Best ways to recover from a muscle strain

You didn't listen to your body when it screamed for you to stop scrubbing the floor on your hands and knees or to quit playing pickleball. Now you're dealing with aching muscles that have left you in more pain than you expected. Be careful: you might have a strained muscle.

What is a muscle strain?

Normally, challenging your muscles is good for them. It creates microscopic damage in the muscle tissue, prompting the body to make repairs and build muscles back bigger and stronger. You might feel sore for a day or two, but the pain will go away.

Putting excessive stress on muscles, however, can overstretch or tear muscle fibers. The resulting injury is called a muscle strain or a pulled muscle. The damage could be a small nick or lesion on muscle tissue. In severe cases, the muscle can rip into two separate pieces.

A strain can happen with a single motion (such as reaching way out of bounds for a ball or using a dumbbell that's too heavy for you) or repeated motion (such as the back-and-forth arm movement of scrubbing the floor).

Recognizing strains

You'll know if you've suffered a severe strain. You'll most likely hear an audible pop and see a dent in the out-line of the muscle. You'll feel immediate pain, swelling, tenderness, and weakness. You might eventually have bruising.

Less severe strains can be mistaken for sore muscles initially, since both can be tender and painful (especially with use). How can you tell the difference?

Location. "If the pain is in a large area, such as your entire back, it's probably due to sore muscles responding to new activity. If the pain is localized to one specific area of your back, that's a strain," says Briana Williams, a physical therapist at Harvard-affiliated Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital.

Healing time. "If the pain eases by day three, you probably just have sore muscles," Williams says. "If the pain intensity has increased by day three, you probably have a strained muscle."

Coping with pain

If you have severe muscle pain, see your doctor right away. You might need to immobilize the injured muscle or have it repaired surgically if it has been torn.

If pain is not severe and you're unsure whether a muscle is strained or just sore, wait it out, and use these strategies.

Follow RICE rules. RICE stands for rest, ice, compression, and elevation. In this case, rest the injured muscle by taking a temporary break from intense activities (but continue normal activities such as getting dressed or walking your dog), ice the injured area for 20 minutes at a time (or use heat if it's more comfortable for you), compress the muscle with an elastic bandage, and elevate the injured area.

Confuse pain signals. Massage the muscle or apply topical pain creams containing menthol. "The body has trouble experiencing more than one sensation at a time in a single area. Introducing pressure or menthol helps disrupt pain signals," Williams says.

Consider medication. Over-the-counter acetaminophen (Tylenol), ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin), or naproxen (Aleve) can provide additional pain relief, unless your doctor has advised against taking these medicines.

Stretch. "Gentle stretching promotes healing by re-establishing the normal length of the muscles," Williams says. "But don't overstretch. If you feel worse after stretching one day, do a gentler stretch the next day."

Get enough sleep. This is when your body repairs muscles. Aim for seven to nine hours per night.

Try to keep up your protein levels. At each meal, include a serving of protein (such as fish, poultry, dairy, nuts, seeds, or beans), which helps build muscle. To find out your total daily protein needs in grams, multiply your weight in pounds by 0.36. The USDA offers a handy calculator.

Stay hydrated. Water can aid recovery by helping cells flush out waste products. Try to drink water throughout the day, and routinely eat water-rich foods such as fruits, vegetables, smoothies, and soups.

Try isometric exercise. If it's not too painful, gently contract (squeeze) the injured muscle for 30 seconds at a time. This promotes the normal breakdown and reknitting of muscle tissue.

If muscle pain persists after three days to a week, see your doctor.

Prevent future strains

When pain subsides, return to intense activity gradually, and stretch muscles regularly to keep them long, supple, and healthy. And the next time your body begs you to take a break from activity, do your best to listen.

 Image: © andreswd/Getty Images; exercise photos by Michael Carroll