Muscle strain: why does it appear?

In order to prevent Muscle strain damage, we should train with the right intensity. Among the many factors listed below, proper warm-up is important.

Muscle strain is one of the most common injuries for any athlete. The specific movements that our muscles make are alternately contracting and relaxing, which allows them to stretch.

That is why every sport we do is associated with alternating contraction and relaxation of muscles.

Muscle strain - what are the causes?

So, if this type of muscle movement is natural and frequent, why is it so frequent? Let us analyze the most obvious cases.

Excessive effort

One of the reasons why your muscles are strained is simply by taking an exertion that your body is not prepared for. As you train, your muscles become stronger and more flexible.

But if a muscle is not properly prepared and we put it overstretched, it can become strained.

Consider also delayed muscle soreness (DOMS). For example, if we are not used to strenuous exercise and suddenly start lifting heavy furniture, it can lead to sore muscles.

It will also appear when, after many years without any physical activity, we suddenly play a football match with our friends.

However, muscle tears also happen when we are in very good shape. The more intense our trainings are, the better prepared we will be for the effort, although it depends on their intensity.

It is also worth remembering about recently injured muscles. those that we are not working on during training will be weak and more vulnerable to injury. That is why we must take care of the gradual regeneration of injured muscles.

Long-lasting effort

Muscle strains can also be caused by playing sports for so long that the endurance of the muscles eventually fails and the muscles become strained.

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As with exercising without preparation, it is important to train properly and gradually increase the intensity of the session.

Poor muscle balance

Within the muscle groups, there are agonistic (making a certain movement) and antagonistic (making the opposite movement) muscles. During sports, both muscle groups keep each other in the right position.

Insufficient warm-up

As the name suggests, warming up consists of preparing, or otherwise warming up, the muscles before the effort to which we intend to put them. If the warm-up is too short or too little intense, our muscles will not be prepared for training, and the risk of straining them will be greater.

External causes causing muscle strain

No rest

It is important to take enough time to rest. When we play sports, we must give ourselves time to regenerate. If we do not sleep as much as necessary or exercise vigorously without taking breaks between exercises, then the likelihood of muscle damage increases as well.

Inappropriate sports equipment

Inadequate quality equipment can also be the cause of an injury. Inappropriate equipment may mean that the equipment is of poor quality, worn or not properly adjusted to the ergonomics of the body.

In all these cases, the use of such equipment forces the muscles to work unnaturally, which can lead to, among other things, muscle strain.

Malnutrition

Insufficient food means that the muscle fibers do not have access to the nutrients they need. This makes them weaker and therefore less resistant to injury.

Muscle strain - other causes

People with poor blood circulation should be especially careful, as well as people with chronic diseases such as diabetes. In such cases, the muscles are not able to use all the nutrients because the amount of blood that reaches them is insufficient.

The weather can also affect the condition of the muscles. Training in a cold and wet environment makes it difficult to warm up and reduces their flexibility. Therefore, be careful when training in these weather conditions.

Muscle strain - prevention

Bearing in mind all the above information, the most effective way to prevent this type of injury is proper training and avoiding excessive effort. Remember: train carefully, eat well, get enough sleep and use appropriate sports equipment.