While soft tissue injuries often occur during sport-related activities, sprains and strains are not restricted to athletes and can occur while doing everyday tasks. Any time there is a sudden increase in the duration, intensity, or frequency of an activity, there is also an increased risk of injury. These can include:
Sprain – when a ligament is stretched too far or torn
Strain – when a muscle or tendon is stretched too far or torn
Severity of the injury is rated by how much of the muscle tissue is involved.
Grade I – affects only a limited number of muscle fibers
Grade II – affects nearly half the muscle fibers
Grade III – affects all the muscle fibers
Muscle strain treatment depends on an accurate diagnosis by your physician and your physical therapist. The severity of the strain, and what function or load your injured muscle will need to cope with, will impact the length of your healing and rehabilitation process.
Initial treatment is focused on reducing pain and inflammation. Once this is under control, your therapy will move into gentle stretches and mobilizations, in order to stimulate muscle regeneration and prevent stiffness from developing in the joints closest to the injury. Eventually tension and resistance exercises will be added to ensure that you will finish treatment as strong (or maybe even stronger!) as you were before your injury.
Your therapist will also give you proprioceptive training exercises. Proprioception is the awareness of the position and movement of your body. It’s an essential tool in recovering from a soft tissue injury, and for preventing injury in the future.
Ready to start feeling better?
Call to schedule your first appointment today!
(503) 699-2955
