The medical community classifies muscle strain into three different types: mild, moderate, and severe. Also referred to as a pulled muscle, this injury occurs when the muscles tear. Cleveland Clinic affirms that people most commonly sustain a muscle strain in their hamstrings, abdominal, back, bicep, calf, or chest.
A chiropractor can help treat and even heal a pulled muscle by rendering chiropractic adjustments and/or physical therapy techniques. This treatment can help take pressure off the nerves, build muscle mass, relieve muscle tension and pain, and enhance range of motion. Naples Community Injury Center can further discuss types of muscle strain and how we can help when you call us today at (239) 631-5445.
Types of Muscle Strains
When one of our physicians conducts a physical exam and reviews imaging scans and other documentation, they will categorize your muscle strains into one of three types:
- Grade I: Since it’s mild, only a few of the muscle fibers tear. It causes pain, but you still have a normal amount of strength in this muscle.
- Grade II: With this moderate strain, many muscle fibers have been torn. As a result, you may notice muscle weakness, pain, swelling, and tenderness. The area might even bruise.
- Grade III: This is the most severe of all muscle strains. Here, the muscle is completely severed into two or tears away from the tendon. You might endure a complete loss of strength, pain, swelling, discoloration, and tenderness.
People could be at risk of suffering muscle strains when playing contact sports or lifting heavy objects. Traffic accidents could also cause strained muscles.
If you know you’re going to be partaking in an activity that requires speed and stamina, make sure you properly warm up beforehand. Stretch and wear loose-fitting clothing so you can move without any restrictions.
How a Chiropractor Can Help With Your Muscle Strain
Sometimes, all a pulled muscle needs is ice, rest, and elevation. However, if the pain persists or worsens, you may need to take different measures. If you come to Naples Community Injury Center, your chiropractor will form a treatment plan that’s tailored to your needs and goals. We usually provide chiropractic adjustments to provide the patient with immediate relief. Chiropractic adjustments usually comprise these two techniques:
- Spinal manipulations: The doctor will use a special tool or their hands to exert thrusts that force the spine into alignment.
- Reflexology: This method is based on the idea that each part of the body is connected. Your physician will push on different pressure points in the hands and feet to relieve pain and stimulate blood flow.
After a few sessions, you may start to feel like you’re back to normal or perhaps even better than you felt before you pulled a muscle. At that point, we can begin to incorporate physical therapy into your treatment regimen. Some methods we might employ include:
- Massage therapy: This ancient practice has been shown to relieve nerve or muscle compression, give more space between joints, enhance flexibility and range of motion, and heal scar tissue.
- Muscle energy techniques (MET): This technique is made for mobilizing joints and stretching taut muscles. The doctor will place the injured body part in a certain position and have you contract the muscle or resist their push or pull for however long. Then, you relax for a few moments before they stretch your muscle to the maximum range of motion. They’ll go through this process a few times.
- Electrical stimulation: We use this treatment to help heal wounds. We place electrodes near the wound site and pump small magnetic fields to help reduce pain.
- Rehabilitation: Stretching and strength training can help improve your range of motion and build muscle mass, which works to prevent re-injury.
It’s normal to experience flare-ups while going through treatment, so don’t get discouraged if you have some tough days. However, if pain persists or you feel that you’re doing too much, let your physician know right away. We don’t want to force anything or overexert yourself, as that would defeat the purpose of the treatment. Our goal is to help you feel at ease while healing from this painful injury.
How a Chiropractor Can Help If You Were in an Accident
Some of our patients come to us after they’ve been hurt in an accident at work or on the road. In that event, they may be entitled to collect compensation for their medical expenses, lost income, or even pain and suffering in some cases. These personal injury or workers’ compensation claims are only valid if the victims have evidence showing this incident directly caused their accident.
At Naples Community Injury Center, we can support you in your pursuit of compensation. In doing so, we may supply you with this evidence:
- Bills and invoices of your appointments with us, medications we’ve prescribed you, and related equipment you’ve purchased
- A record of your appointments and what each one entailed (e.g., what treatments we administered, how you responded, etc.)
- Your diagnosis and prognosis
- A copy of the treatment regimen we’ve formed for you
- Doctor’s notes in case you had to have a documented excuse for missing work
- Our expert testimony if you need us to establish that you needed the treatment we provided because your muscle strain directly resulted from the incident
Many injured patients do not want to handle their claims alone. In that case, you may benefit from hiring a personal injury attorney. Our doctors can communicate with your lawyer and answer any questions related to your injury.
Call Us to Learn More About How Our Chiropractor Can Help You
If you sustained a strained muscle, one of our chiropractors can examine what type it is and help you feel better through adjustments and physical therapy. You don’t need to live in pain or discomfort any longer.
Call Naples Community Injury Center at (239) 631-5445 for an appointment. We can create a custom treatment plan to help you recover.
