Muscle strain

What is a muscle strain?

Sometimes we can stretch our muscles too far. This "over-stretching" can result in a muscle strain. A strain causes pain in the muscle.

Your child or teen may strain their neck, legs or back. Strains happen more to teens than to younger children.

Signs and symptoms of muscle strain

The affected muscle and surrounding skin may be sore to the touch. It may also appear bruised and slightly swollen. The pain may come on right away, or several hours after the initial strain.

Causes of muscle strain

Your child can strain their muscles if they put a lot of pressure on them. This can happen by pushing or stretching a muscle too far.

Common causes of muscle strain include:

• lifting a heavy object
• running without warming up
• kicking a ball without stretching properly
• swinging a bat that is too heavy

Treatment of muscle strain

Rest, ice, compression, elevation (R.I.C.E)

For the first 24 hours, rest the muscle. While your child is awake, put ice packs onto the swollen or sore area for 30 minutes. Do this every four hours for three days. Compress, or apply pressure, to the sore area. You can do this by using a tensor bandage. Finally, raise (elevate) the area with the sore muscle above the level of the heart. This helps reduce swelling.

Medication

If your child is in severe pain while resting the strained muscle, you can give them some acetaminophen to moderate the pain.

Prevention of muscle strain

Your child can avoid muscle strains by warming up properly. Encourage your child to ease into exercise by running or stretching before exercising. Also, ensure that your child is always wearing the proper athletic equipment.

When to see a doctor

Make an appointment with your child's doctor if:

• your child's muscle pain does not get better
• your child's pain is severe
• your child's strain is accompanied by swelling, warmth or redness

​Virtual care services for children

Boomerang Health was opened by SickKids to provide communities in Ontario with greater access to community-based services for children and adolescents. For more information on virtual care services in Ontario to support muscle strain, visit Boomerang Health powered by SickKids.