📋 About This Injury
Muscle fiber damage due to overload. Most common in sprinters and football players.
With timely recognition of symptoms and proper treatment, most athletes fully recover and return to sport.
🔍 Main Symptoms
- Pain — from mild discomfort to sharp pain
- Swelling and redness in the affected area
- Decreased range of motion
- Weakness and instability
- Pain during physical activity
- Morning Stiffness
💊 Treatment Protocol
Acute Phase (48-72 hours)
- Rest — avoid movements that cause pain
- Ice — 15-20 min every 2-3 hours
- Compression with an elastic bandage
- Elevation of the limb above heart level
Rehabilitation
- Gradual restoration of range of motion
- Stretching exercises without pain
- Isometric, later concentric exercises
- Eccentric exercises
- Proprioception training
- Gradual return to sport
🏋️ Rehabilitation Exercises
- Isometric contractions — 3×10 seconds
- Controlled stretching exercises — 3×30 sec
- Concentric exercises with light load
- Eccentric exercises — slow return
- Balance exercises on an unstable platform
- Functional exercises simulating sports movements
🛡️ Prevention Strategy
- Always perform a full warm-up (10-15 min)
- Proper sports equipment and footwear
- Increase load by no more than 10% per week
- Regular rest and recovery days
- Strength exercises to strengthen weak areas of the body
- Balanced nutrition with sufficient protein
🛒 Recommended Supplements
Tear Grades
Muscle tears are classified by the extent of damage. First Degree — individual fibers, mild pain, strength almost unchanged. Second Degree — a larger number of fibers, pronounced pain, reduced strength, and possible bruising. Third Degree — complete muscle tear, where the muscle no longer functions and specialist assessment is often required.
The grade determines recovery time: mild tears may heal within days to weeks, while more severe tears may take weeks or months. The earlier it is identified, the more accurate the plan.
When Can You Return to Training
Return should be gradual, not “all or nothing.” Start with pain-free movements, then increase load in small steps. A good rule: if an exercise causes pain, it is still too early.
Criteria for return: full or almost full range of motion, strength close to the other side, and no pain in daily movements. Rushing often results in a repeated tear in the same place because the tissue cannot yet withstand the load.
Nutrition and Recovery
Adequate protein intake is important for recovery — it provides the body with building material. An approximate guideline for those who exercise is 1,6–2,2 g of protein per kilogram of body weight per day, distributed across several meals (see protein requirements).
Sufficient calories, sleep, and not overloading the injured area are also important. Supplements can fill gaps but do not replace basic nutrition. For more on recovery methods — recovery guide, and for more on the use of cold in the acute phase — ice or heat.