Muscle contracture is common (especially in the calf) in athletes and hurts. It is often due to poor warm-up or lack of hydration during physical activity. How to relieve it? Massage her? Put hot or cold?
Muscle contracture is common in athletes. It is often linked to overuse of the muscle concerned, lack of warm-up or hydration. The pain usually lasts 5 to 10 days. What are the signs a muscle contracture? How to cure it quickly? Should I massage it?
What is the definition of a muscle contracture?
Contracture defines a state of lasting contraction of a muscle, in the absence of voluntary stimulation. It usually occurs as part of a sporting activity and looks like a feeling of painful stiffness in a muscle : “It is a pain that will appear at the level of a little stressed muscle or during a very intense effort of this one.“, explains Dr. Amina Fouzai, Sports Physician. Muscle contracture generally affects the muscles:
- Calves
- Thighs
- Buttocks
- By the neck
What are the signs of a muscle contracture?
- Pain in the muscle concerned (calf, thigh, buttock, neck, etc.)
- Tingling
- A throbbing or burning sensation
- Discomfort in making movements
What is the difference with curvature?
“The difference with stiffness is the intensity: for stiffness, it’s pain after a workout, which lasts two or three days. Contracture is made up of small muscle lesions that are just as painful, but which put between five and ten days to repair itself”, indicates our interlocutor. She is too different from muscle tear, elongation and strain because there is no real lesion. Most often, the muscles affected are those of the lower limbs at the level of the thighs, more frequently the calves. The contracture prevents the correct use of the affected area, and the muscle must then be put to rest.
What is a calf contracture?
Calf contracture is particularly common in long-distance runners, especially at the start of the race, where the muscles are overworked. This is a signal that the body is under strain. Treatment depends on the nature of the contracture. It includes rest, ice application and physiotherapy (massage, stretching).
What are the causes of a muscle contracture?
A muscle contracture is usually due to too much stress on the muscle compared to usual, or too intense a sporting activity. “Among athletes particularly, the causes are generally lack of warm-up, hydration, and stretching“, explains the doctor. Stretching is very important. It is then enough that there is an activity too intensive compared to usual on a muscle, and there is aches. As for the pathologies that cause body aches, there may be peritonitis (causing a contraction of the abdominal muscles), meningitis (causing a contraction of the back muscles), tetanus (causing a general contracture) or even trauma various.
How long does a muscle contracture last?
A muscle contracture usually lasts from 5 to 10 days. If it lasts less, it must have been a muscle aches.
Should it be hot or cold?
Put on the cold helps reduce swelling in the first few days after muscle contracture.
What treatment to treat a contracture? Massage?
The treatment must imperatively begin with a resting of the muscle. “We recommend putting heat on to relax the muscle (with a hot water bottle or a hot towel) then massaging the muscle or stretching. There is the possibility of massaging with essential oils, but the main thing is not the compound is the massage , says Amina Fouzai. Medications to relax the muscles can also be used temporarily: they are called muscle relaxants. You can add painkillers and anti-inflammatories in extreme cases.
Thanks to Doctor Amina Fouzai, sports doctor.