Week 128 :: How Should One Recover From A Muscle Tear?

[the_fake_webmaster]

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TOPIC: How Should One Recover From A Muscle Tear?

For the week of: June 20th - June 26th
Tuesday @ Midnight Is The Final Cut (Mountain Time, US & Canada).

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A muscle tear is a serious injury for a bodybuilder, or anyone for that matter. A muscle tear will force a bodybuilder to take a layoff and can potentially affect their training for years.

How should one recover from a muscle tear?

What should you do if you think you?ve strained a muscle?

What are some ways to prevent a muscle tear?

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[VietHulk4]

This is a good thread ya, I gotten a tricep tear recently, and not sure how to deal with it. Thanks for posting it webmaster!!

[bdybuilderchuck]

With numerous years of training under my belt, i have experienced several muscle tears. These injuries are a bodybuilder's worst nightmare due to the inability to continue training and the intense pain that is often associated with them. I have torn part of my trapezius and part of my hamstring during my years training, and know first-hand the devastation these injuries cause.

1.How should one recover from a muscle tear?

One needs to REST and by rest i mean COMPLETELY STOP all lifting that aggravates the injured muscle, an dpossibly completely stop all lifting. Attempting to lift with a torn muscle is counterproductive because it extends the recovery time of the muscle and also would be extremely painful. This time off from the gym can range anywhere from 4-12 weeks or ever longer depending on the severity of the injury. Also one needs to ice the injured muscle 20 minutes off and 20 minutes on for 24-48 hrs after the initial injury to reduce swelling. By taking ibuprofen one can also help to reduce swelling in the target muscle. After the initial 48 hrs one can start using heat packs to get nutrient-rich blood into the target area to improve recovery. Another way to improve recovery by getting blood into the target area is massage. If the area is not too painful, one can massage the injured muscle to get more blood into it, which will in turn induce a speedier recovery. Once there is no more pain when moving the muscle, one can return to the gym and start off with LIGHT weights in order to strengthen the muscle and bring it back from its weeks of inactivity. By starting heavy too quickly, one risks reinjuring the muscle and starting the recvoery process all over again.

2.What should one do if they beleive they have strained a muscle?
If one believes that they have a strained muscle they should access the situation, rest the target area, and use the techniques mentioned previously to nurse the muscle back to health.(rest, ice, followed by heat later, etc)

3. What are some ways to prevent a muscle tear?
I incurred my muscle tears by using improper form. Therefore I HIGHLY stress the importance of good form. One should feel the muscle working and not simply move around a ton of weight.(That is if one is a bodybuilder) If one cannot maintain good form with a certain weight, the individual then needs to lower the weight to one where they can maintain good form. One's muscles and connective tissue system will thank them later. Another way to prevent muscle tears is to warm up properly. Many individuals simply jump right into heavy sets without proper warm up. Muscles need numerous warm up sets to get blood into them and to get them ready for the heavy sets that are about to come.
For example, if one were going for a 200 lb heavy bench press the warm up would look like this;

95x12
135x8
175x3

In between these sets the individual should do stretches to help warm up the target muscle. This will not only help prevent muscle tears but also help lengthen the msucle and get more nutrient-rich blood into it.

BOTTOM LINE: Everyone needs to be extremely careful in the gym, I am not recommending using 135 lbs on the bench press for the rest of your life, however there is a fine line between a weight you can handle and one that is too heavy that will possibly induce an injury. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. By using these simple steps, warming up, keeping good form, and stretching, one can greatly minimize the chances of incurring a muscle tear.

[LaxPro]

This is a good thread ya, I gotten a tricep tear recently, and not sure how to deal with it. Thanks for posting it webmaster!!

Hopefully I can help you a little.

Here you go, thanks bodybuilding.com

[Veeshmack]

here is mine

1. How to recover from a muscle tear?
REST, REST, REST. There is no greater key to properly recovering from a tear than rest. It is not a wise idea to be a tough guy and say, I?ll champ it out, go light on it, and it will be okay. You?re wrong, you will only do more damage, even when the pain is gone, it is not fully healed. It needs rest. Icing always helps, also, recent studies show that recoveries from tears have been quicker and better with the supplementation of l-glutamine. As with sprains, the best at-home recovery is R.I.C.E. (Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation). This will help keep blood flow to the muscle to provide it with the proper nutrients to heal.
2. What should one do if they believe they have strained a muscle?
If you think it?s strained, don?t hurt yourself. Take it easy and avoid putting pressure on it or doing anything that can further damage it. The next step would be to talk to a doctor. Simply assuming or thinking there is a problem is not enough, you always need to check with a professional to make sure you know what is wrong with you and the proper steps that can be taken to ensure proper recovery.
3. What are some ways to prevent a muscle tear?
Form, this is key to proper growth and strength in your muscles. When you lift, don?t go too heavy to the extent of where your form is off, this can lead to major injuries, some being worse than tearing. A key to preventing tears and strains is proper warm-ups. Before hitting weights always begin with a dynamic stretch to get the muscle moving through its range of motion and active. NEVER STATIC STRETCH BEFORE TRAINING, it can increase the chances of strains and tears by forcing the muscle too stretch (and often too far) and then immediately relax. Strengthening the joints, ligaments and tendons around muscles is one of the key components to preventing tears. When lifting, using a light weight aiming for 10-12 reps per set WITHOUT reaching failure. You should be able to add an extra 3-5 reps if you were going until failure with that set of weight. This will help strengthen tendons and ligaments. Supplementation of Glucosamine-Sulfate and MSM will also help in strengthening joints.

[MattyH7688]

How should one recover from a muscle tear?
Muscle tears are most frequent than you think. They can happen during almost any physical activity. RICE is rest, ice, compression, elevation.
1. Rest is key to recovery. Try to get plenty of sleep to help your muscles recover. Active rest can really help the blood flow towards the injured area. Avoid activities that cause pain to the muscle.
2. Icing the injured area can be very beneficial in the healing process. Ice the injured area for around twenty minutes at a time. This will help increase blood flow towards the injured area.
3. Compression is also very helpful in the recovery of an injured muscle. If the injured body part is swelling I would suggest taking an ace bandage and wrap it around the injured area to help keep swelling down and improve recovery time greatly.
4. Elevation is a necessary recovery process. If there is swelling raise the injured area above the heart. This will help swelling go down and make the injury heal much quicker
Also, stretching can be very helpful with gaining movement back into the injured area and helping provide blood flow towards the area and making the injury more flexible and allow for a speedier recovery time.

What should you do if you think you?ve strained a muscle?

Try the RICE treatment. It is important you rest and take time off. You would not want to further injure yourself by trying to tough it out. Try to slow down your activities and try to take it easy. Take a week or two off applying the RICE treatment. If this does not work over time I would suggest seeing a doctor to help with recovery.

What are some ways to prevent a muscle tear?

Before every workout or physical activity you should warm up with a light jog for 10-15 minutes. Also a full body stretch is essential. Pre-workout your body needs to have some type of warm up to help get accustomed to the physical activity. Allow your muscles and tendon to be fully stretched and warmed up before any exercise.

[EZ-Bar]

How should one recover from a muscle tear?

The first thing you should do after tearing a muscle is get some ice on it. The ice will reduce swelling, numb some of the pain, and control the bleeding. If it is a severe tear then you should go see a doctor as soon as possible to see if you need surgery, and to get professional advice on how to treat it best.

In the days after the injury you should take aspirin or ibuprofen, elevate the muscle, and keep icing it. You can wrap a bandage around it to help support it if needed. You should stop working out till it is healed; some people keep working out, but stay away from that muscle group, but in my opinion if your body is trying to repair itself and you work out; then its going to be trying to fix a bunch of different things at the same time, thus hindering your results and taking longer for you to recover. Once you are able to, you should start doing little things around the house to keep the muscle from stiffening up. You also need to keep your diet in check. Get plenty of fluids down you, and make sure you are getting enough protein, carbohydrates, and good fats so that your body will have some fuel to use, and to keep you from losing your gains.

Jumping into the full swing of things after an injury will most likely re injure you, and you will be back sitting on the couch with your ice pack watching T.V. so start off by doing light exercises to build it back up again. I usually do this for 1-2 weeks before starting off where I stopped. Fortunately muscles have muscle memory and the gains that were lost will come back fairly quick.

What should you do if you think you've strained a muscle?

Stop immediately! I can't emphasize enough how even if it isn't that serious at the time it is better to be safe rather then sorry and stop what you are doing and take the rest of the day off. If you don't then somewhere down the line that injury will become serious and you will have to take weeks off and probably be in a whole lot of pain that you could have prevented. Some signs of a muscle tear are redness, swelling, and pain in the muscle when you use it. Once you have identified it get some ice on it and if its a severe tear then get to the hospital to see a doctor right away.

What are some ways to prevent a muscle tear?

If you take all the steps of warming up and stretching the muscle, and you use good form then you will probably never have to deal with a tear or joint problems from exercising. I'm not just talking about lifting either; it surprises me when people go outside and just start sprinting without warming up almost as if they are welcoming an injury. You should take the time to properly warm up and stretch before you play any sports, lift, and basically any anaerobic exercise.

A major key to prevention that is often overlooked for some reason is your diet. Make sure you are getting enough protein, carbohydrates, and good fats so that your body can function right, and you need to be drinking a lot of water.

Now lets talk about warm up sets. There are two ways I warm up and both have been very effective as I have not been injured since I started doing them. I will use 220 pounds for both examples.

The first way (an easy way to add up percents in your head is to take 10% of the number, 22 in this case, and then multiply that times 5 for 50%, 7 for 70%, etc.)

1st set - 50% of the weight you are going to use for 10 reps. - 110 pounds in this case. - You want to do them slow and controlled. - Take a 1-2 minute break.

2nd set - 70% of the weight you are going to use for 6 reps. - 154 pounds in this case, which I would round up to 155 for sanity's sake. - Do these slow to, but with a bit more explosiveness than the first set. - Take a 2 minute break.

3rd set - 80% of the weight for 3 reps. - 176 pounds, which I would round down to 175 - Do these a little bit slower then you would do your working sets. - 2 - 3 minute break

4th set (last set) - 90% for 1 rep. - 198 pounds, which i would round to 200. - Do these like you do your working sets. - 3 minute break.

The second way is much easier to add up, and as you can see they both end up having similar weights, except for the first set.

1st set - Subtract 80 from the weight your going to be doing for 8 reps. - 140 lbs. in this case. - 1-2 minute break.

2nd set - Add 20 and do 5 reps. - 160 - 2 minute break.

3rd set - Add 20 and do 3 reps - 180 - 2-3 minute break.

4th set (last set) - Add 20 and do 1 rep - 200 - 3 minute break

Now if your warming up for something like sprinting you can do a few things like butt kicks, high knees, lunges, arm circles and trunk twists (1.). You should also jog for a minute or two to get your heart rate up and the blood flowing before you do all out sprints. Its always good to have a light sweat going before you do all out intensity exercises not only for safety reasons, but because you will also perform better.

1. http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/wotw40.htm

[ironmaidn4life]

First and foremost I would consult at physician. Have them determine what type of tear and exact location of the tear and if it indeed is a tear. The next step would be to rest the muscle that has been torn. For comfort measures I would use Ice and/or heat, whichever my muscle felt best with and perhaps take an OTC antiinflamitory such as Ibprofen or asprin.

Once I have rested muscle for a while I would begin slowly with physical rehabilitation given special attention to that muscle. I would also include elements of stretching and massage therapy. I would start up slowly with my training that involved that particular muscle group primarily and secondary.

[Squats]

have any of you guys ever tear a muscle?