How long does strains take to heal

Muscle strains vary in severity depending on how much damage the muscle fibers sustain. Strains range from mild overexertion to a partial or complete tear of the muscle.

In many cases, home care and exercises can heal a muscle strain, but severe strains may need medical treatment. People can get muscle strains from playing sports, doing physical work, or just taking part in everyday activities.

Early identification and treatment of the injury will speed up recovery. A strained muscle occurs when a person stretches a muscle excessively, overuses a muscle, or experiences an accident, such as a fall.

People with tight, inflexible muscles and those who do not warm up properly before exercise may have a higher risk of muscle strain.

Some people whose job requires them to do repetitive movements, such as heavy lifting or sports, may develop chronic muscle strain injuries. If a doctor suspects a muscle strain, they will perform a physical examination and ask a person about their symptom history. They may also order imaging studies, such as X-rays, to make sure that the bone has not broken.

As part of the diagnosis, a doctor will usually designate the injury as a grade 1, 2, or 3 strain. A grade 1 strain is mild and should heal quickly, while a grade 3 strain is a severe muscle tear. A strained muscle is more susceptible to re-injury.

Several home treatments can help promote muscle healing. One of the most effective approaches to muscle strain recovery is the RICE technique.

Learn more about the RICE method here. In addition to using the RICE method, a person can take medication to control pain and reduce swelling or inflammation.

If OTC medications are insufficient to relieve pain, a doctor may prescribe stronger anti-inflammatory medications, muscle relaxants, or pain-relieving medicines. If a doctor clears a person to engage in regular exercise after their injury, they can usually benefit from doing stretching exercises. It is important to talk to a doctor before trying recovery exercises, as overexerting an already injured muscle can cause extra damage. The specific stretches will depend on the injured area, but a person should always repeat the stretch two or three times.

Common sites for sprains include the thumb, ankle and knee. Muscles are anchored to joints with connective tissue called tendons. Injury to these tendons or the muscles themselves is called a strain. Common sites for strains include the calf, groin and hamstring. An overuse injury can affect anyone from athletes or those who play regular sport, to those who spend hours every day at a computer keyboard.

These injuries can result in pain during activity and possibly pain at rest. Contributing factors to overuse injuries include exercising too frequently without enough time for recovery, structural abnormalities and poor technique. Understanding the natural progression of the injury and adjusting any contributing factors is necessary in any treatment plan.

Overuse injuries can take time to rehabilitate properly, and require patience and commitment from clinician and patient to see improvement. Most soft tissue injuries take a few weeks to heal, depending on the severity of the sprain or strain, any subsequent injuries or issues such as weakness, stiffness, poor balance or function, and the general health of the person. Severe injuries, where the tissue has completely ruptured, may need surgery to put the torn pieces back together. Surgically repaired grade III injuries will require significant treatment to regain strength and function.

Whether you have surgery, or a period of immobilisation and physical therapy, as the treatment for a grade III injury, medium to long-term functional outcomes is similar for either treatment. This page has been produced in consultation with and approved by:. The abdominal muscles support the trunk, allow movement and hold organs in place by regulating internal abdominal pressure.

The type of pain felt in the abdomen can vary greatly. Children may feel stomach pain for a range of reasons and may need treatment. Acromegaly is caused by an excess of growth hormone in adults, which causes the overgrowth of bones in the face, hands, feet and internal organs.

Exercise can prevent age-related changes to muscles, bones and joints and can reverse these changes too. Content on this website is provided for information purposes only. Information about a therapy, service, product or treatment does not in any way endorse or support such therapy, service, product or treatment and is not intended to replace advice from your doctor or other registered health professional. The information and materials contained on this website are not intended to constitute a comprehensive guide concerning all aspects of the therapy, product or treatment described on the website.

All users are urged to always seek advice from a registered health care professional for diagnosis and answers to their medical questions and to ascertain whether the particular therapy, service, product or treatment described on the website is suitable in their circumstances. They can tell you the right place to get help if you need to see someone. Go to Urgent treatment centres are places you can go if you need to see someone now.

Find an urgent treatment centre. If you need an X-ray, it might be possible to have one at the unit, or you may be referred to hospital. If you have a sprain or strain that's taking longer than usual to get better, a GP may be able to refer you to a physiotherapist. Physiotherapy from the NHS might not be available everywhere and waiting times can be long. You can also get it privately. Page last reviewed: 10 February Next review due: 10 February Sprains and strains.