Strain (injury)

This article is about the kind of muscle injury. For other uses, see Strain (disambiguation).

Not to be confused with Sprain.

Strain
Other names	Muscle strain, pulled muscle, torn muscle
Two images of the same strain to the hamstring and associated bruising.
Specialty	Emergency medicine, sports medicine
Symptoms	Bruise, swelling, redness and soreness
Causes	Excessive stress and/or repeated injury on a muscle

3D animation depicting strain

A strain is an acute soft tissue injury that occurs to a muscle. The equivalent injury to a ligament is a sprain. A strain is tearing of some of the muscle fibers. Strains are usually the result of an eccentric contraction, meaning that the muscle is lengthened while it is contracting. The body repairs strains. Treatments can alleviate symptoms.