Healing A Pulled Muscle

     Many athletes including myself have experienced a pulled muscle.  It can happen in a second by over stretching a non warm muscle or a fatigued one. Recovering from an injury like this can be hard and painful.  I thought I would try and share some information that may help/speed up your muscle repair.

What is a Pulled Muscle?
    A pulled or strained muscle is when the muscle fibers actually tear or rip.  This will usually happen close to the tendon, which is when the muscle turns solid and attached to the bone.  Pulling a muscle is most likely to happen the muscle isn’t warmed up, is inflexible or is tired.  There are three types of pulls, the first is a mild pull which is when you only tear few muscle fibers causing the sensation of a “knot” in your muscle.  This may cause you little discomfort but the muscle will still be able to be used.  The second is a moderate strain where the athlete would feel a “pull” in the muscle and it would be too weak to use.  This may also be followed by pain, redness, swelling, and/or bruising.  The third is a severe pull where the muscle will actually completely pull apart, this usually happens close to a tendon and the athlete will usually hear a “snap”.  When this happens the muscle is no longer able to lift the bone, therefore can not be used at all.  The area will start to swell and may be bruised due to the bleeding muscle.  When the swelling has gone down you can usually feel an indent where the muscle has pulled apart.

Treatment
    Depending on the severity of the pull this injury could take up to two months to heal or more.  The best treatment is rest.  One treatment referred to as R.I.C.E has been proven to reduce recover time and make a full recovery.  This treatment involves R- rest, I- ice, C- compression and E-elevation.  When doing this following an injury you will control the bleeding, swelling and reduce the pain.  In the long run it will reduce the amount of scar tissue allowing full lengthening and movement of the muscle.

Supplemental Treatments

    Protein Powder:  It is always good to finish your workout with a protein shake that has an accurate amount of carbs.  This way the amino acids can go straight to your muscles, and in this case the protein powder will go straight to your muscle fibers to help with repair.  (I recommend a good quality whey or vegan blend protein powder)

    BCAAs: Branched chain amino acids are protein made of leucine, isoleucine and valine, that gets metabolized in your muscles which makes it key in muscle recovery.  This is sometimes already in some protein powders on can be bought as a supplement by itself.  (when buying as a supplement please don’t buy ones with artificial sweeteners)

    Bromelain:  This supplement comes from the stem of a pineapple and is good for inflammation.  When your muscle fibers tear they may clog the muscle which causes the pain and swelling, this supplement breaks that down which will help relieve these symptoms.

    Magnesium:  This mineral is good for making your muscle relax and can help with the soreness of your muscle.  Also good for muscle structure.

    Vitamin E:  Vitamin E is an antioxidant that will help to eliminate free radicals that may damage muscle tissue which would cause inflammation.  It also helps the blood flow to your muscles and helps prevent internal scarring.

    Vitamin C:  Similar to vitamin E, vitamin C is an antioxidant that helps to eliminate free radicals.  It is also good at repairing connective issue and reducing inflammation.

References
http://injuryfix.com/archives/scar-tissue.php
http://www.hopkinsortho.org/muscle_strain.html
http://www.alive.com/articles/view/17182/healing_muscles_and_joints
http://www.livestrong.com/article/422113-what-supplement-helps-pulled-muscles/
http://www.livestrong.com/article/257353-nutritional-supplements-for-muscle-healing/