Tear

Tear injury significantly impairs strength and mobility of the limb and causes severe pain. If ligaments are involved, joint stability is adversely affected. The injury causes the rupture of muscle or ligamentous fibres and the damage to the blood vessels and small nerves.

Signs and symptoms

pain, oedema (swelling), the pain may radiate along the affected muscle, painful muscle contractions, sensitivity to touch, joint instability if ligaments are affected a “snap” can be heard/ felt during the injury

Treatment

From the patient’s perspective, the key information is how long a muscle/ tendon needs to be immobilised in order to heal and recover properly. The ultrasound offers the quickest diagnosis, identifying the degree of damage to the tendon/ muscle. Based on that, the orthopaedist will decide about treatment duration. Patients with tear injuries should consider platelet rich plasma treatment, which significantly accelerates healing.

If a tear affects muscles and tendons, conservative treatment should be sufficient. However, if ligaments are affected with the associated joint instability, surgical repair should be considered.

The recovery in small tears takes about a week. The treatment includes painkillers, anti-inflammatory agents, RICEMM, kinesio taping and a lot of rest.

With larger tears, the immobilisation will be much longer, the treatment takes about 6-8 weeks and includes a comprehensive rehabilitation program with physiotherapist, kinesio taping and physical therapy.