A muscle rupture is a much more serious injury than a sprain or tear. As a result of an injury, the injured person has no control over the muscle. In addition, in the case of this type of injury, there is a high risk of deeper injury or even fracture. Check what are the causes and symptoms of a muscle rupture. How do you distinguish between a rupture and a muscle tear or stretch? How is a broken muscle treated?

A muscle ruptureis a complete break in the continuity of a muscle, the vessels that supply it with blood, and sometimes even the small nerves. The consequence of a complete rupture of muscle fibers is a complete lack of muscle control. This type of injury prevents the injured from making any move.

Muscle rupture - causes

As with stretching and tearing, a muscle ruptures as follows:

  • its physical overload
  • sudden movement when the muscles are not yet prepared to bear the load. This often happens during the holiday season, when we begin to move very actively after months of stillness. Many of us climb, run, jump and put maximum strain on our muscles, which increases the risk of a muscle rupture
  • use of anabolic agents that cause significant growth of muscle tissue

Muscle rupture - symptoms

An injury causes a complete rupture of the parts that make up the muscle: fibers, the so-called myofibrils, blood vessels and sometimes also small nerves.

He may then hear a click, crunch sound that occurs when a muscle bursts. Then there is tremendous pain and a feeling of "tearing" the muscle.

There is also a common internal bleeding and bruising in the muscle and subcutaneous tissue as a result of a broken blood vessel.

The lower limb muscles are usually ruptured: hamstring, plantar, quadriceps and gastrocnemius muscles.

How to tell the difference between a rupture and a stretch or torn muscle?

When a muscle is pulled, a small number of muscle fibers are damaged, therefore there is little reduction in performance, and paingoes very quickly.

A muscle tear is a moderate injury that prevents the injured from performing complex motor activities.

This is a consequence of breaking more muscle fibers than when stretched. A muscle rupture is a very extensive, usually complete rupture of muscle fibers, as well as blood vessels and small nerves.

Therefore, the injured person has no control over the injured area and feels a sharp, "bursting" pain.

Muscle rupture - treatment

Immediately after the muscle injury, follow the RICE method, i.e.

  • rest - stop any activity immediately and limit movements that cause pain
  • ice - apply cold compresses that will allow better control of swelling and reduce pain
  • compression - press gently on the surface that hurts
  • elevation - lift the limb in which the muscle was broken, which will improve blood circulation.

Further treatment requires, first of all, rest and limitation of physical activity. After the injury has healed, the physical effort should be graded. Otherwise, the injury will recover easily.

You cannot undertake any physical exertion for a month. This is the time when muscle fibers need to heal properly. Any overload may disrupt the healing process and, in the future, contribute to the recurrence of injuries.

Important

Treatment of a broken muscle is lengthy and requires medical consultation. It is worth knowing that athletes use surgical treatment to fix the broken muscle.

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