So I was working BI's and TRI's Sunday and after a normal hour or so long work out I hit the steam room then the showers. well, my left bisep was REALLY tight. but it was my lower BI almost at my forearm. Then yesterday morning i woke up and DAM*! that craps hurts! I slept with a heading pad on it lastnight...still killin me today....
I must have pulled the crap out of it...Sure hope I didnt tear anything :-(!

Any advice?

you problaby strained it or have a small pull. What i would do and remember i am not a doctor but i would slam 600mg of Ibprofin and put a cold compress on it and keep movement minimal. as you don't want to strain it any more

Learn2 Treat a Pulled Muscle



Oh my aching latissimus dorsie...



Whether you're a weekend warrior or you exercise every day, you've probably felt the effects of overly intense physical exertion. Most pulled muscles (also known as muscle strains) are the result of overexertion: by a person without the proper foundation of fitness, or a more seasoned athlete that ignored some early warning signs of incoming injury.

Strained muscles are commonly recognized by restricted range of motion, stiffness and pain, which intensifies during the first 24 hours and then declines. For most folks, they occur in the hamstrings (back of thigh) and calves (back of lower leg), abdominal muscles, lumbar region (lower back), and trapezius (neck and upper back). Fortunately, with rest and simple home remedies, you can nurse a strained muscle back to health.





What have I done, you ask, to develop a strained muscle? Muscles are made of long fibers of tissue. These fibers can be overstretched, with either a sudden jerky movement or through extended overuse, and you experience that overstretching as pain and reduced movement. There are three progressively severe grades of muscle strains, ranging from the common strain that heals in a week or less, to a complete tearing of the muscle fiber, sometimes separating it from the muscle tendon. This 2torial shows how to treat the first grade of strain and how to avoid muscle strains in the future.

Note: After 24 hours, if the pain and stiffness is such that you can't move easily, or if there are any bulges or asymmetries visible in the muscle, then make an appointment with your healthcare professional.



Learn the RICE guidelines. RICE is short for rest, ice, compression, elevation. These are the home remedies that are very effective for Grade 1 sprains. If carefully followed, this simple formula will speed up and improve the healing process considerably. Note, however, that RICE isn't in chronological order. You should elevate the injured muscle as you ice it; and you shouldn't compress it until you've applied ice and elevated the injured muscle. (More details to follow.) Rest, however, is certainly the first step on the road to complete recovery.





Rest: If possible, immediately discontinue use of the strained muscle, don't finish out the game you're playing or the workout you're doing. And limit the area's use as much as possible in the next 24-48 hours. And here's something to consider, if you find yourself going back to your workout the day after the strain. Some folks suffer a psychological condition known as injury depression, which results from a fear that their injury will prevent them from returning to the sport or activity that they love. In this case, the ancient Chinese wisdom of "doing nothing to accomplish something" is particularly relevant. Lay off the activity that you were doing when you strained the muscle, try to be patient, and stay active with other, less intensive forms of exercise. A forced or hastened recovery often resurfaces a month later as a more serious and debilitating injury. If you take time for the healing process to complete itself, you'll enjoy fewer injuries in the future.

Ice: Ice application is crucial to the healing process. The moist cold from the ice penetrates deeply into muscle, slowing down the flow of blood to the area. This reduces the swelling which can lead to pain and restricted movement. As a bonus, the nerve endings in the area are numbed by the cold and will send fewer pain signals to the brain, which means less pain for you.

Choose a pack, any pack: Here you have some options, depending how well prepared you are. If you train regularly (say, five days a week), consider investing in a reusable, combination cold and hot pack that you place in the freezer and then apply it to the muscle. Otherwise, you can improvise with whatever is at hand: a tray of ice cubes wrapped in a towel, a frozen bag of peas (reusable), or a paper cup filled with water and frozen. Regardless of the type of cold pack, be sure to cover it with a towel or cotton cloth of some kind. Exposed ice applied directly to your skin can produce a burn--a superficial kind of frostbite. (The exception is the paper cup filled with water and frozen. That you can apply directly to the skin, as long as you continuously circulate the chunk of ice around the area of the strained muscle. Tear off horizontal strips of the paper cup as the ice melts down.)



Frequency: Ice down the muscle in increments of 20 minutes--20 minutes of ice on the muscle, 20 minutes with no ice, and repeat. Continue with this "Ice On, Ice Off " schedule for up to two hours per session, with at least two sessions per day. Follow this schedule for the first 24-72 hours, depending on the severity of the strain. More severe strains will require additional days of ice treatment beyond 72 hours. If you're doing any alternative exercise, be sure to ice down the muscle very soon after finishing. For additional reduction of swelling, elevate the injured area as you ice it (see below).


How are you feeling? Here's the list of sensations you'll feel when you apply ice to an area: cold, stinging, burning, and the last stage, numbness. Remove the ice pack once the area feels numb, even if 20 minutes hasn't passed. If you're alone for the ice application and you're lying down, set a timer that will wake you up in case you fall asleep. While most folks think that a big lump of ice would prevent any snoozing, numbness does set in. Recently, college athletes have fallen asleep with an ice pack on them and have woken up an hour and a half later with a frozen nerve: an injury that requires six months of intensive physical rehabilitation.









Heat: Some physical therapists recommend heat as well as ice, after 48 hours have passed. Evening is a good time for heat application, having completed the ice applications for the day. A moist heat is necessary: a hot compress purchased for this purpose (heated in a pot of boiling water) works best. Apply the heat for a single session of 20 minutes. (Lacking a compress, soak the area in a tub of hot water for ten minutes.) Heat will bring extra blood circulation to the area and will decrease the possibility of muscle spasm. Note: some trainers swear by heat, others strongly recommend against it. Try it and see what effect it has on the injured muscle.

Compression: When possible, compressing the injured area with an ace wrap (or other reusable elastic bandage) helps into two ways: one, it reduces swelling through the pressure of the bandage; and two, it supports the muscle and limits its movement somewhat, thereby reducing the possibility of additional strain. Compression is best applied after a session of ice application and elevation and before you do any activity--so don't strap on an ace wrap as you go to sleep for the night.

Wrapping the bandage is an art in itself--you want a supportive compression, but you don't want to cut off too much circulation, either. To avoid turning an ace wrap into a tourniquet, start the wrap at the edge of the injured area that's furthest from the body, and wrap towards the body. If you've strained your calf muscle, then start the wrap at the ankle and wrap towards the knee. If you've strained your thigh, then start the wrap above the knee and wrap towards the hip.



Keep the wrap on for up to two hours; if your schedule allows it, ice and elevate the injured area immediately after unwrapping it. Note: keep an eye on the wrapped limb; if its color turns white or blue, then unwrap it immediately, and wrap it less tightly next time.

Elevation: Elevation reduces pain and swelling by helping to drain fluids from the injured muscle, and is usually accompanied by an ice application. Here's how to proceed: Get comfortable. If the muscle is in your arm or leg, use some pillows to prop up that limb higher than the heart--that means you may want to lie down so that you aren't propping your leg up on five feet of pillows. If the muscle is in your neck or back, just lie on your stomach or in a position where you can be comfortable. Get a book or magazine, put on an ice pack, and move as little as possible.

Medications:

Homeopathic remedies: Athletes are turning more and more to homeopathic remedies to speed up and improve the healing process. While you should read up on homeopathic diagnoses or visit a homeopath (a doctor practicing homeopathy) before trying any oral remedies, topical remedies like Arnica have proven to be very effective on muscle and joint strains.

Helpful western medications: Ibuprofen and naproxen are effective anti-inflammatory agents: they will reduce swelling in the area (and pain as well). Aspirin and acetaminophen also can be helpful for reducing pain and swelling. All of these drugs can upset your stomach, so give a trial to discover which drug you tolerate best. In all cases, consider looking for generic brands of these drugs; if the potency is the same as a name brand, you'll get the same effect for a lot less money.


Avoid Strained Muscles


Now that you're laid up with a strained muscle, you have a little extra time on your hands--use it to learn to train safely and reduce injuries.



Stretch before you workout--and not just the main muscle group you'll be working. Runners, for example, will often only stretch their hamstrings and calves, not realizing that stiff abdominal and back muscles can overstress other parts of the body. There are now many books on stretching, and many yoga classes offered in many areas. Just remember to proceed gradually; overly enthusiastic stretching can result in muscle strain that reduces your flexibility and makes you more prone to injury. In general, do ten minutes of stretching before the activity and ten minutes afterwards. The key to a good stretch is slow, deep, and regular breathing--not by forcing the body into a particular position. And never bounce on a muscle as you stretch, in an effort to go further. Instead, go deep into the stretch until you can almost feel some discomfort; then slightly back off the stretch until you feel comfortable.. Hold the stretch for at least 20 seconds, preferably 30 seconds, breathing deeply in and out.




Train gradually, whatever the activity. Some folks get overly enthusiastic as they experience the higher levels of energy and vitality that come with increasing levels of fitness. If you drastically increase the amount of training, you're probably on the road to emotional and physical burnout. So start slow and increase your workouts gradually; instead of focusing on the amount you train on any given day, focus on how many consecutive weeks you've been training. That's a truer indication of a commitment to physical fitness. And if you've been sick for a week or unable to train for whatever reason, consider reducing your workout for a week as you come back to it.

Cross-train: Whatever your main training activity is, alternate it with other activities: swimming (or water aerobics and deep-water running in a pool), cycling, or jogging. Changing the activity works a different set of muscles, giving a rest to the ones you use regularly. If you train every day, consider taking two or three days per week to cross-train with other activities. And if you do strain a muscle, light cross-training activities allow you to stay active and keep the circulation moving through the injured area.

Equipment: Runners should keep track of their weekly mileage, and once they run more than 300 miles on a pair of shoes, it's time to retire them. And when you buy a new pair, be certain that the width accommodates you foot--remember that your feet will swell up as you run.

Get a trainer: Consider working with a trainer for your main activity once a week for a month or two. Poor form in any activity can translate into inefficient movements that lead to injury. Trainers may seem expensive or an indulgence, but they're cheaper than doctors and surgery. You'll also get greater enjoyment from the training activity, since you're doing more and spending less energy doing it.

Rest: once every 20 to 30 days, if you feel like it, take a scheduled exercise day off; at the least, if you're feeling low in energy, reduce the length and intensity of the activity. The next day you can go out and have a more thorough workout.

sweet! thanks bro!

Ditto on the Cold not Hot bro...

Yep, sounds like you need the old RICE procedure. Hope it clears up mate.

Very nice post TRI! Cold over heat all day long!

R.I.C.E. is your friend mate... until no more benefit.... trust me on that one. being of a PT/Sports Med background I've seen countless people tAKE A TORN MUSCLE.. THROW HEAT ON IT AND CAUSE THEMSELVES WEEKS MORE TROUBLE.

I can tell you from first hand experience, and my doctor told me this also, I'm positive you put ice on the area that is hurt. Furthermore, to get the absolute best results you got to get it on ice within 2 hours.... The doc said those 2 hours make all the difference in the world...

Now if your muscles are sore from working out, then you should rotate hot and cold on the area. What this does is it contracts the blood vessels with cold, and then expands the blood vessels with heat, causing the blood to pump through your muscles and get oxygen, thus reducing time of soreness....

What I do is turn the shower on hot and cold several times during the course of a shower to get the blood flowing... Feels great afterwards....
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Awesome Info Tri.