|
Conditions Treated:
- Athletic Injuries
- Primary Care Sports Medicine
- Anterior Cruciate Ligament Repair (ACL) Repair
- Rotator Cuff Injuries
- Shoulder Instability / Labral Tears
- Joint Resurfacing and Cartilage Restoration Surgery
- Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) Procedures
- Athletic Training and injury Prevention
- Applied Sport Specific Training
- Sprains and Strains
- General Orthopedics
Sprains and Strains information
What is a sprain?
A sprain is stretching and or tearing of ligaments (you sprain a ligament and strain a muscle). The most common type of sprain is an inversion sprain (or lateral ligament ankle sprain) where the ankle turns over so the sole of the foot faces inwards, damaging the ligaments on the outside of the ankle. However the grade scale of severity can be used for any type of sprain.
Grades of Severity for Sprained:
Sprained ankles, as with all ligaments sprains, are divided into grades 1-3, depending on their severity:
Grade 1 sprain:
- Some stretching or perhaps minor tearing of the lateral ankle ligaments.
- Little or no joint instability.
- Mild pain.
- There may be mild swelling around the bone on the outside of the ankle.
- Some joint stiffness or difficulty walking or running.
Grade 2 sprain:
- Moderate tearing of the ligament fibers.
- Some instability of the joint.
- Moderate to severe pain and difficulty walking.
- Swelling and stiffness in the ankle joint.
- Minor bruising may be evident.
Grade 3 sprain:
- Total rupture of a ligament.
- Gross instability of the joint.
- Severe pain initially followed later by no pain.
- Severe swelling.
- Usually extensive bruising.
Treatment:
Treatment of sprains varies depending on the severity of the sprain and the location of the sprain; typically grade 1 and low-grade 2 sprains can be treated with RICE (Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevation). Your sports medicine provider should be contact for instruction for care of high Grade 2 sprains and Grade 3 sprains.
What is a strain?
The body is meant to move. Muscles allow that movement to happen by contracting and making joints flex, extend and rotate. Muscles attach on each side of the joint to bone by thick bands of fibrous tissue called tendons. When a muscle contracts, it shortens and pulls on the tendon, which allows the joint to go through a range of motion.
A strain occurs when the muscle tendon unit is stretched or torn. The most common reason is the overuse and stretching of the muscle. The damage may occur in three areas:
- The muscle itself may tear.
- The area where the muscle and tendon blend can tear.
- The tendon may tear partially or completely (rupture).
Treatment:
Ice treatment is most commonly used for acute Strain injuries. If you have a recent injury (within the last 48 hours), where swelling is a problem, you should be using ice treatment. Ice packs can help minimize swelling around the injury. Ice treatments may also be used for chronic conditions, such as overuse injuries in athletes. In this case, ice the injured area after activity. Never ice a chronic injury before activity. However, icing after activity will help control the inflammatory response, if pain and loss of function or strength continues you should contact your local sports medicine provider to get a further evaluation on the injury at hand.
|
