Muscle contracture means the involuntary and continuous shortening of one or more skeletal muscles, associated with local pain, stiffness and hypertonia.
The shortening (contraction) and the consequent pain must be interpreted as a defensive mechanism; the body wants to warn us not to overload that district in the same way again. However, often the reaction is intense enough to negatively affect daily activities.
It is a fairly common injury and represents the least serious injury compared to other muscle injuries (stretching or elongation and distraction or tearing).
The treatment is simple, but can be complicated by the position of the muscle, by its function and by the level of activation in customary activities.
What to do
- Prevention: contractures can be avoided by adopting a series of precautions, useful for avoiding injuries (see Prevention). In short:
- Heating.
- Previous training.
- Intensity and type of athletic gesture relevant to the level of preparation.
- Absence of pathologies or imbalances in the motor chain.
- Recognize the symptoms:
- Average pain, tolerable and widespread in the specific area.
- Muscle hypertonia and lack of elasticity.
- Stop sporting activity.
- After a possible contracture, if the pain is very intense, a diagnosis must be made to rule out the most serious damage. You can contact your GP or emergency room. The elitist analyzes to verify the extent of the damage are:
- Palpation: to identify hypertonia and active "tigger points" (pain points).
- Ultrasound-type medical imaging: useful for visualizing the affected area and for excluding more serious complications.
- Rest from motor activity and specific muscular efforts in general. The duration of the "stop" is at least 3-7 days.
- Especially in milder cases, particularly if they affect the large external musculature, accelerate recovery with activities that allow:
- Lengthen the muscles: light stretching.
- Promote blood supply: light aerobic activity, better if not specific.
- Dissolve contracted bundles with massages.
- In case of more intense pain, take non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and muscle relaxants.
- Adopt specific medical therapies (see Medical Treatments below).
What NOT to do
- Do not warm up properly or switch from a light warm up to high intensity exercises
- Practice stretching "cold" before the activity and too intensely during recovery from contracture.
- Don't have an athletic base.
- Practicing sports different from custom and above all with excessive intensity.
- Presence of pathologies or imbalances in the motor chain.
- Ignoring or not recognizing the symptoms.
- In case of muscle contraction, continue the sporting activity.
- Do not consult a doctor for a certain diagnosis.
- Solicit the affected area early and do not give the right rest.
- In the event that recovery times become too long, avoid those activities that can improve remission from contracture (see What to do above).
- Do not respect any drug therapy prescribed by your doctor.
- Do not respect any other specific medical therapies (see below Medical Therapies).
What to eat
There is no useful diet to fight muscle contractions directly. However, it could be useful to increase the supply of anti-inflammatory nutrients:
- Omega 3: are eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), docosahexaenoic (DHA) and alpha linolenic acid (ALA). The first two are biologically very active and are contained above all in: Sardinian, mackerel, bonito, alaccia, herring, alletterato, ventresca of tuna, needlefish, algae, krill etc. The third, on the other hand, is less active but constitutes a precursor of EPA; it is mainly contained in the fat fraction of certain foods of vegetable origin or in the oils of: soy, linseed, kiwi seeds, grape seeds, etc.
- Antioxidants:
- Vitaminics: the antioxidant vitamins are carotenoids (provitamin A), vitamin C and vitamin E. Carotenoids are contained in vegetables and red or orange fruits (apricots, peppers, melons, peaches, carrots, squash, tomatoes, etc.); they are also present in shellfish and milk. Vitamin C is typical of sour fruit and some vegetables (lemons, oranges, mandarins, grapefruit, kiwi, peppers, parsley, chicory, lettuce, tomatoes, cabbage, etc.). Vitamin E is available in the lipid portion of many seeds and related oils (wheat germ, maize germ, sesame, etc.).
- Minerals: zinc and selenium. The first is mainly contained in: liver, meat, milk and derivatives, some bivalve molluscs (especially oysters). The second is contained above all in: meat, fishery products, egg yolk, milk and dairy products, fortified foods (potatoes, etc.).
- Polyphenols: simple phenols, flavonoids, tannins. They are very rich: vegetables (onion, garlic, citrus fruits, cherries, etc.), fruit and related seeds (pomegranate, grapes, berries, etc.), wine, oilseeds, coffee, tea, cocoa, legumes and whole grains, etc.
What NOT to Eat
- Alcoholic: ethyl alcohol exerts a diuretic action and interferes with drug metabolism by altering the effect of the active ingredients.
- Excess of omega 6 fatty acids or incorrect omega 3 / omega 6 ratio (for the benefit of the latter). They could exert a pro-inflammatory effect. It is good practice to limit the introduction of foods rich in linoleic, gamma-linolenic, diomo-gamma-linolenic and arachidonic acid, such as: seed oil (especially peanuts), most of dried fruit, certain legumes, etc. At the same time it is necessary to increase the intake of omega 3 (see What to Eat above).
Natural Cures and Remedies
- Hot packs: increase blood flow and speed recovery. They should not be used in the presence of vascular lesions.
- Massages: non-physiotherapy and aimed at muscle relaxation. They can be performed by anyone, but care must be taken NOT to worsen the contracture.
Pharmacological care
In the treatment of muscle contractures, drugs are little used. On the contrary, they represent a highly used solution for stretching and tearing.
Your doctor may recommend taking:
- Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs): for systemic or topical use (ointment, gel or cream):
- For systemic use:
- Ibuprofen (eg Arfen®, Moment®, Brufen®, Nurofen® etc.)
- Only for contractures (completely contraindicated in case of rupture of the vessels), salicylic acid (for example Aspirin®).
- For topical use:
- Ibuprofen lysine salt at 10% (for example Dolorfast®).
- Ketoprofen 2.5% (for example Fastum gel®).
- Muscle relaxants: relax the skeletal and smooth muscles. They can be oral (systemic), parenteral (injection) and topical (ointment, gel or cream). The most used in contractures are those that act on the central nervous system. For contractures the most used is:
- Thiocolchicoside (eg Muscoril®, Miotens®): exerts its activity through a mechanism of action that involves the antagonization of the GABA-A receptor.
Prevention
WARNING! Stretching can be beneficial or harmful depending on the time, type and intensity. It is advisable to always run it hot, not immediately after strength and / or muscle exhaustion exercises and without straining or bouncing.
- Maintain a sufficiently high body temperature, especially of the affected muscles; for this purpose, it can be useful:
- Dress with technical material, especially in the winter months.
- If necessary, use specific ointments.
- Practice heating and activation (also called "approach"). This phase has two functions:
- Increase the temperature of all the structures recruited in the athletic gesture.
- "Stretch" the fibers of the structures recruited in the athletic gesture.
- Undergo efforts appropriate to your physical condition or reach a level of training useful to support that kind of performance.
- Respect recovery and compensation times. A muscle in the reconstruction / regeneration phase is a weak tissue, not very reactive and easily damaged.
- If present, correct or cure joint and muscle imbalances.
Medical Treatments
- Decontracting physiotherapy massage: performed by a professional. In the most hostile contractions and localized in deep bundles or internal muscles, they can be extremely useful in speeding up the course.
- Tecar therapy: it is a healing system that uses the principle of the electric condenser to treat muscle joint injuries. The mechanism of tecarterapia is based on the restoration of the electric charge in the injured cells, to make them regenerate more quickly.
- Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (Tens): analgesic electrotherapy that acts mainly against pain. Send electrical impulses to the skin through electroconductive plates. These block the nerve signals of pain and stimulate the production of endorphins.
- Pulsed electromagnetic field therapy (Pemf): is based on the use of pulsed electromagnetic fields that stimulate vasodilation in the contracted muscle facilitating blood flow and with it tissue repair.
- Magnetotherapy: exploits the effects of the magnetic field on the body. It is applied using two solenoids directly on the affected area. It exerts a force on magnetic, paramagnetic and diamagnetic molecules. The high and low frequency produces benefits if the treatment is long enough; the effectiveness of the static one is not scientifically proven. Its effects on cells, inflammation, inflammation, etc. they are very numerous. It can reduce healing time up to 50%, but the effectiveness changes depending on the damage.
- Ultrasound: uses high frequency acoustic waves. It is very useful as an anti-inflammatory, stimulating edematous reabsorption and to dissolve the adhesions that are formed during healing. It produces heat and increases the permeability of cell membranes.
- Laser therapy: it is a treatment that uses the rays directly on the affected area. The laser electron beam acts on the cell membrane and mitochondria, increasing metabolic activity, reducing pain and inflammation, creating vasodilation and increasing lymphatic drainage.
- Kinesio taping: this system uses the traction of adhesive and elastic bandages. sometimes containing small pharmacological concentrations. They should have a draining, slightly pain-relieving-anti-inflammatory and guardian function.
- Iontophoresis: it is a form of injection without a needle. It allows a drug (in this case anti-inflammatory) to cross the epidermis thanks to the application of a continuous current.
- Stretch and spray: it is an osteopathic system that allows the reduction of muscle pain and facilitates relaxation with the application of a cold cutaneous stimulus and passive elongation of the muscles involved.
