What Causes A Muscle Strain?

Muscle strains are most commonly overuse injuries, but they can sometimes stem from a traumatic impact or wrenching of the muscle. A strain can also occur if the muscle is too fatigued to perform and becomes torn or stretched. In the majority of cases, patients will feel the strain in their muscle when the initial injury happens. The pain can come on suddenly and feel like soreness, throbbing, or more sharp pain. The patient's muscles might feel stiff, weak, or have a limited movement range. Affected individuals might also experience swelling, redness, and bruising around the affected area. Individuals need to understand what causes muscle strains so they can recognize one if it happens. Mild strains usually resolve with at-home treatment, but more severe strains might need to be evaluated by a doctor.

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Not Warming Up Properly

If individuals don't warm up properly before they engage in exercise, they might end up suffering a muscle strain. Going through warm-up exercises allows the body to prepare itself for more intensive activity. If individuals go from being stationary to engaging in intense physical fitness, their muscles might not be stretched enough. They're more likely to tear or become strained. Warming up also has benefits to the cardiovascular system by increasing the individual's heart rate, allowing blood to flow to the muscles, and raising their core body temperature. When the blood flow increases, the muscles receive more nutrients and oxygen, which allows them to perform better. Individuals are less likely to suffer an overuse injury if they have used a warm-up routine to supply oxygen to their muscles. Typical warm-up exercises involve the same activity the individual is planning to do, but it's performed at a reduced intensity and slower pace. This lets their muscles become used to the way they're moving and wakes their body up to the impending physical fitness activity.

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