A pulled muscle, also known as a muscle strain, is a result of a torn or overstretched muscle. It is often caused by overuse, fatigue, or improper use of muscles. You can pull any muscle in your body but this is the most common in feet, lower back, and neck.
You have many different tendons in your feet, all of which, with over-use can become pulled.
Pulled muscles can cause pain and make it difficult to walk. However, moderate strains can be treated at home with medications and ice. More serious strains require special treatment.
You will immediately feel the pulled muscle. The main symptoms are:
In some cases, a pulled muscle may feel painful but still flexible and you will be able to walk straight away. The symptoms of moderate muscle strains go away within a week. In severe cases, your range of movement will be very limited. These may take several months to heal.
An acute muscle strain happens when your muscle tears unexpectedly. This can occur from trauma, injuries, and other reasons such as:
Some people think that pulled foot muscles can affect only professional athletes and rigorous exercises. However, a pulled muscle can happen even from walking. It often happens when you:
A pulled muscle is more common during winter. This happens because muscles are much stiffer in lower temperatures. Therefore, it is important to have a better warm up before the exercise to prevent muscle strains.
For moderate strains, it should be enough to stay at home and use ice. However, you should visit a doctor if you experience anything from the following:
When you visit a foot doctor, you will go through a physical examination and different tests such as MRI scans and X-rays which help your foot specialist determine the severity of the injury.
The common treatments are pain relievers to reduce pain, anti-inflammatory medicine, as well as physical therapy that help restore movement. In the most serious cases, surgery may be necessary to fix the problem.
Recovery always depends on your injury. For a moderate foot or ankle strain, you may be able to do everything you did before within a month with simple home care. Otherwise, recovery can take months.
However, with proper treatment, people always recover completely. You can improve recovery time by trying to avoid getting a pulled muscle again. Follow the instructions of a specialist and don’t participate in physical activity until your muscles are healed.
If you think you pulled a muscle in your foot or ankle and it is affecting the way you walk, give us a call today to have it professionally examined to make sure it is not more severe. Let us help you get back on your feet as quickly as possible. Call 301-937-5666 or click here to request your appointment online.
