[FASTLARRY]

MUSCLE TEAR

That Painful Pull

A pulled or torn muscle can be a real challenge to heal
I had not played golf for a long time. I went to a driving range and warmed up properly from my wedge and moving up to my driver which I had just bought and it was the latest tour burner which I was dying to kill. I tried to hit it too hard. I was working real hard trying to make a hard fast cross over with my forearms through impact. I felt pain on the side of my right arm, between the bicep and the tripcep. I ignored it, big mistake, I should have quit right them and went home to ice it down. I hit 2 more and each time the pain got worse. The pro saw my face and came over and when he heard what had happened he also said stop now. Old bull headed me, superman who is bullet proof hits 6 more until the pain gets so bad I am forced to stop. I was stupid.

The next day was when I knew I had a serious injury on my hands. The one thing I have learned over the years is give a tear a chance to heal. Do not come back too soon and re injure it over and over. You have to immobilize it and get it out of action. Part of my problem is I have 17” arms, large muscles, and those tear faster than slimmer thinner more flexible ones. I am built like a wrestler or a weight lifter, 260 lbs, 52” chest. My muscles are no longer good for speed, just power. And, I am getting older and those muscles loose strength and elasticity and injure really easy.

I quit playing pool and golf and just rested the arm for a full 6 weeks. And it did not seem to heal. Some of my jock pals were saying I should go into the Doc and he would probably have to do an operation. They are cut happy as that is where the money is, so I held off. I won’t let a doctor carve on me unless I am dying. I went to work on my own rehab and began swimming in a pool every day, putting heat pads on it and in a week it finally came around. It is still sore, and when I move it into an area I feel slight pain or discomfort, I move the arm up and down there 10 times, to keep stretching that new muscle which is now too tight. I can now resume playing pool and I might go back to hitting golf balls in another week once all pain stops. And when I do, I will inch back slowly. It will be days before I work back up to that driver.

I have seen several pool pros hurt their upper backs and necks when the game went from 9 to 10 ball and they felt they had to use more power into the rack. And they just keep breaking and getting worse. No matter what sport you are into, sooner or later you are going to have some kind of muscle injury and here are some tips on what to do and how to prevent one in the first place.

More than 300 individual muscles enable your limbs to work and give your body shape and definition. If you spend time properly stretching and strengthening them, you're rewarded with strength, power and flexibility.

On the other hand, if your muscles are improperly trained or injured, you may end up with significant problems. Many of us have seen the serious consequences of an abrupt muscle tear: A sprinter rounding the turn suddenly drops, clutching a torn hamstring.
A muscle tear may be partial or complete and caused either by a direct blow or by overexertion. There are three degrees of muscle ruptures. A first-degree strain involves less than 5 percent of the muscle. You may notice only mild pain and not lose much strength or range of motion. We sometimes refer to these mild tears as pulled muscles.
A second-degree tear is a greater rupture that stops short of a complete tear. Any contraction of the torn muscle will cause pain. With either a first- or second-degree tear, you may feel a defect of the muscle - a bump or an indentation - at the site of the most pain. You should be able to partially contract the muscle, but you may not be able to walk or stand without pain or a limp.

A third-degree rupture is a complete tear across the width of the muscle. You will be unable to contract the muscle. This is what happens when someone suddenly drops while sprinting. The torn end of the muscle may ball up and form a large lump under the skin, and a great deal of internal bleeding occurs. Severely torn muscles may require surgery to heal properly.
Keeping Your Muscles Healthy

You're more likely to tear a muscle if you're not adequately trained or properly warmed up. So it's important to lay the proper groundwork with pre-season conditioning and to gradually build up to peak condition.

Pushing yourself too hard also can contribute to a muscle tear. This seems like common sense, but what happens to the muscle tissue to cause this?
The buildup of lactic acid in anaerobic and extended aerobic exercise decreases muscle strength and coordination. A muscle that is fatigued and overstrained is more likely to tear.
Lack of flexibility can also contribute to muscle tears. Limber muscles perform better under strain than tight muscles. A prior injury may limit the full range of motion in a joint, which, in turn, can contribute to a loss of flexibility in the muscle and subsequent injury. Whether or not you've been injured, consider regular stretching an essential part of your exercise program.
To reduce your risk of tearing a muscle, always take a day off between weight-lifting sessions. Never increase both the number of repetitions and the amount of weight in the same strength-training session. Always warm up and stretch before your workout, and stretch and cool down after.

When at rest, muscles are 15 percent saturated with blood; when you're exercising, the saturation level may increase up to 72 percent. A good warm-up means gradually increasing the blood flow to your muscles. Jog in place, jump rope or ride a stationary bike until you break a sweat. At this point, you know your body has redistributed blood flow to your muscles, and they're ready to stretch.
Stretches should be a slow and steady hold - no bouncing. A slow and steady stretch slightly lengthens the muscle and prepares it for action. Now you're ready to work out.
Severe Tears

A severely torn muscle can be as painful as a broken bone and in some instances more difficult to heal. The tear occurs when the fibers of the muscle are ripped apart and bleed into the muscle compartment. All of a sudden you feel pain and lose muscle function. The blood in the muscle can inhibit healing and cause the formation of scar tissue.
You can tear a muscle anywhere along its length, including where the tendons attach muscle to bone. You may experience a tear during a sudden change of direction or a quick burst of speed in aerobics class.

These tears are called distraction ruptures and occur when the demand made upon a muscle exceeds its innate strength. Distraction ruptures occur in sports such as tennis, weight lifting, sprinting and aerobics.
Compression ruptures occur as a direct result of impact - such as when one woman's knee collides with another woman's thigh in a soccer game. The impact bruises and tears muscle tissue and can cause severe spasms commonly referred to as a charley horse.
Any time you have a bruise along the muscle mass resulting from an impact, you have some degree of muscle tear.
Both types of ruptures are very painful and can be serious because of the bleeding involved. How quickly you recover depends on the severity of your injury, the amount of bleeding and the amount of scar tissue formed.
It's important to recognize that a tear has occurred and to control the bleeding as quickly as possible.

The First 72 Hours
As soon as you injure a muscle, stop exercising. Begin treatment immediately and see your physician for an accurate diagnosis of the severity of your injury.
Continuing to exercise will increase bleeding and damage, making recovery more difficult. The sooner you stop exercising, the less pressure and bleeding will occur at the site of the injury.
Immediately apply ice to the injured area for 20 minutes. This will further decrease the blood flow to the damaged muscle.
Do not apply heat or massage the muscle. Heat will increase blood flow to the area, further damaging the muscle. Massage causes additional trauma and interferes with the healing process.

Wrap the injured area with an Ace bandage for support and compression. Keep it elevated at a level above your heart. Sleep with the injured limb elevated on a pillow.
Although your body starts to heal almost immediately, the process can easily be disrupted by impact, muscular contraction or weight bearing. Protect the area well at least until the healing process is secure.

If the injury is severe, use crutches or a splint to relieve the strain and protect your muscle from additional damage.
After 72 Hours
Maintain support and protection with the Ace bandage. Continue to apply ice for 15 minutes at a time three or four times a day. After three days, you can begin alternating ice with heat treatments.

The injury will heal with scar tissue, which is not as flexible as muscle and doesn't perform as well. Scar tissue in the middle of the muscle may predispose you to reinjure and potentially leave the muscle weaker than it was before the injury.
A previously injured muscle is more likely to tear again, particularly if it was not fully rehabilitated. Physical therapy is very important to help you strengthen a damaged muscle. Special machines can measure the progress of your muscular strength, so you can know when it is safe to return to activity. A monitored program also can help you return to full strength so that reinjury will be less likely to occur.
Be especially careful during the rehab period to get your muscular strength, flexibility, and biomechanics back in balance. During this time you may be more likely to suffer a secondary injury, hurting yourself in another area.

Preventing muscle strains
Several factors can predispose you to muscle strains. These include:
Muscle tightness. Tight muscles are vulnerable to strain, so athletes should follow a year-round program of daily stretching exercises.
Muscle imbalance. Because the quadriceps and hamstring muscles work together, if one is stronger than the other, the weaker muscle can become strained.
Poor conditioning. If your muscles are weak, they are less able to cope with the stress of exercise and more likely to be injured.
Muscle fatigue. Fatigue reduces the energy-absorbing capabilities of muscle, making them more susceptible to injury.

Insufficient warm-up. A proper warm-up is protective because it increases range of motion and reduces stiffness. You can take the following precautions to help prevent muscle strain:
Warm up before any exercise session or sports participation, including practice. This will help increase your speed and endurance.
Stretch slowly and gradually, holding each stretch to give the muscle time to respond and lengthen. You can find examples of stretching exercises on this site or ask your physician or coach for help in developing a routine.

Condition your muscles with a regular program of exercises. You can ask your physician about exercises programs for people of your age and activity level.
If you are injured, take the time needed to let the muscle heal before you return to sports. Wait until your muscle strength and flexibility return to pre-injury levels, a process that can take 10 days to 3 weeks for a mild strain, 6 weeks for the average tear and up to 6 months for a severe strain.

[FASTLARRY]

I came back to play for the first real time in 6 weeks, I could play fine, I could break as well, I just did not try any master blaster stuff, but I could not make any jump or masse shots, I could not jack my arm up without discomfort, so I need more therapy there.

[FASTLARRY]

It's been 2 months, and my efforts at therapy have improved it, but not healed it. I went to my Doctor who says its a rotator cuff injury. I tore the muscles, but not bad enough for surgery. He has me now with the Mayo Clinic on therapy and they think it might be another 2 months until this turns around.

The bad news is, since golf was the cause of the injury, its out, but I can still play pool, only the masse and jump shots are out, as I cant chicken wing my arm up at all without pain. I have a lot of stretching and swimming to now do.

What a crock, I am only 106 years old, and I pull a stupid muscle hitting a 300 yard drive, life aint fair.

It's hell gettin old and losing 50 yards off the tee.

[FASTLARRY]

Rotator Cuff Injury Overview

Man, it gets worse at night, when you sleep. Your sleep is trashed. I am wrapping a heat pad around my upper arm, one that turns off after a while on its own. This is a problem for Baseball pitchers, football quarterbacks and Golfers.

A rotator cuff injury is an injury to one or more of the four muscles in the shoulder. This shoulder injury may come on suddenly and be associated with a specific injury such as a fall (acute), or it may be something that gets progressively worse over time with activity that aggravates the muscle (chronic). Occasionally, even a simple act like rolling over in bed can result in a rotator cuff injury.

The type of injury can range from an inflammation of the muscle without any permanent damage, such as tendinitis, to a complete or partial tear of the muscle that might require surgery to fix it.

The shoulder joint connects the upper arm to the upper part of the body. It consists of three bones: the clavicle (collarbone), the scapula (shoulder blade), and the humerus (upper arm bone).

Many different ligaments (rubber band-like structures that attach bone to bone) are involved in stabilizing the shoulder joint, particularly in the front. The muscles of the rotator cuff stabilize the back of the shoulder joint. These muscles help to keep the head of the humerus in place against the shoulder blade. The rotator cuff is comprised of four muscles (supraspinatus, infraspinatus, teres minor, and subscapularis).

[FASTLARRY]

Rotator Cuff Injury Overview

Man, it gets worse at night, when you sleep. Your sleep is trashed. I am wrapping a heat pad around my upper arm, one that turns off after a while on its own. This is a problem for Baseball pitchers, football quarterbacks and Golfers.



What a difference!

For some they feel pain for 3 years, others it takes 6 months or more to heal. My doctor blew his out and it never healed and some don't. He can no longer serve at Tennis or go above his head with his arm.

Rotator Cuff injuries are very common injuries and they can persist for years unless treatment is properly addressed. Anyone who has had one will tell you that they are incredibly painful and very hard to heal.

The rotator cuff is used to describe four muscle groups in the shoulder area. This muscle group helps to stabilize the joint in the shoulder when the upper arm moves. Once one or more of the rotator cuff muscles are injured it becomes very difficult to recover 100%. It is almost impossible to keep from re-straining the muscles because even in a sling our shoulder can still move. It's just not possible to stop everything and rest the injury properly. What ends up happening is we continually reinjure the shoulder through our daily activities further setting back our recovery.

Constant re-injury needs to be avoided at all costs. You know when it happens - that feeling of pain when you move the wrong way. This constant reinjury delays the healing process, but what's worse is that every re-injury and additional healing cycle increases the amount of scar tissue that builds up in the muscle. Scar tissue is hard, inflexible, and tough to get rid of. The more scar tissue that develops, the more you lose the range of motion for that shoulder. This is going to mean that your shoulder doesn't perform as well as it once did and it makes it much more prone to injury again later on.

If you have a shoulder injury, it's very important to heal it quickly and completely. If you don't, it may plague you forever.

A rotator cuff injury is an injury to one or more of the four muscles in the shoulder. This shoulder injury may come on suddenly and be associated with a specific injury such as a fall (acute), or it may be something that gets progressively worse over time with activity that aggravates the muscle (chronic). Occasionally, even a simple act like rolling over in bed can result in a rotator cuff injury.

The type of injury can range from an inflammation of the muscle without any permanent damage, such as tendinitis, to a complete or partial tear of the muscle that might require surgery to fix it.

The shoulder joint connects the upper arm to the upper part of the body. It consists of three bones: the clavicle (collarbone), the scapula (shoulder blade), and the humerus (upper arm bone).

Many different ligaments (rubber band-like structures that attach bone to bone) are involved in stabilizing the shoulder joint, particularly in the front. The muscles of the rotator cuff stabilize the back of the shoulder joint. These muscles help to keep the head of the humerus in place against the shoulder blade. The rotator cuff is comprised of four muscles (supraspinatus, infraspinatus, teres minor, and subscapularis).

[FASTLARRY]

The stretching exercises and dumb bells are working. Last night, was the first time in months, I was able to sleep with out pain and discomfort. Man, this injury will wreck your sleep. it's a bitch. This one, you do not want.

It's coming around and I can now hit a jump and masse shot, so any long term damage is going to be slight, or none at all it seems.

It's still sore and I can move it into a chicken wing and still feel pain, but what an improvement this has had in the last 2 days. Thank you God of pool, there must be more shots, you want to see me do?

[FASTLARRY]

It's coming, its about 85% back, pain is way down now. This is one bitch of an injury, man.

[FASTLARRY]

FASTLARRY, on Jul 30 2009, 01:06 PM, said:

It's coming, its about 85% back, pain is way down now. This is one bitch of an injury, man.

I am starting to work that arm every day with a 10 lb dumbbell. Moving the arm in all kinds of directions. If I have success with that and little pain, I'll move up to the 40 lb one, and do both. That arm is tighter than a 12 year old poo say. Hell I already have a 17" arm, I am gonna end up with 18 and no feel, I know its coming. I brought out my 12 lb pool cue and began my exercises with it, half of my former strength is gone. It will come back by me forcing it.

[FASTLARRY]

Major set back, pain returned, the exercise must have been too much.

[FASTLARRY]

FASTLARRY, on Aug 9 2009, 02:33 PM, said:

Major set back, pain returned, the exercise must have been too much.

Rested, and went up from 10 to 40 lb barbells. Trying to grunt through this. It worked. Tonight I went out in the yard and swung a driver 10 times without pain. It's coming, it looks like I beat it. My right arm keeps getting stronger, but its so damn tight. I think I will go punch on yo sarah for a while, that may loosen it up some. Yo sarah, yo goin to da moon, bang zoom.