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Weyrlinghood: Month 4
Understanding Muscle Strains
Overstressing of the wing muscles and associated tendons and ligaments is a common minor injury among enthusiastic weyrling dragons preparing for and first trying flight and thus the common injuries are sprains and strains.
Sprains happen when ligaments at or near to a joint are stretched or damaged. A strain is a partial tearing of the muscle, often near the junction where the muscle and tendons anchor to the bone. Muscles may also be ruptured, where there is complete tearing of the muscle in the fleshy part of the muscle or in the tendon, which is considerably more serious. Finally, there is always the association of deep bruising that can be extensive in large bulky muscles, such as the hind legs.
Sprains, strains and deep bruising are very common and may occur from a wrenching, a sudden or violent movement that pulls the surrounding tissues, or from over-stretching muscle groups. Injuries of this nature can occur to wings, forelimbs, hind limbs, necks and even tails. In young dragons it can be prevented through the use of muscle exercises, especially utilizing the water to develop muscle groups as the water will cushion any deleterious effects.
Use of a hot poultice can be effective, but the best remedy is rest and gentle stretching of the muscles. Muscle injuries often benefit from immersion in salt water, and gentle exercise in the water.
The dragon and rider must take care when resuming normal activities, as the injured area will be weak and may be more prone to re-injury for a while. Recovery time depends on the severity. This could be anything from a day or two to several sevendays. Since this can create a significant lag in weyrling training, weyrlings are always cautioned severely against allowing their dragons to strain themselves in their enthusiasm.
OOC, if you do want to RP an injury that would require weeks of recovery, please contact the Weyrlingmasters -before- doing so.
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