Well the most obvious reason for a muscle tear is because it’s been stretched beyond its physiological and anatomical range. In other words it’s been stretched until it can’t stretch any more so the fibres tear.

Aside from this though there are lots of other factors which can predispose a muscle to a tear.

As an osteopath it’s important for me to understand the ‘why’ behind an injury because it leads to better osteopathic management and better outcomes for my patients.

I’ve listed the key factors which can underlie any muscle tear below to help you understand your injury better.

1. The muscle has previously been torn. 16% of injuries in elite football are re-injuries. The first 2 weeks after a muscle tear are the most vulnerable for the scar tissue. Take your time to get back to full activity.

2. If a muscle crosses two joints it it more likely to be torn than a muscle that crosses one. Therefore biceps brachi is more likely to be torn than brachialis.

3. If the muscle is undergoing eccentric contraction i.e it is lengthening whilst contracting. An example of this would be a deceleration movement such as the heel strike when we walk where the hamstring lengthens as it contracts.

4. Muscles which contain mostly type 2 muscle fibres or fast oxidative glycolitic fibres are more likely to tear. These fibres can contract quickly but have quite a lot of resistance to fatigue. These types of fibres are involved in walking and running.

5. If a muscle is already fatigued. Fatigued muscles are stiffer which mean they absorb less energy in the early stages of stretch. This stiffness can lead to injury.

6. The junction of the tendon and the muscle is a weak spot. This is why the quadriceps and hamstrings are often affected because they have large intramuscular tendons.

The content of this blog post is copyright of Holly Elliott registered osteopath trading as Helping Hands Health

15a Clayton Road, Newcastle-upon-Tyne NE2 4RP