Why do muscle ruptures occur?

Muscle ruptures are a serious condition, seen with pathological stretching or too fast muscle contraction. In such cases, part of the muscle fibers are literally torn. There is a violation of the integrity of the muscle mass, because of which the further functioning of the muscle becomes impossible.

There are a number of diseases, for example: diphtheria, typhoid fever, etc., in which the structure of muscle fibers may be disturbed. In such situations, muscle ruptures are not uncommon, even because of light strokes. Restoration of functional ability because of this can take a very long time, and if the gap has been extensive, then the final healing may not occur.

Muscle ruptures vary in the number of fibers affected. So, it can affect the abdomen of the muscle as a whole, then the rupture will be called complete, and only touch a part of the muscle fibers, then the gap will be partial. It is not necessary to say that if the entire abdomen is damaged, the muscle is practically deprived of the possibility of contraction, and any attempts to set it in motion are accompanied by severe pain. In the case of a partial rupture, the muscle functions suffer less severely, although any reduction in the damaged muscle will still be accompanied by painful sensations.

Muscle ruptures. Complications

Complications of muscle rupture can occur in the case of improper treatment or lack of it. In such cases, the most favorable outcome will be a long time to restore muscle performance, and at worst the formation of a chronic deffect, which will later be very difficult to correct.

Do not confuse the muscle rupture with micro-ruptures, often found in athletes. Microfractures are an integral part of any sport, because due to permanent cuts, a part of the muscle fibers are damaged. Very often in sports there is a rupture of the gastrocnemius muscle. Such injuries are typical for runners and swimmers. Less common is the rupture of the pectoral muscle, biceps and hamstrings.

Symptoms

Any muscle rupture is accompanied by a number of characteristic symptoms. The first and, perhaps, the most basic symptom with which a person encounters a muscle rupture is pain. The pain can be as sharp if the rupture is complete and damaged the whole abdomen of the muscle, and dull and not very noticeable if a small portion of the muscle has been ruptured. The second symptom is a noticeable hemorrhage in the injury site and a strong swelling. The third symptom is the complete or partial loss of functional muscle activity.

Diagnostics

In some cases, the diagnosis of muscle rupture is very easy. So, if there was a complete rupture of the abdomen of any short muscle (for example, the biceps), then before the formation of a palpable hematoma, one can feel a noticeable gap in the place of the tear. In the case of long muscles, such cracks can not be felt because of rapid muscle contractions.

Treatment

The treatment of muscle ruptures is reduced to providing the injured limb a state of complete rest, in which the process of recovery will not last for long months. It is highly recommended to superimpose a pressure bandage on the area of damage, by means of which the ends of the ruptured muscle will be brought together as close as possible to each other. This will shorten the rehabilitation time for a very long time. It is also desirable to immobilize the limb to prevent the possibility of repeated ruptures. If the rupture is extensive, then it is necessary to sew the edges of the injured muscle, after which the limb should be fixed with a plaster bandage for up to two to three weeks. After removing the plaster bandage it is necessary to take a course of physiotherapeutic treatment and massage, otherwise the muscle will come to form very long time, and its movements will be very difficult.