Pulled a Muscle? How to Speed Up Muscle Strain Recovery

A muscle strain, otherwise known as a “pulled muscle”, is a common injury seen in professional and recreational athletes alike, as well as people who’ve simply moved the wrong way during daily tasks.

 

We caught up with Tom Cartwright (BSc M.Chiro), a North Sydney-based chiropractor and physical therapist.

 

As a chiropractor practicing for over 16 years, he has seen more than his share of pulled muscles (plus experienced a couple of training injuries himself), so he knows how the sudden pain of a muscle strain can be debilitating and stop you in your tracks. 

 

The good news is, he assures us that people recover completely with a proper treatment approach, and there are strategies that can noticeably speed up the recovery process!

 

In this article, Tom explains clearly what a muscle strain actually is, how to recognise if you have one, what the typical recovery timeline looks like, and evidence-based techniques to help you return to normal function faster.

 

What is a Muscle Strain (Pulled Muscle)?

Muscle strains occur when muscle fibres are stretched beyond their normal capacity. This overstretching can cause small micro-tears or, with more severe injuries, a partial or complete tear of the muscle. 

 

A pulled muscle injury often happens during sudden, unguarded, or powerful movements. Think sprinting, lifting something heavy, or changing direction quickly. Other known risk factors include fatigue, inadequate warm-up, lack of flexibility, and muscular imbalance.

 

How is a muscle strain diagnosed?

Healthcare providers classify muscle sprains and strains into three grades, depending on the severity of muscle fibre disruption¹.

 

Grade I (Mild): A Grade I or mild muscle strain is characterised by small micro-tears in the muscle fibres. This is actually quite common and normal with exercise-induced muscle damage (EIMD). The muscle is slightly overstretched and sore but still functional, and typically gets better on its own.

 

Grade II (Moderate): A Grade II or moderate muscle strain means there’s a higher number of torn muscle fibres. Movement becomes difficult due to noticeable pain, swelling, and reduced strength.

 

Grade III (Severe): A Grade III or severe muscle strain is a case of rupture or complete muscle tear. This often causes significant pain at the moment of injury, along with swelling, bruising, and complete loss of function. Grade III strains are severe injuries that sometimes require imaging and, in rare circumstances, surgical repair of the damaged muscle.

 

The most common types of muscle strain affect the neck, shoulders, lower back and hamstrings. 

 

What are the Symptoms of a Muscle Strain?

Muscle strain symptoms range from mildly annoying to highly limiting. The telltale signs and symptoms of acute strains include:

 

• Sharp pain at the moment of injury: For a moderate or mild strain, you may feel a sudden “pull,” “snap,” or “twinge”, while more severe strains are associated with immediate and severe pain. No matter the severity, the sensation of pulling a muscle will cause you to come to an immediate halt out of caution for making things worse. 
• Pain during movement: Anything that involves injured muscle contraction or stretching will likely be painful. For example, hamstring strains may hurt during normal walking, bending forward to pick something up off the ground, or when lifting your leg.
• Muscle tightness or spasms: Muscles often tighten reflexively to protect the injured tissue, known as ‘muscle guarding’. 
• Swelling or inflammation: Fluid accumulates around the injury in the first 24–72 hours, causing swelling and tenderness.
• Bruising: In moderate or severe strains, blood vessels may also be damaged, leading to visible bruising that can track down the limb over several days.
• Muscle weakness: Reduced muscle strength that can make the area feel “weak,” “wobbly,” or unable to perform tasks that are normally easy.
• Reduced range of motion: Tightness, pain, and swelling all contribute to limited mobility.

 

See a doctor or an allied health practitioner if the affected area feels numb or appears severely bruised, or if the pain and swelling persist for more than a week.

 

How Long Does a Pulled Muscle Take to Recover?

Recovery depends on the severity of the strain, your age, general health, occupation (sedentary vs. active) and how quickly you begin appropriate treatment. 

 

As a guide:

• Grade I (mild strain): 1–2 weeks
• Grade II (moderate strain): 3–6 weeks
• Grade III (severe strain or rupture): 2–3 months, sometimes longer depending on treatment

 

Allowing time for proper healing from the beginning can prevent future strains from occurring. Many people underestimate the healing timeline because symptoms often improve faster than the underlying tissue. This is why returning to intense activity too soon usually ends in re-injury.

 

Recovery is not always linear. You may experience days where the muscle feels normal and then days where it tightens up again. 

 

What is the Recovery Process?

Your body goes through three clear stages when healing from an acute muscle strain².

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1. The Inflammatory Phase (0–72 hours): This is your body’s natural repair response. Blood flow increases, bringing cells that remove damaged tissue and begin the healing process. Mild swelling and stiffness are common during this time. Contrary to outdated advice, immediate inflammation itself is not the enemy; it’s an essential part of recovery. The goal is to manage excessive inflammation, not eliminate it completely.

 

2. The Proliferation Phase (3–14 days): New collagen fibres and muscle cells begin forming. But because they’re so new, these early fibres are weak and disorganised. Gentle movement and light, pain-free activity help these fibres align properly. Over time and with the right amount of stimulation, they gain structure and stability.

 

3. The Remodelling Phase (2 weeks to several months): Your new tissue matures and strengthens. Progressive loading exercises are critical at this stage to rebuild resilience and reduce the chance of re-injury. Not training the right way during this phase can result in scar tissue development and chronic muscle strains – not what we want!

 

What can I do to speed up muscle strain recovery?

Here’s what you can do to take your recovery into your own hands, or help your loved ones get better faster:

 

• Endure the inflammation (at first): Do not take ibuprofen or other NSAIDs (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) for 48-72 hours after pulling a muscle. The affected area needs to experience some inflammation in order to properly heal. That’s why taking these pain relievers can prolong your recovery period.
• Embrace the cold: Cold compression therapy acts to reduce the size of your blood vessels, bringing welcome pain relief during the acute inflammation phase. Apply a towel-wrapped ice pack to the injury site and enclose the area with a compression bandage. Repeat every 2-3 hours for a maximum of 20 minutes per session.
• Delay applying heat: Soft tissue injuries simply do not respond well to heat during the first 48-72 hours; use cold compression instead. After a few days, you can apply a heat pack to increase blood flow and relieve muscle pain.
• Elevate the injured muscle: After the first 48-72 hours, try to keep your strained muscle elevated above heart level when you can. This will reduce blood flow to the injured area, which decreases inflammation and can help promote lymphatic drainage.
• Drink water: Staying well-hydrated helps flush out toxins that can accumulate after a muscular strain, as well as being important for staying healthy in general. Aim for 6-8 glasses per day.
• Eat protein: Getting in 1.2 to 2 grams of protein per kilo of body weight per day provides the essential amino acids needed for muscle tissue repair and growth. Go for the higher end of that scale if you’re experiencing a Grade III (completely torn) muscle strain.
• Sleep well: Try to sleep for at least 7-9 hours every night. Deep sleep is essential for muscle recovery; it’s when your body produces the most HGH (human growth hormone), a key driver of muscle protein synthesis.

 

What professional treatments can help me recover faster?

Several evidence-based therapies can help your pulled muscle recover faster, reduce pain, and prevent future injury. 

 

Physical therapy

Physical therapy can help you heal faster by treating muscle strain at different stages of recovery.

 

In the early days after injury, gentle soft tissue techniques can improve circulation without stressing sore muscles. As healing progresses, deeper techniques help break down adhesions, restore muscle glide, and improve your range of motion. Your physical therapist may also incorporate dry needling, trigger point therapy, or gentle joint mobilisation to support recovery.

 

These modalities help:

• Reduce muscle spasm
• Regain mobility
• Decrease pain
• Improve blood flow
• Prepare the muscle for active rehabilitation

 

Red and near-infrared light therapy

Red light therapy is clinically shown to help with muscle strains³. This non-invasive and painless treatment works at the cellular level to optimise energy production (ATP), helping damaged muscle fibres to repair faster and more efficiently.

 

It works by exposure to therapeutic wavelengths of red (around 660nm) and near-infrared (around 850nm) light. These wavelengths penetrate past the skin to deep inside muscle tissue, even as far as bony tissue, stimulating cellular energy production and supercharging the body’s natural healing processes.

 

Red light beds deliver full-body red light therapy, making sure that no part of the injured area misses out on treatment. NovoTHOR is recognised as the world’s most advanced red light therapy bed, used by elite athletes and Olympians to help:

• Reduce inflammation and swelling
• Accelerate muscle repair and collagen synthesis
• Improve circulation and oxygen delivery
• Reduce discomfort, muscle fatigue and chronic pain
• Promote healing and aid recovery

 

For athletes or active individuals wanting quicker recovery and less downtime, the NovoTHOR red light bed is one of the most effective tools currently available.

 

Compression and mobility tools

Compression and mobility tools are at-home ways to support circulation, reduce swelling, ease muscle tension, and prevent muscle strains from recurring.

 

Some of the tools that help with muscle strain include:

• Compression garments
• Pneumatic compression boots
• Foam rollers
• Massage balls
• Mobility sticks

 

Use light compression during the early phase to manage swelling and promote venous blood return. As your healing progresses, carefully add foam rolling or another mobility tool into the mix. This will help restore movement quality and release tension in surrounding muscles.

 

While some discomfort is par for the course with foam rolling, you should be super careful here. Rolling directly on strained muscles too soon could undo your progress. Take things easy and only increase the pressure when doing so doesn’t cause sharp pain.

 

Active recovery

Physical activity is one of the most powerful things you can do for your recovery, but a strategic approach is a must. Right after your injury, all you should be doing is gentle movements to prevent stiffness from setting in. Think gentle stretches and contractions.

 

Then move on to progressive strengthening exercises.

 

Benefits of active recovery include:

• Preventing scar tissue from forming haphazardly
• Helping collagen fibres align correctly
• Reducing the likelihood of further injury
• Restoring strength and stability
• Re-educating proper neurological movement patterns

 

A typical progression might look like:

• Gentle range-of-motion exercises
• Isometric holds (no joint movement, low strain)
• Light concentric movements
• Eccentric strengthening (very effective for tendon and muscle repair)
• Functional movements
• Return-to-sport activities

 

Aim for a gradual, pain-free progression interspersed with proper rest. Loading prematurely can re-injure the muscle, but avoiding movement entirely isn’t a good idea either. 

 

The most responsible approach is to have an allied health professional (physiotherapist, chiropractor, osteopath, etc.) tailor a rehab plan for you, and then follow it to the letter.

 

Conclusion

A pulled muscle is both painful and pretty damn inconvenient. With the right approach, most strains heal well and fairly fast. The combination of early gentle care, healthy habits, strategic hands-on therapy, progressive exercise, and advanced treatments like red light therapy can dramatically shorten recovery time and improve long-term outcomes.

 

If you’re interested in red light therapy and other treatment modalities that can speed up your recovery from training injuries, head to my website for more information.

 

Referenced sources: 

1. Grassi A, Quaglia A, Canata GL, Zaffagnini S. An update on the grading of muscle injuries: a narrative review from clinical to comprehensive systems. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4914372/

2. Fernandes TL, Pedrinelli A, Hernandez AJ. Muscle injury – physiopathology, diagnosis, treatment and clinical presentation. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4799202/

3. Ferraresi C, Huang YY, Hamblin MR. Photobiomodulation in human muscle tissue: an advantage in sports performance? https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5167494/