Muscle tears are caused when the fibres of the muscle are partially or fully torn. These fibres become torn when there is a greater force placed on the muscle than its capabilities. This pressure causes the muscle fibres to tear. There are 3 grades of muscle tears.
A grade 1 tear is a mild tear where there are a small number of fibres torn, with the least amount of damaged caused. A tear of this nature can be treated with rehabilitation and dry needling.
A grade 2 tear occurs when the muscle fibres are partially torn, this results in a longer recovery time. A personalized rehabilitation programme along with massage therapy would be a suitable course of treatment in this case to help strengthen the injured muscle overtime.
A grade 3 is a complete muscle tear, whereby all the fibres of the muscle are ruptured. The degree of damage is severe, with a long recovery process. A personalised rehabilitation programme is used to re-build the muscle fibres overtime, along with regular appointments to manage the injury. However, surgical intervention can be required if the damage caused is too severe to treat conservatively.