What are microtears?

Microtears are tiny little rips that happen in your muscles when you do something fun or challenging.

Imagine you have a super stretchy piece of playdough, it’s your muscle. When you run, jump, or lift something heavy, your muscles get stretched and pulled a bit. That's like pulling the playdough too hard, it might not break completely, but it gets little rips in it. Those are called microtears.

When you first start doing an activity, like running around the playground or climbing the jungle gym, those microtears can make your muscles feel a little sore, kind of like when you get a tiny scratch on your arm from a sticker. But don’t worry! Your body is really good at fixing things.

Your muscles are like little superheroes who heal themselves after getting hurt. When microtears happen, your body sends in repair crews, special cells that fix the rips and make the muscle a bit bigger and stronger. That’s why after playing hard or working out, your muscles feel tired at first but then get tougher over time!