Muscle Strain What is Myalgia? The most common source of myalgia (or muscle pain) is a muscle strain due to overstretching. A muscle strain may also be referred to as a pulled muscle or a muscle tear. A muscle strain can vary in severity from mild to severe and ultimately, a complete muscle rupture. Either way, your muscle strain will result in muscle pain, or at least muscle soreness, plus reduced muscle function including muscle weakness, stiffness or tightness. What is a Muscle Strain? Commonly, your muscle strain will occur at high-speed when your muscles are overloaded. The most common high-speed muscle injuries occur in your hamstrings (hamstring strain), quadriceps (thigh strain), calf (calf muscle tear), back (back muscle pain), groin strain. But, obviously, any muscle in your body is susceptible to a muscle strain or tear. You can also suffer a fatigue-related muscle strain from sustained postures. Back muscle strain, shoulder and neck muscle strains are often postural fatigue-related muscle strains. Text neck has become a common condition due to postural fatigue while overusing your phone. Another common source of myalgia can be related to excessive muscle microtrauma from an overdose of exercise. This condition is known as DOMS or delayed onset muscle soreness. Other overuse injuries such as RSI - repetitive strain injury, results from a combination of postural fatigue and overuse of the smaller upper limb muscles. Luckily, early assessment and prevention strategies have virtually eliminated RSI from offices in the western world. What are the Characteristics of a Muscle Strain? Muscle strains have the following symptoms: Muscle tightness Bruising Weakness Inability to fully stretch your injured muscle The most severe the muscle strain obviously has more significant symptoms. Muscle strains range from a mild muscle strain (grade one), moderate muscle strain (grade two) to a severe muscle strain or complete muscle rupture (grade three). Muscle Strain Treatment Consult your physiotherapist, who would assess and treat you as per need of your current condition.