Muscle Strain

When To Call A Professional

Call your doctor right away if:

• You hear or feel a pop in your muscle at the time of injury.

• You have severe pain, swelling or discoloration in the injured muscle.

• Your injured muscle is obviously weak or has difficulty moving compared to the same muscle on the opposite side of your body.

• You have mild muscle symptoms that do not improve after 48 hours.

• You have severe back pain that makes it impossible for you to perform normal daily activities, or you have mild back pain that worsens after a few days.

• You are being treated for a strained back, and your symptoms do not improve within two weeks.

• You have back pain together with any of the following symptoms, which can signal a medical problem that is more serious than a mild back strain:

  • Fever or chills

  • Pain or a burning feeling when you urinate

  • Sudden weakness, numbness or tingling in a leg

  • Numbness in your groin or rectum

  • Difficulty controlling your bladder or bowel function

Prognosis

Recovery depends on the location and severity of your muscle strain. In general, almost all Grade I strains heal within a few weeks, whereas Grade II strains may take two to three months or longer.

After surgery to repair a Grade III strain, most people regain normal muscle function after several months of rehabilitation.

Additional Info

National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases Information Clearinghouse National Insitutes of Health 1 AMS Circle Bethesda, MD 20892-3675 Phone: 301-495-4484 Toll-Free: 1-877-226-4267 Fax: 301-718-6366 TTY: 301-565-2966 http://www.niams.nih.gov/

National Institutes of Health (NIH) 9000 Rockville Pike Bethesda, MD 20892 Phone: 301-496-4000 http://www.nih.gov/

American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) 6300 North River Road Rosemont, IL 60018-4262 Phone: 847-823-7186 Toll-Free: 1-800-346-2267 Fax: 847-823-8125 http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/

National Athletic Trainers' Association 2952 Stemmons Freeway Dallas, TX 75247 Phone: 214-637-6282 Fax: 214-637-2206 http://www.nata.org/

American Physical Therapy Association 1111 North Fairfax St. Alexandria, VA 22314-1488 Phone: 703-684-2782 Toll-Free: 1-800-999-2782 TTY: 703-683-6748 Fax: 703-684-7343 http://www.apta.org/