Stretching A Pulled Muscle. Yay Or Nay?

First off, what happens when a muscle gets pulled, strained, or torn? All three mean the same thing. For the purpose of this article, "strain" will be used. A muscle is made up of many fibers. When these fibers come closer together, or contract, the limb or joint moves. If the muscle is elongated in this contracted state, a strain can occur. The more muscle fibers that get torn, the worse the strain is. If enough of the muscle gets involved, a complete tear can occur. OUCH!!!

Now that this inconvenience has occurred, what do you do? Do you stretch it? Do you rest it?

There are many different trains of thought concerning this. But the majority of information that was researched says it depends. Gee thanks!

One website, The Stretching Institute, has a post that advocates not stretching regardless how minor the strain is. They would rather the individual focus on the pneumonic R.I.C.E.R. (Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation, Referral to a medical profession if needed) This should be done for the first 72 hours post injury. The picture below is form the website that was used form Dr. Barry Oakes of Monash University in Victoria, Australia:

Most others say it depends on how deep the strain is. As you begin to stretch the affected muscle and you feel instant pain or burning do not go any further. Do not even attempt to stretch it out. More damage could result. Take some time off to rest it. Seeking therapy from a registered massage therapist can help speed the recovery of the injured muscle. If, while providing a light stretch, the pain is tolerable do not go any further. It is very important to stretch the surrounding muscles as well. This will reduce tension in the affected muscle. For example, a hamstring gets injured. If, while stretching the hamstring there is increased pain or burning, stop the stretch. Focus on stretching the surrounding muscles like the quads and muscles of the hips.

Immediately after the injury it is extremely important to get ice on the affected area and to keep the muscle as immobile as possible. Follow the R.I.C.E.R. pneumonic above.

So, in a my unprofessional opinion, if there is pain don't stretch it. Don't promote more pain. Decrease the chance of further tearing the muscle fibers. You want them to heal. Really focus on stretching the surrounding muscles to decrease the tension of the affected muscle.