Torn Muscle Symptoms

On the average, even though you can potentially tear a muscle anywhere in your body, the most common incidents of torn muscle symptoms will occur in the legs more than anywhere else.

There are ways to tell when you have actually torn the muscle, which will require medical attention, rather than simply having strained or sprained it.

The most common torn muscle injuries that occur to the legs include strains to the hamstring, the plantaris, the quadriceps, and the gastrocnemius, sometimes referred to as a pulled calf muscle.

The calf muscle can become strained when the foot is bent upwards beyond its normal range of movement.

This will force the calf muscle beyond its limits, and affected patients often report hearing and feeling a pop when this occurs.

The popping sound is actually the tearing away of the calf muscle from the Achilles tendon.

A plantaris strain affects the plantaris muscle, the thin muscle located at the lower end of the femur, where it meets the knee joint.

This is the tricky one to diagnose when it comes to determining a torn muscle, because this muscle is not involved when the knee bends, and may not cause any pain when it happens.

It might occur on its own, or in conjunction with injuring the calf muscle.

When you have a torn muscle within the back of the thigh, you have experienced a pulled hamstring strain. This will often occur because of running, jumping and kicking without warming up properly.

The quadriceps are the large muscle group that dominates the front of the thigh, and they assist the straightening of the knee.

Both injuries are very common with runners, who often feel a popping or tearing sensation when it occurs on either side of the thigh.

Symptoms

There are three clearly defined degrees of strain or injury that can affect muscles.

Signs for these defined stages are as follows:

First Stage: only a small number of connecting myofibrils are torn.

This will result in protective spasms of the affected muscle, and movement will be quite painful.

Second Stage: In second degree muscle strain, a significant portion of the muscle mass is torn.

While movement is still possible, there will be severe pain, muscle weakness, and chronic spasms within the affected muscle.

Third Stage: Third degree muscle strain is defined as a complete muscle tear.

There is no continuity of the muscle?s fibers, as well as a complete loss of movement, and the detached muscle can be felt as a ball under the skin.

There is severe pain when touched, and a burning sensation under the skin.

In the case of the knee, the movement of the joint is controlled by the opposing action of the quadriceps at the front, and the hamstring at the back of the thigh.

If there is an injury to the hamstrings, the knee stays straight and cannot be bent.

If you force it, it will only straighten again.

The quadriceps need the hamstring to be able to bend the knee without injury.

Be sure to see a doctor if you are experiencing any of these kinds of torn muscle symptoms.