Uh-oh I’ve pulled a muscle, what do I do? Firstly, please, don’t stretch an acute injury. This is likely to further tear a muscle and cause more bleeding.
Its winter sport pre-season training time again! Which means I’m about to see a bunch of active, healthy 20-40 somethings (and some really enthusiastic 50 somethings) with an acute muscle strain. I frequently see people 24-48 hours after the injury has happened. These go getters and weekend warriors have often done all the usual injury management recommendations, which is now P.O.L.I.C.E. by the way.
POLICE:
Protection – don’t keep playing through an injury. This will make your recovery period much longer, and cause more pain once you cool down.
Optimal Loading – Initially, minimal loading is ideal, then gradual increases in load. However amount and type of loading depends on the injury. So best get it checked out.
Ice – Analgesic (helps with pain), widely used. There is no research published on effectively reducing recovery time with ice.
Compression – Bandages, tubigrip, compression socks, skins! Etc. This helps to control swelling and slows inflammatory fluids leaking into all the surrounding tissue. This will then slow the recovery and increase periods of immobility.
Elevation – put your injured part, above your heart. Vessels that remove swelling work best with gravity assistance – so place them up high, you can’t fight gravity.
Once you have the initial management under control, it is important to get the injury assessed by a qualified physiotherapist. This is because the management program and time to return to play varies dramatically by injury site, mechanism, severity and sporting demands. This injury may require a completely different strategy to your last muscle strain or your teammates, even if it is the same muscle.
Unfortunately, poorly managed muscle injuries have the possibility of becoming a persistent problem. We will often see athletes with an old muscle injury that has reached the chronic injury stage. This then requires a long term targeted rehabilitation intervention. These are usually successfully rehabilitated but can take some time to improve, and can be frustrating for the keen athlete wanting to play at 100%.
The role of medication is a frequent question asked in the clinic. Non-steroidal anti inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as ibuprofen or diclofenac are frequently used. It is a complex topic, but the take home message is that there may be a small improvement in recovery time. Allowing 48 hours before taking anti-inflammatories is ideal to reduce bleeding within the affected muscle. Unfortunately, these medications carry some potentially serious adverse effects, which can cause damage to the stomach, kidneys and cardiovascular system.
In conclusion, use the P.O.L.I.C.E. principles, get an assessment, get a plan and give your body the best chance to make a full recovery prior to returning to sport. If you are unsure about any of the above, please contact us on 4921 6879 or email admin@numovesphysiotherapy.com.au