How long does it take to recover from a muscle strain?

Many people have had this experience: severe muscle strain after strenuous exercise, especially when jumping high or going down stairs many times. In most cases, the symptoms of muscle strain will be more obvious the next day. Some people are even in so much pain that they can't even walk. So how long should it take to recover from a muscle strain? How to prevent muscle strain?

In the case of muscle strain, the recovery time needs to be comprehensively judged based on the degree of strain, one's own physical condition and treatment. Generally speaking, it can be effectively relieved in about 1 month, but some require a longer time, such as more than three months to recover.

Muscle strains are the most common type of muscle injury in sports. According to statistics from the Institute of Medicine, this type of injury accounts for more than 25% of the incidence of various injuries.

The main causes of muscle strains are:

1. Insufficient preparation. Participating in strenuous activities before the physiological functions of the muscles have reached the state required for strenuous activities.

2. Weak physique, low training level, poor muscle elasticity, extensibility and strength, fatigue or excessive load.

3. Poor sports skills, incorrect posture, uncoordinated movements, excessive force, and exceeding the range of muscle activity.

4. The temperature is too low, the humidity is too high, the ground is too hard, etc.

Muscle strains can be divided into active strains and passive strains. Active strain is caused by the muscle's active and violent contraction, with a force that exceeds the muscle's own ability to bear; passive strain is mainly caused by the muscle's forceful stretching that exceeds the muscle's own unique stretching range, thus causing strain.

Muscle strains can occur at the boundary between muscle bellies or where the tendon attaches to the bone. A strain can range from a minor injury to a partial tear or even a complete rupture of muscle fibers. Sometimes, in addition to damaging the muscle tissue itself, the auxiliary tissues around the muscle, such as fascia and muscle sheath, are also often damaged. The areas of muscle strain are mostly the posterior thigh muscles, back muscles, calf triceps, rectus abdominis, trapezius muscles, etc.

Symptoms of a muscle injury are related to the extent of the muscle strain. If the injury is minor, the symptoms are mild; if the muscle fibers are completely ruptured, the condition is more serious. The general symptoms include pain in the injured area, local swelling, muscle tension or cramps, obvious tenderness, and hardness to the touch. The pain is worse when the injured muscle is actively contracted or passively lengthened. In case of severe muscle strain, when muscle fibers break, the injured person himself often feels or hears a breaking sound, followed by local swelling, subcutaneous bleeding, difficulty in limb movement, and a depression at the break or abnormal swelling at both ends.

Generally speaking, there should be a warm-up exercise before strenuous activity. If you do strenuous exercise without preparation, most people will suffer from muscle strain. In addition, weak physique, low sports skills, etc. may also cause muscle strain. Generally speaking, the recovery time of muscle strain should be proportional to the degree of strain. If the strain is more serious, it will take relatively longer.