Five things you need to know about abdominal strain

Advertisements

Whether you're a good athlete, a weekend warrior, or just enjoying a positive lifestyle, abdominal strain can put you on the sidelines. Also known as abdominal muscle strain, this injury involves excessively stretched muscle or tendon fibers, leading to minor to severe tearing. Abdominal muscle strain usually occurs suddenly, but it develops gradually due to overuse. Understanding some facts about abdominal strain can help you identify the injury and point out the right direction for your recovery when you develop the disease. As many athletes and fitness enthusiasts know, there are three types of muscle contraction: isometric contraction, concentric contraction and eccentric contraction. Eccentric contraction occurs when the muscles are stretched under load, such as when you do sit-ups and lower your torso back to the floor. In view of this, you may have guessed that when abdominal strain occurs, your abdominal muscles are eccentrically contracting and stretching to their maximum capacity. Although abdominal pull injuries occur less frequently than leg or back injuries, they are relatively common. Most abdominal strain injuries have minor or partial tear. Complete abdominal muscle rupture is rare. Activities

associated with abdominal strain

Abdominal strain usually occurs when participating in sports or physical activities, which involves frequent and vigorous stretching and twisting of abdominal muscles. Common examples include tennis, handball and squash. Volleyball, basketball and hockey. Hockey and baseball, especially hitting and pitching - golf, rowing, swimming and diving. Pole vault, hurdle jump and high jump. Weightlifting and abdominal muscle training. Abdominal strain can also be caused by a strong blow to the abdomen. This injury mechanism may occur in motor vehicle or bicycle accidents, or in contact sports such as football, boxing or mixed martial arts. < p > < H3 > signs and symptoms < / H3 > < p > abdominal strain. If it's an acute tear, that is, a sudden tear, you're likely to experience severe pain at the site of the injury. Tension caused by persistent overuse can cause similar but mild pain. Over time, the intensity of pain increases with the persistent use of injured muscles. Because of one of the oblique muscle strains, pain usually occurs on the abdominal side - usually along the lower edge of the chest or, less often, along the anterior part of the hip. Strain injuries to the rectus abdominis usually cause pain in the lower abdomen, which originates 2 inches below the navel and usually extends to the groin. Less commonly, pain occurs in the upper part of the abdomen, near the midline extending from the lower sternum to the pubic bone.

Sponsored Links

The area of abdominal muscle tear is usually soft, and you may notice the swelling in this area. Affected muscles may also spasm. Movement and activity in contact with injured muscles, including coughing, sneezing, deep breathing and weight lifting, can aggravate abdominal strain and pain.

Go back to the game and stop your current activity if you sustain acute abdominal strain. During the first 24 to 48 hours, ice or cold compress several times a day for 15 to 20 minutes in the area can help reduce pain and swelling. After the first few days, taking over-the-counter painkillers, such as aspirin, advil, Motrin or aleve, may help control pain. If your injury is caused by overuse, your doctor may recommend that you inject steroids into your tears. Whether your abdominal strain is severe or caused by long-term overuse, resting injured muscles is the key to your recovery. In other words, don't try to gain strength by hurting. Doing so can lead to more severe tearing and prolong your recovery. For minor strain, the truce is expected to last about 2 to 10 days. The recovery time of moderate strain is usually 2 to 6 weeks. Severe strain injuries may require surgical repair and up to 10 weeks of recovery. Once your pain disappears, your doctor may recommend physical therapy to help you recover, solve any core muscle imbalance, and restore normal activity.

When to seek medical care and warning signs

Mild abdominal strain may not require medical care - if your only symptom is mild local pain, rest for a few days will disappear. However, if the pain persists or worsens, it is important to see a doctor as soon as possible. If the abdomen is hit, or abdominal pain is moderate to severe, or accompanied by any warning signs or symptoms, including swelling and pain of the abdominal wall, please seek medical attention immediately. - Abdominal wall bruises. Nausea or vomiting. Blood or black stool. - Dizziness, dizziness or unconsciousness. - Fever or chills. The skin is pale or wet and cold. Heart rate or breathing rate, or both. - shortness of breath or other breathing difficulties.

Advertisements