Muscle tear / Whiplash

A whiplash is a large or smaller tear in a muscle. It can in principle occur in any muscle, but most commonly occurs in the calf. A rider can suffer whiplash in an upper leg muscle if his horse bucks, while a car accident or a nasty fall can cause a tear in a wide variety of muscles. A muscle tear is a relatively common injury and often occurs during sports such as sprinting or during a push-off. In athletes, this injury often occurs in the calf muscles, in the muscles at the front of the thigh (the quadriceps) or in the muscles at the back of the thigh (hamstrings). A small or large tear has developed in part of the muscle. In addition to the muscle fibers, blood vessels and lymphatic vessels also rupture. Then blood and fluid are released into the leg, which swells and can turn blue. There is a sudden sharp pain, exactly where the tear occurred. This is a very different pain than a muscle cramp that is usually recognized. Moreover, with a cramp the muscle is rock hard, while with a whiplash the muscle feels soft. Swelling may occur after some time, depending on the severity of the tear. A bruise may also occur. This also depends on the severity of the crack. The bruising is often not at the site of the tear: the blood that escapes through the torn blood vessels sinks between the tissues due to gravity to a lower location. There is a restriction of movement. Raising the foot, walking, standing on the toes, hopping, running and jumping are usually completely impossible or only with a lot of pain. There is a loss of strength in the affected muscle. At the site of the tear there may be a palpable or even visible cavity or groove has appeared. New paragraph