Muscle contracture, how to recognize it

It may happen that by carrying groceries or a heavier load than normal or by doing a more intense workout than usual (perhaps without a warm-up) or by assuming an incorrect posture, one may get a muscle contracture Causing uncomfortable muscle pain for several days.

Muscle contracture is a muscle injury

Muscle contracture is a muscle injury caused by the involuntary and sudden contraction of one or more muscles that occurs when muscle tissue is being stressed more than it can handle.

Generally, the muscles that may be most affected by muscle contracture are those of the legs, knees, thigh, shoulder, and back.

But How to Recognize a Muscle Contracture?

The First Aspects That Can Help Us Recognize A Muscle Contracture Are Pain, Stiffness (i.and., Lack of Muscle Elasticity), and Incased Volume (Hypertrophy) of the affected area, Which can also be detected by Simple Touch.

But there are alo other sympoms that can let us know less we have gotten a muscle contracture:

• tension
• Inability or Difficulty in Performing Certain Movements
• Inability to use the affected muscle
• Bruises

Often these very sympoms can easily mix the contracture for A Simple Cramp: acturally contracture is different from cramp because the latter heals much faster, despite having to sharper pain.

Another difference lies in the fact that when a muscle contracture occurs, it is advisable to suspend ongoing sports activities (although possibly, and with proper precautions, one can continue to do them), whereas if a cramp occurs, it is necessary to stop the ongoing activity until it passes completely.

Sometimes contract can be confused

Sometimes contract can also be confused with to stretch: the latter is milder than contracture and involves stretching of muscle fibers (which does not occur when there is contracture).

However, to definitively recognize whether there has been a muscle contracture, apart from palpation aimed at checking for hypertonia and where pain is felt, it is advisable to undergo an ultrasound.