What to do about a torn muscle or tendon

Injury Prevention Pulled Muscles, Scar Tissue and Re-injury

The reknowned Athletic Trainer Brad Walker explains how scar tissue affects recovery and re-injury of pulled muscles:

Have you ever had an injury that just will not heal? And then when you think it has healed, you go and re-injure it again. You may have a problem with scar tissue.

So you have pulled a muscle. Over-stretched it, torn it, strained it or sprained it. Call it what you want. From an injury point of view, the initial healing process is all the same.

Sprains (ligament) and strains (muscle or tendon) are the most common type of soft tissue sports injury and are often caused by activities that require the muscles to stretch and contract at the same time. A lack of conditioning, flexibility and warm up can also contribute.

While most people are well aware of the importance of applying the R.I.C.E. regime to a sprain or strain in the first 48 to 72 hours, it is after this that most people get stuck. Let us start by having a look at what happens during those first 72 hours and then move onto what is needed for a full recovery.

The First 72 Hours Without a doubt, the most effective, initial treatment for soft tissue injury is the R.I.C.E.R. regime. This involves the application of (R) rest, (I) ice, (C) compression, (E) elevation and obtaining a (R) referral for appropriate medical treatment.

Where the R.I.C.E.R. regime has been used immediately after the occurrence of an injury, it has been shown to significantly reduce recovery time. R.I.C.E.R. forms the first, and perhaps most important stage of injury rehabilitation, providing the early base for the complete recovery of injury.

24 hours after soft tissue injury, when R.I.C.E.R. has not been used, there is a large amount of uncontrolled bleeding and swelling. However the application of rest, ice, compression and elevation will significantly reduced the amount of bleeding and swelling.

The Problem with Scar Tissue When a muscle is torn, you would expect that the body would repair that tear with new muscle. In reality, this does not happen. The tear, or rupture, is repaired with scar tissue. When the R.I.C.E.R. regime is used, this limits the formation of scar tissue.

Now this might not sound like a big deal, but if you have ever suffered a soft tissue injury, you will know how annoying it is to keep re-injuring that same old injury, over and over again. Untreated scar tissue is the major cause of re-injury, usually months after you thought that injury had fully healed.

Scar tissue is made from a very brittle, inflexible fibrous material. This fibrous material binds itself to the damaged soft tissue fibres in an effort to draw the damaged fibres back together. What results is a bulky mass of fibrous scar tissue completely surrounding the injury site. In some cases it is even possible to see and feel this bulky mass under the skin.

When scar tissue forms around an injury site, it is never as strong as the tissue it replaces. It also has a tendency to contract and deform the surrounding tissues, so not only is the strength of the tissue diminished, but flexibility of the tissue is also compromised.

So what does this mean for the athlete? Firstly, it means a shortening of the soft tissues which results in a loss of flexibility. Secondly, it means a weak spot has formed within the soft tissues, which could easily result in further damage.

Lastly, the formation of scar tissue will result in a loss of strength and power. For a muscle to attain full power it must be fully stretched before contraction. Both the shortening effect and weakening of the tissues means that a full stretch and optimum contraction is not possible.

Getting rid of the scar tissue To remove the unwanted scar tissue it is vital that you start a course of deep tissue sports massage. While ultrasound and heat will help the injured area, they will not remove the scar tissue. Only massage will do that.

About the Author Brad Walker is a prominent Australian sports trainer with more than 15 years experience in the health and fitness industry. Brad is a Health Science graduate of the University of New England and has postgraduate accreditations in athletics, swimming and triathlon coaching. He also works with elite level and world champion athletes and lectures for Sports Medicine Australia on injury prevention.