{"id":3927,"date":"2026-06-01T10:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-06-01T08:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/therapeiafisioterapia.com\/?p=3927"},"modified":"2026-11-12T23:22:53","modified_gmt":"2026-11-12T21:22:53","slug":"muscle-tear","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/therapeiafisioterapia.com\/en\/2026\/06\/injuries-and-rehabilitation\/muscle-tear\/","title":{"rendered":"Muscle tear: symptoms, recovery times and return to sport"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A sudden stab in your calf as you push off on the padel court, a &#8220;kick&#8221; in the back of the thigh while sprinting&#8230; That is how many <strong>muscle tears<\/strong> are described. It is one of the most common muscle injuries in sport and, when treated well, recovery is very good.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What a muscle tear is<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It is a tear of a group of fibres within a muscle. It happens when the muscle contracts forcefully while being stretched, for example when accelerating, braking or jumping. The most commonly affected muscles are the <strong>hamstrings<\/strong>, <strong>calf<\/strong>, <strong>quadriceps<\/strong> and <strong>adductors<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Tears are graded by severity, from small tears of a few fibres to extensive partial or, more rarely, complete tears.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Symptoms<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Sudden, localised pain during effort, often felt as a stab or blow.<\/li>\n\n\n<li>Difficulty or inability to keep playing.<\/li>\n\n\n<li>Pain when contracting or stretching the muscle.<\/li>\n\n\n<li>Bruising that may appear a day or two later.<\/li>\n\n\n<li>In larger tears, a gap may be felt in the muscle.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What to do in the first few days<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Stop the activity. Playing on through pain can make the injury bigger.<\/li>\n\n\n<li>Protect the muscle for a few days, avoiding intense stretching and firm massage at first.<\/li>\n\n\n<li>Elevate and compress to control swelling.<\/li>\n\n\n<li>Walk and move within what the pain allows.<\/li>\n\n\n<li>Get assessed to judge the severity; an ultrasound scan is sometimes added.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Treatment and rehabilitation<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Recovery from a muscle tear is based on <strong>loading the muscle progressively<\/strong>. Tissue heals better and stronger when it receives the right stimulus:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Early phase:<\/strong> gentle pain-free isometric exercises and mobility.<\/li>\n\n\n<li><strong>Middle phase:<\/strong> progressive strengthening, including eccentric work, which is key to preventing hamstring re-injury.<\/li>\n\n\n<li><strong>Final phase:<\/strong> running, changes of pace, jumps and sport-specific movements.<\/li>\n\n\n<li><strong>Complementary physiotherapy techniques<\/strong> for pain and tissue quality.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How long does a muscle tear take to heal?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Small tears: two to four weeks.<\/li>\n\n\n<li>Moderate tears: four to eight weeks.<\/li>\n\n\n<li>Extensive tears: may need three months or more.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">More important than the weeks is passing strength and running tests before returning to competition. Returning too early is the main cause of re-injury.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How to prevent it<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Warm up properly before playing or running.<\/li>\n\n\n<li>Include strength exercises, especially eccentric ones such as the Nordic hamstring curl.<\/li>\n\n\n<li>Increase training load gradually.<\/li>\n\n\n<li>Rest and sleep well. See more tips in our <a href=\"https:\/\/therapeiafisioterapia.com\/en\/2025\/05\/exercise-and-prevention\/injury-prevention\/\">injury prevention<\/a> article.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Muscle tear rehabilitation in Gines<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you felt a sudden muscle stab while playing sport, we assess the injury and guide you through each phase until you can play again safely. At <a href=\"\/en\/\">Therape\u00eda Fisioterapia<\/a> we see patients at Avenida de Europa 3G in Gines (Seville), just minutes from Bormujos, Espartinas, Castilleja de la Cuesta, Valencina and the rest of the Aljarafe area. After a full assessment we design a <a href=\"https:\/\/therapeiafisioterapia.com\/en\/services\/physiotherapy\/\">sports physiotherapy<\/a> plan tailored to you. You can meet <a href=\"https:\/\/therapeiafisioterapia.com\/en\/team\/\">our physiotherapy team<\/a> or <a href=\"https:\/\/therapeiafisioterapia.com\/en\/contact\/\">book an appointment<\/a> by calling <a href=\"tel:+34624244420\">+34 624 244 420<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For more information from a reliable source, see MedlinePlus, the U.S. National Library of Medicine health encyclopedia, on <a href=\"https:\/\/medlineplus.gov\/sportsinjuries.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">sports injuries<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Frequently asked questions about muscle tears<\/h2>\n\n\n<div id=\"rank-math-faq\" class=\"rank-math-block\">\n<div class=\"rank-math-list \">\n<div id=\"faq-question-3927-0\" class=\"rank-math-list-item\">\n<h3 class=\"rank-math-question \">Should I massage a muscle tear?<\/h3>\n<div class=\"rank-math-answer \">\n\n<p>Firm massage over the injury is not advisable in the first days. Later on, manual therapy can help as part of a rehab plan.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"faq-question-3927-1\" class=\"rank-math-list-item\">\n<h3 class=\"rank-math-question \">Can I walk with a torn muscle?<\/h3>\n<div class=\"rank-math-answer \">\n\n<p>Yes, in most cases walking within the limits of pain is possible and recommended, except in very severe tears.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"faq-question-3927-2\" class=\"rank-math-list-item\">\n<h3 class=\"rank-math-question \">How do I know if it is a knot or a muscle tear?<\/h3>\n<div class=\"rank-math-answer \">\n\n<p>A tear usually comes on suddenly during effort, with sharp localised pain and sometimes bruising. A knot develops more gradually.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Keep reading on our blog<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/therapeiafisioterapia.com\/en\/2026\/06\/sports-physiotherapy\/padel\/\">Padel injury prevention: what your body really needs<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/therapeiafisioterapia.com\/en\/2026\/08\/sports-physiotherapy\/trail-running\/\">Trail running and hiking: get your knees ready for the mountains<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/therapeiafisioterapia.com\/en\/2025\/01\/physiotherapy\/muscle-pain\/\">Muscle pain: causes, treatments and prevention<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A sudden stab in your calf or hamstring mid-match could be a muscle tear. We explain what to do and how long it takes to heal.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1190,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[113,76],"tags":[83,80],"class_list":["post-3927","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-injuries-and-rehabilitation","category-sports-physiotherapy","tag-muscle-pain","tag-sports-injuries"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/therapeiafisioterapia.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3927","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/therapeiafisioterapia.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/therapeiafisioterapia.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/therapeiafisioterapia.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/therapeiafisioterapia.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3927"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/therapeiafisioterapia.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3927\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4317,"href":"https:\/\/therapeiafisioterapia.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3927\/revisions\/4317"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/therapeiafisioterapia.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1190"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/therapeiafisioterapia.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3927"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/therapeiafisioterapia.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3927"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/therapeiafisioterapia.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3927"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}