Overview

A muscle strain is an injury to a muscle or a tendon. Tendons are fibrous tissues that connect muscles to bones. Strains can range from mild to serious. A mild strain happens when muscles or tendon fibers are simply stretched too far. With a serious strain, the tissue is partially or completely torn.

Muscle strains often are called pulled muscles. They most commonly affect the lower back and the hamstring muscles at the back of the thigh.

The difference between a strain and a sprain is that a strain involves an injury to a muscle or tendon, while a sprain injures a ligament. A ligament is a band of tissue that connects two bones together.

Initial treatment for strains includes protection of the injury, rest, ice, compression and elevation. This is often called the P.R.I.C.E. method. Mild strains typically can be successfully treated at home. Serious strains may need medical treatment, including surgery.

Symptoms

Symptoms of a muscle strain depend on how bad the injury is. They may include:

  • Pain or tenderness.
  • Changes in skin color over the injury. This may look red, purple or grey depending on the color of your skin.
  • Limited movement.
  • Muscle spasms.
  • Swelling.
  • Muscle weakness.

When to see the doctor

Mild strains can be treated at home. See a healthcare professional if:

  • Your symptoms get worse.
  • Pain is serious or not improving.
  • You have numbness or tingling.
  • You have trouble using the injured muscle.

Causes

Acute strains happen suddenly, often from a single event. For example, a strain may come from lifting something heavy with poor form or from sprinting while running.

Chronic strains develop over time from repeating the same movement. This puts ongoing stress on a muscle, which can cause a strain.

Risk factors

You are more likely to get a strain if you play contact sports, such as soccer, hockey, boxing or wrestling. And you are more likely to get a strain if you run fast or use certain body parts repeatedly in sports or activities. For example

  • Legs and ankles. Running sports that require speed, such as sprints, can strain the hamstring muscles. Sports with quick starts and jumps, such as basketball or hurdling, can strain the Achilles tendon.
  • Hands. Sports that require strong gripping, such as gymnastics or golf, may lead to hand strains.
  • Elbows. Throwing sports, such as baseball, and racquet sports, such as pickleball or tennis, can cause elbow strains.

Prevention

You can lower your risk of muscle strains by:

  • Stretching regularly. This improves flexibility so your muscles and tendons move more easily. And it increases the range of motion in your joints.
  • Strengthening exercises. These build muscle support and stability, which protects tendons and joints.
  • Conditioning for your sport or activity. This means slowly preparing your body for the specific demands of your sport or activity. For example, runners can build up mileage slowly and add core and leg strengthening. Tennis and pickleball players can practice agility drills and shoulder-strengthening exercises. And people with physically demanding jobs can train with lifting, carrying or endurance exercises that mimic their work tasks.
By Mayo Clinic Staff