite quickly even with significant damage. In some cases, rehabilitation may be necessary, which includes massage, a set of physiotherapy and therapeutic exercises. Moreover, all manipulations with a damaged limb should be performed as directed by the attending physician by qualified specialists.
Folk recipes
Alternative medicine methods also take place among the methods of treating arm sprains. However, it is important to consult a physician before starting such self-medication. If the decision was approved by him, then you can try the following traditional medicine:
- Grated raw potato compress with onion and sugar. It is necessary to impose on the affected area for 20 minutes 2 times a day.
- Chopped garlic must be mixed with melted animal fat, and then add eucalyptus or mint leaves to the mixture. After solidification, rub the ointment into the injured place 2 times a day.
- A compress of warm blue clay can quickly relieve pain in muscle tissue.
- A beer compress from a heated drink helps reduce discomfort.
- Raw onions must be crushed to a state of gruel, mixed with a spoonful of sugar and placed in cheesecloth. Such a compress should be applied to the sore spot for 1 hour. 3 sessions are required per day, after which it is necessary to take a break for a day.
- Ash from grape shoots is mixed with olive oil in a ratio of 1: 3. The resulting mixture must be lubricated with the affected area daily until a positive effect is obtained.
- In some cases, the use of ordinary children's soap is acceptable. A piece of it is necessary to densely soap the gauze bandage and apply it overnight to a sore spot.
In addition, it is recommended to use inside the herbal collection based on willow bark, elderberry flowers and parsley root. Such a drink is able to relieve the inflammatory process and prevents the development of infection in damaged tissues.
To maintain the immune system, it is recommended to use a decoction of rose hips every day instead of tea, since such a drink contains a large amount of vitamins and minerals, which favorably affect the general condition of a person.
Forecast
After the course of treatment has been completed to the end, it is necessary to limit the injured limb in the movements, since there is a risk of re-stretching the muscles with a sharp movement. It is important to complete a rehabilitation course, which will be appointed by a specialist in order to return the limbs to their former mobility. In this case, the damaged muscles will quickly come into shape.
In the case of non-compliance with all medical prescriptions, a transition from an acute form of the course of the disease to a chronic one, which is characterized by periodic pain, is possible. In addition, it is possible to miss a more serious injury than a simple sprain, and therefore, it is incorrect to treat it.
Preventative measures
The symptoms and treatment of stretching the muscles of the arm have been described above, but there are also preventative measures that are created to prevent injuries:
- Sports activities should take place only in the equipment intended for this.
- It is important for girls who wear high-heeled shoes to walk as carefully as possible to avoid falling. This is due to the fact that when falling, a person instinctively puts his hands forward, which is fraught with muscle sprains and even fractures of the hands.
- It is important to monitor weight, as excessive body weight negatively affects the quality of the ligamentous apparatus and makes it most susceptible to various injuries.
- Before performing physical exercises, stretching cannot be ignored, as it warms up the muscles and ligaments, making them more elastic.
It is also recommended that the menu be varied and contain a large amount of vitamin D and calcium. In some cases, it is permissible to use drugs that are aimed at strengthening the ligamentous apparatus. These are medicines that have collagen, chondroitin and glucosamine in their composition.