Muscle Strain

• Muscle Strain Overview
• Muscle Strain Symptoms
• When to Seek Medical Care
• Exams and Tests
• Muscle Strain Treatment
• Self-Care at Home
• Medical Treatment
• Next Steps
• Prevention
• Outlook
• Synonyms and Keywords
• Authors and Editors

Muscle Strain Overview

Muscle strain or muscle pull or even a muscle tear implies damage to a muscle or its attaching tendons. You can put undue pressure on muscles during the course of normal daily activities, with sudden, quick heavy lifting, during sports, or while performing work tasks.

Muscle damage can be in the form of tearing (part or all) of the muscle fibers and the tendons attached to the muscle. The tearing of the muscle can also damage small blood vessels, causing local bleeding (bruising) and pain (caused by irritation of the nerve endings in the area).