Tips on Healing a Torn Muscle

A torn muscle can be very debilitating and have a severe impact on your daily life, but there are some things you can do to help relieve the symptoms of the torn muscle. As with a lot of medical problems, you should always consult your doctor if you are having severe pain just in case there is something more serious going on. If you have a torn muscle you should try some of these easy and safe remedies to help alleviate some of the pain and swelling caused by the torn muscle.

If you have a torn muscle it is always a good idea to take over-the-counter pain medications such as Tylenol or ibuprofen to help alleviate some of the pain and swelling associated with your torn muscle. If you are having severe pains you should see your doctor because he can prescribe stronger pain medications and stronger anti-inflammatory drugs for you. If you do not want to go to the doctor you can get generic Naproxen which is an anti-inflammatory drug used to treat swelling and inflammation around the affected area. Also, using aspirin and other pain relievers might be better than going to the doctor, unless the pain is not getting better by taking the over-the-counter pain medications.

If you have a torn muscle you can also see your doctor who might be able to help you by prescribing you muscle relaxant medications. The muscle relaxant medications will not generally make the inflammation go away, but it will help relax the muscle that is torn to help it heal faster. Muscle relaxation medications are generally good in helping alleviate some of the pain because it will encourage blood flow to the muscles which increases the oxygen in the blood stream and will help with the overall stiffness and soreness of the affected torn muscle. You do need a prescription to get muscle relaxant medications, but it really does help you if you are in pain or you need something in order to help you sleep or move around due to the soreness of the torn muscle. As with a lot of prescriptions, you should always use caution when driving or operating machinery due to the muscle relaxants causing dizziness and drowsiness.

Torn muscles can also be helped by using a ice and heat therapy. Ice and heat are often encouraged after the initial tear and for a few days after the torn muscle occurred. When you use ice therapy, the recommended time is using the ice at 20 minute intervals several different times throughout the day. The ice therapy can be done as many times a day as you would like or have, as long as you remember 20 minutes on and 20 minutes off. The ice can help increase blood flow which will help aide in the healing process and can also reduce swelling and inflammation to the affected torn muscle. Heat therapy can always be used in helping increase blood flow and help reduce damaged cells. Ice and heat is a technique that has been around for many years and can help reduce the inflammation caused by infection and other medical conditions such as a torn muscle.

If you have a torn muscle, one of the best therapies you can do is to just rest. Sure this sounds like an obvious answer but a lot of people forget that torn muscles usually get torn by overdoing something or pressuring your body to take on more than it should. Rest is always one of the best cures for an ailment such as a torn muscle because this gives the torn muscle time to recover and to heal properly without the chance of further injury or tearing. Resting your body and your torn muscle will allow your body the chance to naturally heal on its own, which can take a few weeks depending on the severity of the torn muscle and the location of the torn muscle. If you use the torn muscle during the healing process, you are only hindering your body from naturally healing by itself and can end up causing further destruction of the muscle and the area around the muscle. It is a good idea to keep resting until a couple days after the initial healing has stopped, so even if you feel better you should stay pretty low-key for a couple days afterward to ensure your body has had the ability to heal the torn muscle completely.

Torn muscles will also to be exercised so it does not become weak and lose the muscle mass. A physical therapy might be suggested by your doctor in order to speed up the recovery time and ensure you are not losing any muscle function due to the muscle being torn. Physical therapy uses many different techniques such as exercises and water therapy to help reduce swelling and encourage the repair of damaged cells caused by injuries to the muscle. It will also help increase the blood flow to the affected area which promotes healing due to the exercises that the therapy will provide. Physical therapy is a way to help heal your body as well as help reduce symptoms such as inflammation and pain without taking medications. Physical therapy might entail a couple exercises using an exercise band once or twice a day, or it might be a therapy where you will use an exercise ball to help increase your activity to that part of your body. The fact is that even though you are supposed to be resting, you still need the daily movements of the affected torn muscle to help it heal faster and to ensure you are not losing any muscle mass or bone density caused by not using a muscle for an extended period of time. If your torn muscle is severe, a water therapy might be used which will also help promote healing and reduce inflammation and is also another alternative to using medication.