Hello all.

What happens to a muscle when excessive forces are exerted, as in pulling, forcing, pushing; perhaps in a unusual position or to little developed or used muscles ?

Is there some minor tearing or ligaments detaching that takes several painful days to slowly heal ?

4 hours ago, Externet said:

Hello all.

What happens to a muscle when excessive forces are exerted, as in pulling, forcing, pushing; perhaps in a unusual position or to little developed or used muscles ?

Is there some minor tearing or ligaments detaching that takes several painful days to slowly heal ?

How long is a piece of string?

Seriously, the answer obviously depends on the degree of overstress, ranging from a muscle or ligament tear requiring surgery to a minor ligament or muscular strain that heals itself over days or weeks. (Ligaments and tendons heal far more slowly than muscles, as they don't have a blood supply.)

But muscular overexertion can also include simple stiffness, resulting from lactate accumulation in muscles that, not being trained up to that level of exercise, don't have the circulation to oxygenate the muscles aerobically. This stiffness is what anyone starting an exercise programme will feel in the first days and weeks, until the muscles and cardiovascular system respond by enabling a better blood supply. (I recall this vividly from my own rowing days🙂. In rowing training one spoke of aerobic and anaerobic training regimes, the latter generating lactate which the body has to oxidise and remove after the exercise is over.)

Actual tearing is more common when there is bad leverage, a common example is the shoulder when you pull something across the midline of your body. Many shoulder injuries come from that - when I'm doing renovation or yard work, I try to avoid reaching across the midline to exert force on anything. Rotator cuff tendonitis can result.

Thanks, gentlemen.

How if a lactic acid buildup or a tear is determined ?

11 minutes ago, Externet said:

Thanks, gentlemen.

How if a lactic acid buildup or a tear is determined ?

Time. Lactate stiffness will wear off after 2-3 days, whereas a muscle tear will take a couple of weeks or more to heal.

But they also feel different. Stiffness feels like what you get when you have influenza or something, which you are aware of every time you move the affected muscle, but it is not really painful. A tear feels like a distinct pain whenever you put a load on the affected muscle. There may also be swelling. Similarly with a tendon tear, though for the latter you might do well to see a doctor, as it may need strapping up to avoid loading it while it heals.

Edited Thursday at 03:13 PM5 days by exchemist

14 hours ago, Externet said:

Is there some minor tearing or ligaments detaching that takes several painful days to slowly heal ?

Tearing and detachments take more than a few days to heal.
They require medical attention, and can take months to heal completely ( if ever ).

Ligaments and joints can, however, become enflamed; and recuperation is in the order of days ( depending on age ).
Usually when taking a break from heavy workouts, and going back to the gym to use the same weights as when you stopped, leads to joint inflammation. I remember my elbows swelling up such that U couldn't wash my hair in the shower.
Another incident of enflamed ligaments, was shin splints when I used to run ( don't run on your toes ).

But I do have a friend who tore his bicep ( never fully healed ), and my nephew had to have ligaments re-attached in his knee ( took weeks of immobilization, and months of physio ), so it is possible.
My advice is to use strict controlled motions when using heavy weights ( no swinging/bouncing ).