Muscle Injuries

Skeletal muscle injuries represent great part of all traumas in sports medicine. They should be treated with necessary precaution since a failed treatment can postpone an athlete’s return to the field with weeks or even months and cause recidivism.

Types of skeletal muscle injuries

Literature study does not reveal great consensus when it comes to classifying muscle injuries, despite their clinical importance. However, the most differentiating factor is the trauma mechanism.  Muscle injuries can therefore be broadly classified as either traumatic (acute) or overuse (chronic) injuries.

Acute injuries are usually the result of a single traumatic event and cause a macro-trauma to the muscle. There is an obvious link between the cause and noticeable symptoms. They mostly occur in contact sports such as rugby, soccer and basketball because of their dynamic and high collision nature. 

Overuse, chronic or exercise-induced injuries are subtler and usually occur over a longer period of time. They result from repetitive micro-trauma to the muscle. Diagnosing is more challenging since there is a less obvious link between the cause of the injury and the symptoms.

Muscle strains

Muscle strains have 3 grades depending on the severity of the damage caused by the strain. Before to treat a muscle strain it is necessary to determine the grade of the injury.

Grade 1: This is a mild form of a strain injury. There is no palpable muscle defect, none or minimal loss of strength and a mild discomfort when walking.

Grade 2: This is a moderate form of strain injury. There is possibly a palpable muscle defect, moderate loss of strength and a feeling of pain when walking.

Grade 3: This is a severe form of strain injury. There is often a palpable muscle defect, usually complete loss of strength and very strong pain when walking, walking becomes impossible.