Muscle Strains and Spasms

Understanding Muscle Strains and Spasms

Muscle strains and spasms are common injuries that can significantly impact your daily life. They can occur suddenly or develop over time, often due to physical activity, poor posture, or even auto accidents. Whether from sports injuries, chronic overuse, or sudden trauma, muscle strains and spasms cause pain, discomfort, and limited movement.

What Is a Muscle Strain?

How Muscles Work

Muscles are made of soft tissue fibers that contract and stretch to allow movement. Different muscles serve different purposes: some maintain posture and balance, while others provide speed, strength, or stability. When a muscle is injured, it can lead to pain, weakness, and impaired function.

A muscle strain, often referred to as a “pulled muscle,” occurs when a muscle is overstretched or torn. This injury can happen during high-intensity activities like sports, heavy lifting, repetitive tasks, or even from prolonged sitting in one position

What Causes Muscle Strains?

Muscle strains can occur in several ways:

  • Overstretching: The muscle is stretched beyond its normal range.
  • Overexertion: The muscle is forced to contract too strongly.
  • Prolonged Positioning: Holding a posture for too long can also lead to strain.

Muscle strains may be acute, resulting from an injury like a fall or car accident, or chronic, caused by repetitive movements over time, such as those from long-term poor posture or constant coughing during illness.

Symptoms of Muscle Strains

Symptoms can vary from mild to severe, depending on the extent of the injury. Common signs include:

  • Swelling, bruising, or discoloration
  • Pain that worsens with movement and eases with rest
  • Reduced strength and mobility
  • A “pop” or snapping sensation during injury
  • Muscle spasms

Take the First Step Toward Pain Relief

You don’t have to live with chronic pain or stiffness. At Frederick Chiropractic Wellness Center, we’re here to help you find relief through personalized, conservative treatment options designed to meet your needs. Schedule a consultation today and let us guide you on the path to better spinal health.

Move better. Heal better. Feel better.

Common Medical Treatments and Their Limitations

  • Rest: While rest may be necessart and helpful in the early stages of recovery, prolonged inactivity can delay healing by weakening the muscle further.  It’s essential to find ways to keep moving as safely and as much as possible as soon as possible.  
  • Medications: Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) may help reduce pain and swelling, but long-term use can lead to gastrointestinal issues, kidney damage, and slow down healing.
  • Imaging: Unnecessary imaging, such as MRIs or X-rays, can sometimes be overused in cases where the injury can be treated conservatively, leading to additional costs and delays in treatment.  A good doctor should be able to rule out red flags that indicate a serious problem before ordering unnecessary and unhelpful testing. 
  • Delayed Treatment: Waiting too long to seek treatment can lead to prolonged pain, compensation patterns, and a greater risk of developing chronic pain or disability.

Treating Muscle Strains and Spasms With PEACE & LOVE

To effectively treat a muscle strain or spasm, the PEACE & LOVE protocol provides a balanced approach for both immediate care and long-term recovery:

PEACE (for Immediate Care):

  • Protect: Avoid activities that worsen pain, especially in the first few days.
  • Elevate: Keep the injured area elevated to reduce swelling.
  • Avoid Anti-Inflammatories: While tempting, NSAIDs may interfere and slow injury healing.  They should be used sparingly and with caution only as needed.  
  • Compress: Use bandages and light support as needed to manage swelling and provide stability.
  • Educate: Movement and rehabilitation are key to recovery. Avoid unnecessary treatments and seek guidance from your chiropractor.

LOVE (for Long-Term Care):

  • Load: Gradually reintroduce movement and load to stimulate healing and rebuild strength.
  • Optimism: A positive mindset and focusing on things you can do can aid in recovery—trust the process.
  • Vascularization: Engaging in low force activities like yoga, walking or cycling to improve blood flow, swelling, and healing. 
  • Exercise: Strengthening and mobility exercises are essential to promote healing and function

Muscle Spasms: What Are They?

Muscle spasms are a common symptom when you have neck pain or back pain.  

Muscle spasms often occur to protect an injured area.  After an injury, like a fall, sports injury, or car accident, your brain and nervous system respond to protect the injured area, which can lead to increased tension and limited movement surrounding muscles. 

As annoying and disruptive as it can be, it is sometimes necessary!   This response may also cause stiffness and pain in other areas of the body as your brain tries to figure out ways to keep you moving.  

Spasms can also arise due to compensation, where muscles overwork to take on the duties of injured or weak muscles. For example, if an ankle is injured, the muscles of the lower back or hips may overcompensate, leading to additional strain and spasms.

Common Causes of Muscle Spasms

  • Protection: After an injury, your nervous system may protect the injured area by shutting down certain muscles while overactivating others.
  • Compensation: A muscle may be forced to take over another muscle’s job if it is injured or underactive.
  • Weakness: Weak or underactive muscles can feel tight, as they may be overworked and inflamed. This often happens when injuries aren’t fully rehabilitated.

Severity of Muscle Strains

Muscle strains are categorized into three grades:

  • Grade I (Mild): Small tears in the muscle fibers, usually resolving in a few days with no loss of function.
  • Grade II (Moderate): Multiple fiber tears, bruising, and swelling, often requiring medical evaluation and rest. 
  • Grade III (Severe): A complete tear or detachment of the muscle from the tendon, sometimes requiring medical intervention and possibly surgery.

Preventing Muscle Strains

Muscle strains aren’t just for athletes. Daily activities like lifting, repetitive tasks, or even an awkward movement can result in injury. Risk factors include aging, poor posture, and certain occupations. Here are ways to reduce your risk:

  • Take regular breaks for “movement snacks: to avoid posture-related strains.
  • Stretch and warm up your body and brain before physical activities.
  • Avoid overexertion by being mindful of your movements.

How Chiropractic Care Can Help

Chiropractic care is a highly effective way to manage muscle strains and spasms. At Frederick Chiropractic Wellness Center, we provide personalized care tailored to your unique needs. We’ll assess the extent of your injury, recommend targeted treatments, and guide you through the recovery process.

In addition to hands-on therapies, we offer rehabilitation exercises, advice on posture correction, and strategies to prevent future injuries.

Chiropractic care focuses on improving muscle function, and improving strength and mobility to  reduce pain—without the risks associated with long-term medication use or unnecessary surgery.

Why Chiropractic Care Works

Our approach focuses on understanding how your muscles, joints, and nervous system work together. We emphasize strength-building, flexibility, and movement restoration rather than relying solely on passive treatments.

Chiropractic care supports both immediate relief and long-term health, helping you move, heal, and feel better.

If you’re dealing with muscle strain, spasms, or pain from an auto accident, sports injury, or other musculoskeletal issue, our chiropractic team is here to help you recover. With a focus on active care and rehabilitation, we work with you to get you back to your daily activities, pain-free. Reach out today to learn how we can assist in your recovery journey.

Our Clients Are Great! The Best!