Muscle injuries can occur when straining muscles too much, using them too long or hard, suddenly twisting, or hard falls.
Athletes frequently have such problems.
Sprains are a painful stretching of ligaments of the joints, caused by lifting, sudden stops or turns, injuries, or falls. According to one view, sprains should be treated with ice or very cold water. Follow this by bandaging the injury with an Ace bandage. Put the injured part in very hot water, and keep it there 20-30 minutes. Every few minutes take it out of the hot water and plunge it into cold water for about a minutes, then back into the hot.