Question

What is worse, a strain or a tear?

Answer 1

A tear is much worse and more serious than a strain.

Tears are much more serious and worse than a mild strain because a tear involves a partial or complete rupture of tissue, which often requires significantly longer recovery times and in severe enough cases of a tear, the tear can require surgery to treat and fix.

Strains and tears exist on a continuum, where severe strains can also technically involving tearing as well.

A tear with a strain often indicates that you have a higher grade of injury, which can take months to heal, compared to weeks of recovery and healing for minor strains.

The difference between a strain and a tear is that a strain is an injury to a muscle or tendon and a tear is a more severe disruption of tissue.

Mild strains like "Grade I" strains involve overstretching or microscopic tears which often heal within 1 week to 2 weeks with rest and physical therapy.

Tears like partial tears or "Grade II" tears can take 6 to 8 weeks to heal, and complete tears which are "Grade III" can require surgical repair and up to 1 year for full recovery.

If you have any of the following symptoms with a strain or a tear you should seek medical attention immediately.

Signs that you should see a doctor or seek medical attention immediately for a sprain or tear include.

Severe swelling, bruising or numbness.

You have symptoms that get worse or don't improve after 24 hours to 72 hours.

You hear a popping or snapping sound at the time of the sprain or tear injury.

You have any visible deformity or a depression in the muscle/joint.

And or you have an inability to bear weight or use the limb that was affected from the strain or tear.

A tear is also more serious than a strain because the tear can put you out of commission for longer than a strain.

A tear usually causes intense pain, severe inflammation, swelling and even bleeding at the injury site.

The more severe the tear, the longer it'll take to heal.