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How to Diagnose Arm Muscle Injury

Arm muscles injuries can occur while lifting heaving weights, stretching or putting any undue stress on a muscle. If you think you are suffering from an arm muscle injury, you should see a doctor. Do not attempt to fix the problem yourself, as you could potentially cause greater harm to your muscle if it is indeed injured. You can treat the problem with home remedies until you receive help from a professional.

Things You'll Need

  • Ice or icepack
  • Towel
  • Compression bandage
  • Non-prescription NSAID (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug) tablets, such as ibuprofen
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Instructions

  1. Diagnosing the Injury

    • 1

      Pay attention to how your muscle reacts to normal use. Webmd.com says if you're experiencing pain, swelling, bruising or the inability to move your muscle, you probably have an injury. They recommend seeking medical assistance if you start hearing popping sounds and if the injury does not subside within 24 hours.

      According to medicinenet.com, there are four ways your muscle might be injured; you can likely diagnose three of these yourself just from everyday use.

      The first possibility of an arm muscle injury is an active trigger point, where your muscle hurts no matter what you do. If you are experiencing pain all the time in one particular area of your arm, an active trigger is likely the diagnosis.

    • 2

      See if your muscle acts up on only certain activities. The second way you could know if your arm muscle is injured is if it only acts up on occasion during specific activities. This is known as a latent trigger point, which basically lies dormant until strain is induced.

    • 3

      Check to see if moving another arm muscle causes pain in the potentially injured muscle. The third possible diagnosis is the secondary trigger point, and according to medicinenet.com, it becomes irritated very easily, often through a strain on another neighboring muscle that activates pain in the injured muscle.

    Treating the Injury

    • 4

      Treat your muscle injury at home if you can't get to a doctor right away. Webmd.com recommends using the PRICE formula, which stands for Protection, Rest, Ice, Compression and Elevation.

      Protect your muscle from further injury by removing constrictive clothing and accessories and by not repeating the same conditions where you first experienced the pain. If you were lifting a heavy object, don't try lifting it again.

    • 5

      Rest your muscle injury by avoiding any type of strain. Don't work out or exercise the muscle, as this can worsen the injury.

    • 6

      Ice the affected area for 20 minutes at a time. Always use a towel or other protective cloth to make a barrier in between the ice and your skin.

    • 7

      Compress the injury by wrapping a cloth bandage around the muscle. Webmd.com warns not to wrap it too tightly.

    • 8

      Elevate your arm by placing it on a high arm rest or sitting at a high table and laying it on top of the surface. This will help decrease the swelling.

      Take ibuprofen or a similar NSAID as recommended on the package. Medicinenet.com says you can take these types of drugs for sports injuries, and since arm muscles are often injured during sports-like activity, this will help relieve the swelling and pain.

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