| Strength training and bodybuilding muscle strains | | | | these injuries is similar to the adaptation that occurs |
| happen quite often. They are not rare. They seem | | | | from delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) after |
| rare, however, because most strain injuries are quite | | | | normal but novel training. These positive training |
| minor. In strength training circles we call these injuries | | | | adaptations are protective and make the tissue |
| "tweaks". Sometimes it's an art to know when a | | | | stronger. The muscles become less sore over time |
| tweak is just a minor nuisance or a major red flag. | | | | and are able to withstand more work. |
| We would do better to avoid words like "tweak" | | | | The immediate adaptations after a muscle strain are |
| when describing injuries. In fact all muscle strains or | | | | more like throwing a tarp over a leaky roof. The hole |
| potential muscle strains should be taken seriously. | | | | is still there we have just covered it up temporarily. |
| Although these injuries may be quite minor to begin | | | | After a non-disruptive muscle strain there is an |
| with if not treated properly they can turn into major | | | | inflammatory response and in about the first seven |
| injuries. We often call this "re-injury" but this makes it | | | | days fibrous scar tissue begins to be laid down |
| sound like the original injury is gone. What actually | | | | around the injury site. This scar tissue is weak and |
| happens is more severe damage is being done to | | | | inelastic and serves basically as a patch. The injured |
| already disrupted tissue because it is loaded too soon | | | | muscle can produce no more than 70% of maximum |
| and improperly. | | | | tension at first and this tends to further decline to |
| That is not to say that the risk of injury is not very | | | | around 50% in the next day or so. Tension |
| high when a previously healed injury exists. Even | | | | production then starts to improve and after about a |
| after the normal healing process has completely run | | | | week the muscle can produce around ninety percent |
| its course a previously injured muscle is prone to | | | | of normal tension. As you may have noticed this |
| re-injury and in athletics the fear of re-injury is a | | | | time-frame corresponds with the deposition of the |
| major psychological detriment to performance. The | | | | weak and fibrous scar tissue. Although tension |
| way to combat this fear is to educate the athlete | | | | production is almost back to normal, tensile strength |
| about the healing and rehabilitative process and to | | | | is reduced to perhaps seventy percent. We have a |
| treat all injuries properly in order to reduce the | | | | muscle that is able to produce much more tension |
| chance of subsequent injuries as much as possible. | | | | than it can withstand. What's more, the pain has |
| Knowing that he has done everything in his power to | | | | subsided. |
| control all the aspects related to peak performance, | | | | For the inexperienced and misinformed trainee this is |
| including injury rehab and prevention, gives the | | | | an invitation to a major strain. Second strains to |
| athlete a major psychological edge. | | | | previously injured sites are always worse than the |
| Muscle strains are classified into three grades. A | | | | first and unless proper steps are taken to rehabilitate |
| grade one strains involve a minor overstretching of | | | | the tissue many trainees are left with a lifelong |
| the muscle fibers with less than ten percent of the | | | | problem area that becomes injured again and again. |
| fibers actually tearing. A grade two strain is a partial | | | | Learn to understand the healing process and become |
| tear of the fibers with 10 to 50% of the fibers | | | | familiar with first aid for strain injuries and the |
| tearing and often a palpable defect in the muscle | | | | subsequent treatment steps. Never take a strength |
| belly. These strains are sometimes called | | | | training injury lightly. Although you should stop loading |
| non-disruptive muscle strains because they do not | | | | the injured area for a while there are usually ways to |
| disrupt everyday function very much. Unlike | | | | train around a strain injury. Seek out quality |
| devastating grade three tears they are common | | | | professional advice on how to properly handle an |
| clinical entities. | | | | injury and how to train during the healing process. |
| Non-disruptive muscle strains have a way of tricking | | | | Injuries happen but no injury should be considered |
| us into injuring ourselves worse. Many strength | | | | inevitable. |
| trainers believe that the immediate adaptation after | | | | |