Over-Stretching In Medical Treatment

Over-Stretching:

Something most people do not consider is the concept of over-stretching. When you stretch lightly, tendons and muscles are pulled and may relax to 'give' a little, improving the range of motion slightly.

However, if you try to stretch too much, too far, or too hard you will actually cause small rips and tears in the muscles and tendons that you are stretching.

These tears are rarely permanent, however they will leave the muscle or tendon to be a little weaker than it would have been without the stretching.

Our goal here is not to hurt ourselves, but to put our body into a system where it must gradually adapt to the stresses of stretching by increasing our range of motion. It is not uncommon for people to immediately try to stretch farther than they should be

Activities that increase muscle pain or work the affected body part are not recommended until the pain has significantly improved.

Rest the strained muscle. Avoid the activities that caused the strain and other activities that are painful. Ice the muscle area 20 minutes every hour while awake. Ice is a very effective anti-inflammatory and pain-reliever.

Small ice packs, such as packages of frozen vegetables or water frozen in foam coffee cups, applied to the area may help decrease inflammation.

Medical Treatment:

Medical treatment is similar to the treatment at home. The doctor, however, also can determine the extent of muscle and tendon injury and if crutches or a brace is needed for healing.

The doctor can also determine if you need to restrict your activity or take days off work and if rehabilitation exercises or physical therapy are required to help you recover.

Treatment:

You just need to give it some time and rest. To speed the healing, you can: Ice the inside of your thigh to reduce pain and swelling. Experts recommend doing it for 20 to 30 minutes every 3 to 4 hours for 2 to 3 days, or until the pain is