Muscle injury

Last revised by Joshua Yap ◉ ◈ on 11 May 2024

Citation, DOI, disclosures and article data

Citation:

Knipe H, Yap J, Ranchod A, et al. Muscle injury. Reference article, Radiopaedia.org (Accessed on 30 Mar 2025) https://doi.org/10.53347/rID-68378

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.53347/rID-68378

Permalink:

https://radiopaedia.org/articles/68378?embed_domain=%2Fetc%2Fpasswd

rID:

68378

Article created:

29 May 2019, Henry Knipe ◉

Disclosures:

At the time the article was created Henry Knipe had no recorded disclosures.

View Henry Knipe's current disclosures

Last revised:

11 May 2024, Joshua Yap ◉ ◈

Disclosures:

At the time the article was last revised Joshua Yap had no financial relationships to ineligible companies to disclose.

View Joshua Yap's current disclosures

Revisions:

6 times, by 4 contributors - see full revision history and disclosures

Systems:

Musculoskeletal

Tags:

sports medicine

Synonyms:

Muscle injuries
Muscle injury - overview

Muscle injuries is a broad term encompassing many pathologies. They are common injuries in elite and amateur athletes as well as in the general population.

Clinical presentation

Typically, muscle injuries present with pain and loss of function. Clinically, they can be graded as ¹:

grade 1: no appreciable muscle tearing; <5% loss of function/strength
grade 2: damage to the musculotendinous junction (MTJ); reduced strength; some residual function
grade 3: complete tear of the musculotendinous junction; loss of function +/- a palpable gap

Pathology

Muscle injuries can consist of ^1-3:

direct trauma
- muscle contusion
  - acute
  - subacute
  - chronic (myositis ossificans)
- penetrating trauma with laceration (rare)
indirect trauma
- delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS)
- muscle tear/strain
  - proximal or distal musculotendinous junction
  - myofascial
- acute avulsion injury