Muscle contractures can affect the performance of the person who suffers from it, in this article we will talk about them and their treatment and prevention through physiotherapy in Dwarka.
What is muscle contracture?
Muscle contracture, as its name indicates, is
a continuous and involuntary contraction of the muscle or some of its
fibers that appear when making an effort, this manifests as a bulging of the
area that develops pain and alterations in the normal function of the muscle.
Muscle contracture usually appears when the muscle performs
an activity that is inappropriate in intensity or function, as well as when
more weight is taken in the gym than it should be, contractures may appear or
when a sustained effort is made over time without taking on so much weight,
such as case of poor placement on the spinning bike.
Muscular contractures can appear at the moment in which
an exercise is being performed or after…
It occurs because there is an accumulation of metabolism
that causes inflammation or because there is not enough blood supply in the
area, it can also be due to excessive fatigue of the fibers that at the
end of the exercise see their relaxation capacity diminished.
The first method of intervention of a contracture is its
prevention and for this a good warm-up must be carried out in order to prepare
the muscle before the effort, a progressive programming in intensity of the
loads also helps from less to more.
Muscle contracture as the main cause of back pain
In cases where back pain is triggered, the
contracture appears essentially when the muscle is required to work more than
it can perform and makes it intense and punctual, such as a sustained and less
intense effort such as maintaining for hours an inadequate posture, on the
other hand, some alterations of the spinal column or imbalance can favor
certain muscle groups that are constantly working more than necessary, which
predisposes them to contract the same thing that happens when the muscles lack
power and it is required exert forces that exceed their capacity. In some
scientific studies it has been shown that the paravertebral musculature is symmetrical
on the left and right sides.
In patients who have undergone surgical interventions in the
back area or who have suffered chronic back pain, the paravertebral muscles can
atrophy up to 80% with respect to that of the healthy side, facilitating an
asymmetric distribution of loads, muscular overload or distal and the
appearance of new painful episodes. In this situation, it is essential to
exercise appropriately for each specific case in order to counteract this
tendency and avoid recurrence of crises.
However, muscle contracture can be triggered as a result of
back pain regardless of the reason, back pain itself can cause muscle
contracture due to a reflex mechanism, in these cases the contracture is not
the main cause of pain, however, is an added factor which can
aggravate. The contracture can worsen some of its causes, for example, in
a painful herniated disc, the muscular contracture can increase the
compression force on the disc and thus facilitate the output of the nucleus
pulposus.
What is the symptomatology of muscle contracture?
The characteristic and common symptoms of muscle contracture
are pain and limitation of movement, both parameters offer a wide range of
severity because in some cases the contractures go from being minor annoyances
without impediment to completely disabling injuries.
The symptomatology revolves around two parameters: the
affected area and the extension of the contracture. Focusing on the first
parameter, we find, for example, that in upper regions of the body, such as the
cervical area, the contractures can trigger symptoms truly aggressive such as
dizziness, vertigo and migraine, a scalene syndrome, that is, the entrapment of
the neurovascular bundle of the neck due to inflammation or contracture of the
muscle belly of the scalene causes a feeling of heaviness in the arm, deep
pain, paresthesia and hands cold.
A pyramidal muscle that increases its thickness due to a
contracture can compress the adjacent structures and cause false sciatica...
In relation to the second parameter, the extension of the
contracture, it is evident that a greater dimension of the contracture can
aggravate the effects mentioned above.
How is a muscle contracture diagnosed?
A correct diagnosis interprets the symptoms manifested by
the patient, later the diagnosis focuses on the palpation of the affected area
in search of muscular bulges with greater tension, a muscular rod offers a
certain resistance to palpation while the fingers slide over it and finding a
point with greater resistance means that that specific point of the muscle
fibers is contracted. This assessment, together with the pain signal caused to
the patient, palpation of this muscle or this muscle point will confirm the
presence of a muscle contracture.
The injured muscle does not achieve the same great
mobility as the healthy muscle on the opposite side…
What are the causes of muscle contracture?
The contracture may be caused by any of the following
problems: brain and nervous system disorders with cerebral palsy or stroke,
hereditary disorders such as muscular dystrophy, nerve damage, reduced use
(such as lack of mobility) and scarring after a traumatic injury or burn.
From the point of view of oriental medicine, a theory
applied in the Fiit concept, this type of alteration can also be triggered
not only by physical factors, but also by emotional factors such as those
related to stress (such as tension headache) or people. nervous and visceral
factors that can trigger alterations in the stomach causing gastritis, this can
also be caused by a poor diet such as excess coffee, excess fat, among others.
What is the treatment of muscle contracture?
In the first place, it is necessary to move away from the
injury mechanism, if an exercise or the execution of a gesture triggers a
muscular contracture, it is necessary to avoid executing them, relative rest is
often the best method of healing and when we refer to relative is that the
patient does not remain in very long periods of immobilization, but also
remains active, because immobilization can cause adverse effects.
A treatment for the first stages of the contracture is the
application of heat on the affected area because this provides vasodilation and
contributes to the blood purification of the muscle segment, adding this causes
a sensation of relief thanks to its analgesic and relaxing effect.
The massage therapy applied in our physiotherapy clinic in
Dwarka is an effective and natural method because it allows us to
eliminate the ailments that this alteration triggers.
From the point of view of integrative physiotherapy,
assuming that the origin of this alteration may be due to emotional factors, it
is advisable to reduce the levels of stress that may occur in
people. These emotional factors can trigger contractures, therefore, we
must work to reduce their presence as well as reduce the consumption of foods
that cause irritability in the digestive segment, such as excessive consumption
of coffee or high-fat foods.
Therefore, adequate nutrition is recommended by physiotherapist in
Delhi in order to reduce or prevent the onset of muscle
contracture...
How can a muscle contracture be prevented?
Whether it is because the patient has just come out of a
contracture or because he has a tendency to suffer, the best way to prevent
them and avoid relapses is by taking into account the following points:
- Avoid
repetitive gestures or movements, if the contracture is produced due to a
sustained contraction over time, a constant repetition of a contraction
favors its appearance, if it is unavoidable to repeat a gesture for sports
or work reasons, it is convenient to carry out small routines of
stretching and joint mobility exercises that last between 5 and 10 minutes
in the areas exposed to the injury, this routine would be repeated
periodically throughout the working day or in a training session, for
example, a routine of 5 minutes every 2 work hours.
- Adopt
correct postural hygiene, whether while studying, watching television, in
the office chair or even at bedtime. A bad posture can trigger
contractions continuously, the longer the adoption of an incorrect posture
the greater the contracture will be, in addition to adopting correct
postures, a material must be used that guarantees its principles such as
the use of ergonomic chairs at work time or a quality mattress for
rest.
- Before
undertaking any physical activity, it is essential to warm up according to
the effort to be made. Acquiring the right muscle temperature through
exercise is the best way to prevent possible injury.
This article explained a little about this alteration, its
possible causes, treatment and prevention. If you present recurrent
muscular contractures, visit our physiotherapy and osteopathy clinic we
have experienced physiotherapist
in Dwarka who will satisfactorily address these alterations to improve
your health and quality of life.
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