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if you�ve ever had a charlie horse, you know how painful they can be. That�s because your muscle is actually tearing. Dallas orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Howard moore, explains what can trigger the sudden burst of pain, usually in lower leg region.
"different things can cause a muscle pull, but by and large, it�s caused by a sudden stretch applied to a muscle during a sports activity or during a certain lifting or pulling activity where the pull on the muscle is greater than the internal strength of the muscle and the muscle tears and when a tear occurs, there�s always bleeding into the area, it gets sore, it gets stiff."
dr. Moore says when a muscle pull first occurs, ice down the area. And then rest the muscle for a day or two. After that, he says it�s time for rehabilitation.
"when you have a muscle pull, the best treatment is not to completely rest it but actually to start on some rehabilitative exercises to keep the muscle flexible and also to restore the strength of the muscle. It�s really important to be on a rehabilitation program before you go back and try to start using that muscle group again."