Pulled/tored ab muscle...

[Ashtar]

Strains are like partial tears in only some of the fibres yes?

[Less than Dan]

Yes sir :) However, a torn muscle typically assumes that so many fibers are torn between the muscle's origin and insertion that there is noticable bleeding (hemotoma/bruising) of the site of the tear, and a profound loss of manual muscle strength and range of motion.

If it were a tear of the abdominal muscles, it would cause him soul crushing pain to bend forward, have blood pooling, and a springy block response upon spinal/trunk flexion (a stereotyped neurological response where the muscle spasms out of pain from injury).

[Ashtar]

So basically a strain is halfway between the adaptive microtrauma that is desirable and the tears that cripple you.

[Less than Dan]

Originally Posted by Ashtar

So basically a strain is halfway between the adaptive microtrauma that is desirable and the tears that cripple you.

Dead on :)

EDIT: It's just enough damage for it to warrant it's own pathological name.

[Ashtar]

This all seems like there will inevitably be grey areas where doctors might come into conflict as to how to classify something.

[Less than Dan]

Originally Posted by Ashtar

This all seems like there will inevitably be grey areas where doctors might come into conflict as to how to classify something.

Medical terminology has the issue of being very vague and very specific at the same time; anything in between often warrants deliberation and argument, as you've just mentioned.