When we are training, we have to be very careful with muscle tears, since they are the culprits that we have injuries and we cannot continue with the sport. A muscle injury ranges from a mild injury to a minimal muscle contracture that recovers in days, even in a complete muscle tear.
If you have doubts about what is a muscle tear, a tear or a «fiber break», we will tell you in the best possible way what it consists of, what are the types that we find and what are the aspects that characterize them.
What is a muscle tear?
A simple way to explain it would be to say that a muscle tear is the strain, or the rupture of a muscle or a tendon that by stretching or contracting the muscle tissue a lot, can break. The muscles most affected by these muscle tears are the ones found in legs and lower back.
A muscle tear is also called a pulled muscle or a muscle tear, it occurs when a muscle or tendon is overstretched and ruptured. Muscle tear occurs during exercise or sports activities, although it can also occur when heavy objects are lifted, which can lead at the same time to a pulled back muscle or a muscle tear in the arm.
Types of muscle tears
- Calf muscle tear: it is a tear of the posterior muscles of the lower leg.
- Muscle tear in the thighIn this case, a tear in the quadriceps is in the front thigh muscle tear. The thigh helps to straighten the knee.
- Thigh muscle tear: Another type of tear in the thigh found in the back, these hamstrings help to reflect the knee.
- Muscle tear in the back: This lumbar tear found in the lower back is a tear of the muscles in this part, the main function of this groups of paravertebral muscles is to support the spine and support the weight of the upper body.
Degrees in muscle tears
It is important to determine the severity of muscle tears, as they are not all created equal. Muscle tear can be classified as follows:
- First degree, they are the slightly damaged muscle fibers.
- Of second degree, they are the partial muscular tears of the fibers.
- Third degree, are those total tears of the muscle fibers.
These are the most common symptoms of a muscle tear
If you have suffered a mild muscle tear, that is, a first degree tear, you can have a sensitive area and a tight muscle. With a slight tear you can continue practicing activities without endangering your health.
On the other hand, with a more serious muscle tear, which is in a second and third degree, it is easier to know if you have a muscle tear since it causes much more muscle pain. When there is this tear, the muscle feels much more rigid, the area surrounding the injury becomes inflamed. Pain worsens with movement, so it will prevent continuing with activities. You may have some bruising around the affected area.
Finally, if you have suffered a third degree injury, the pain will be intense and sharp, the area will become inflamed and you will lose muscle function. If the muscle tear is significant, there may be a bump or unevenness that was not previously present in the injured area.
If you have ever wondered what the causes of a muscle tear are, in order to avoid them and not have to spend weeks of rest to recover, We tell you what are the main causes of a muscle tear.
These are the most common causes of a muscle tear
Inadequate muscle balance
There must be an adequate muscular balance so that injuries do not occur, this is because the muscle groups comprise muscles of opposite functions, which when There is an imbalance that can make them injure more easily.
Have little elasticity
A lack of elasticity between the muscle fibers that makes the muscle stiffer, increasing the risk of breakage. It is quite a logical aspect, and elasticity must be worked a lot with certain types of movements and exercises.
Having altered the hygienic-dietetic measures
By this we mean the dehydration that is had before, during and after the sport. It is very important to have the muscle hydrated at all times, because this way it will be more careful and away from injuries. The abuse of alcohol, drugs or corticosteroids, that is, doping, can cause unwanted dehydration and promote muscle breakdown.
Have altered minerals in the body
Trace element alterations, as in the calcium, potassium, magnesium... causes muscle metabolism to be affected, this can facilitate this type of injury. That is why it is important to respect the recovery periods and provide these types of nutrients.
Not having good support
By this we mean having a bad posture, it is also important to have good shoes, the type of shoes we choose for the sport we practice will depend a lot, We also see other conditions such as having a muscular overexertion with the consequent overload.
Not getting enough sleep or rest
Having a lack of sleep can negatively affect our health, and also the quality of our muscle groups. Carrying an excess of training on your back it can affect recovery and muscle tension.
Insufficient heating
A short, low intensity and sometimes inappropriate warm-up, It can not only help us to our physical form, but it can favor muscle injuries.
Training in bad weather conditions
In a cold and humid climate the muscular tension is greater, it is more difficult to warm up and recover, elasticity is reduced, the appearance of muscle injuries is favored.
The athlete's own conditions are taken into account
It is important to differentiate several aspects in sport, such as race, age, gender, or the genetic conditions that accompany people, all this can significantly influence the appearance of muscle tears. It is important that each athlete has a different capacity for regeneration or healing.
Having a weakness in a muscle within the same muscle group
The weakness of a specific muscle can mean that some tendons work more than others and cause it to break. It is because of that that overexertion should not exist if we do not want to suffer a muscle tear.