Muscle Injuries and

Basic Remedies
Topic Outcomes
• A basic understanding of the skeletal muscle
Anatomy of muscle
Physiology of muscle
• An awareness of the types of muscular
injuries
• An awareness of remedies and prevention of
muscle injuries
Intro. to Muscle
Muscle: Structure and Function
• Muscle is a contractile soft tissue that enables
movement to occur in the body.
• Other soft tissues that enables visible body
movement are tendons, ligaments and bones.
Tendon – a thick cord attaching muscle to bone
Ligament – a tough fibrous tissue band which
connects bone to another bone
Muscle: Structure and Function
Muscle: Structure and Function
• Each skeletal muscle is made up of thousands of
individual muscle cells which are also known as
muscle fibres.
• The skeletal muscles will have blood and nerve
supply.
Nerve supply to create movement
Blood supply to enable muscle to function
Muscle: Structure and Function
Injuries of Muscle
Muscle Injuries
• Any form of injury that happens to the muscle.
• These injuries can occur through various ways.
Most common e.g.:
Sporting activities/exercise
Activities of daily living (housework, lifting
objects, etc.)
What happens when injury occurs
• Regardless the cause and severity of injury,
injured muscles will undergo 2 phases
Destruction phase
Repair and remodelling phase
• These phases are part of the repair process of
muscles
The Repair Process
• Destruction Phase
Starts with the actual trauma that causes
muscle fibres to tear.
Swelling caused by torn blood vessels takes
place.
 Special cells within the body remove dead
cells from the torn area.
The Repair Process
• Repair and Remodelling Phase
The actual repair of the injured muscle takes
place.
Muscle fibres start regenerating and a
connective tissue scar is being formed in the
gap between the torn fibres.
New blood capillaries originate from the
injured blood vessels and find their way to
the centre of the injured area.
Common Types of Muscle
Injuries
• Sprains
• Strains
Acute causes
• Contusions
• Cramps
• Tendinitis Overuse/chronic
causes
What is…
Sprain
• Stretching or tearing • Symptoms:
of the ligaments Pain
• Common areas of Swelling
injury: ankle, wrist, Bruising
fingers, elbow Limited ability to
move the affected
joint
At time of injury,
"pop" in joint may
be heard or felt
What is…
Strain
• Stretching or tearing • Symptoms:
of the muscles or Pain
tendons Swelling
• Common areas of Muscle spasms
injury: lower back, Limited ability to
legs move the affected
muscle
What is…
Contusions
• Also known as a bruise
• In a muscle, injury to the soft tissues (muscle
fibres, connective tissue and/or blood vessels
and nerves) is caused by one or more direct
blows to the affected part, falls or jams against
a hard surface
• Common areas of injury: back and legs (thighs)
Contusion
Symptoms:
• Swelling and pain
• Limited joint
range of motion
near the injury
• Torn blood vessels
may cause bluish
discoloration.
• Injured muscle
may feel weak
and stiff.
What is…
Cramps
• A sudden and • Commonly occurs in
involuntary leg muscles (esp. calf)
contraction of one or • Symptoms:
more of your muscles.
sudden, sharp pain,
Long periods of
exercise or physical  feel or see a hard
lump of muscle
labour, particularly in
tissue beneath the
hot weather, can lead skin
to muscle cramps
What is…
Tendinitis
• A swelling or irritation • Common areas of
of a tendon injury:
• Often caused by Base of the thumb
repetitive, minor Elbow
impact on the Shoulder
affected area, or from Hip
a sudden more Knee
serious injury to Achilles tendon
tendon
What is…
Tendinitis
• Symptoms
pain in a tendon (e.g., in knee, elbow or
shoulder) which worsens when moving
feeling a grating or crackling sensation when
moving the tendon
swelling, sometimes with heat or redness
a lump along the tendon
Basic Remedies
• Acute remedies
• Prevention
Acute remedies
• PRICE/RICE
Protection
Rest
Ice
Compression
Elevation
• Can start moving after 3 – 5 days
• See a doctor if symptoms persist more than a
week
Prevention
Prevention
• Use proper equipment
• Balanced fitness
• Warm up
• Stretch
• Cool down
• Rest
• Avoid "weekend warrior" syndrome
Summary
• Muscle can be injured through various ways
• In the case of an acute skeletal muscle injury;
remember to PRICE
• Take preventive steps to decrease chances of
skeletal muscle injuries
Summary
Q&A