Injury Care

El Paso, Tx. How To Know When You have A Sprain or A Strain?

Hiking with family or friends and you twist your ankle. It is sore, so you head home for some good, old fashioned R.I.C.E. (rest, ice, compression, elevation). You pass it off, saying, “Oh, it’s just a sprain.” When your doctor performs an examination, they tell you that it is “strained.”

Sprain vs. Strain What’s the Difference?

While many people use the two terms interchangeably, they are not the same. There are some distinct differences although many of the symptoms are almost identical. In short, when a ligament is injured, it is called a sprain. When a muscle or tendon is injured, it is called a strain.

What Exactly Is A Sprain and A Strain?

Ligaments are tough bands of tissue that connect two bones as they sit in a joint. For example, the tibia and fibula come together to fit in the ankle joint. Tendons join those two bones together to keep the ankle stable. A joint sprain occurs when these ligaments are torn or overstretched. The ankle is the most commonly sprained joint.

Tendons are cords of tissue made up of a dense network of fibers. They connect the muscle to the bone. A joint strain occurs when the tendons or muscles tear or overstretch. The lower back and hamstrings are the most common areas for muscle strain.

Both injuries are very similar, so it stands to reason that the symptoms of the injuries are also almost identical. This is why they are so commonly confused.

Symptoms of Sprains vs Strains

The symptoms for each condition is very similar, but there are some differences.

Symptoms of Sprains include:

  • Pain around the area that is affected
  • Bruising in the affected area
  • Swelling in the immediate area but can expand to encompass more area
  • Limited range of motion
  • Decreased flexibility

Symptoms of Strains include:

  • Pain at the site of the joint that is affected
  • Muscle spasm
  • Swelling in the immediate area but can expand to encompass more area
  • Limited range of motion
  • Decreased flexibility

As you can see, the symptoms of sprains and strains are very close. The primary differences though are that bruising may occur with a sprain while a strain may elicit muscle spasms in the muscle that is affected.

What Causes Sprains and Strains?

Experiencing a sprain or strain every once in a while is not out of the ordinary. We put our bodies through a lot in a day. However, certain activities can make you more susceptible to movements that can lead to these injuries. They include:

  • Exercise or athletic activities, especially those that are high impact
  • Walking
  • Repetitive motion for a long period of time
  • Overexertion
  • Jogging or running
  • Slipping or falling
  • Standing or sitting in an unnatural or awkward position
  • Walking or running on unstable surfaces, like rocks or ice
  • Lifting objects that are too heavy

The most common areas for these injuries include:

  • Back
  • Ankle
  • Wrist
  • Knee
  • Thumb

How to Avoid Sprains and Strains

Sometimes injuries just happen and there’s nothing you can do about it. However, in most cases, you can take proactive steps to minimize your risks. These are some of the most common risk factors:

  • Being in poor physical condition
  • Using proper form when exercising
  • Failing to warm up before activities like exercising
  • Not using the right equipment for your workout or sporting activity.
  • Maintaining a hazardous environment at home, such as clutter on the floor or things you can trip over or slip on.
  • Fatigue or overly tired
  • Failure to avoid hazardous areas like floors that are wet and slippery or sidewalks that are iced over and slick.

If you have a sprain or strain and notice that the swelling has not subsided or if you still have pain after a week or so, you need to follow up with your doctor to make sure you don’t have a more severe injury.

*Sciatica Treatment* Rehabilitation | El Paso, TX (2019)

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Professional Scope of Practice *

The information herein on "El Paso, Tx. How To Know When You have A Sprain or A Strain?" is not intended to replace a one-on-one relationship with a qualified health care professional or licensed physician and is not medical advice. We encourage you to make healthcare decisions based on your research and partnership with a qualified healthcare professional.

Blog Information & Scope Discussions

Our information scope is limited to Chiropractic, musculoskeletal, physical medicines, wellness, contributing etiological viscerosomatic disturbances within clinical presentations, associated somatovisceral reflex clinical dynamics, subluxation complexes, sensitive health issues, and/or functional medicine articles, topics, and discussions.

We provide and present clinical collaboration with specialists from various disciplines. Each specialist is governed by their professional scope of practice and their jurisdiction of licensure. We use functional health & wellness protocols to treat and support care for the injuries or disorders of the musculoskeletal system.

Our videos, posts, topics, subjects, and insights cover clinical matters, issues, and topics that relate to and directly or indirectly support our clinical scope of practice.*

Our office has reasonably attempted to provide supportive citations and has identified the relevant research study or studies supporting our posts. We provide copies of supporting research studies available to regulatory boards and the public upon request.

We understand that we cover matters that require an additional explanation of how it may assist in a particular care plan or treatment protocol; therefore, to further discuss the subject matter above, please feel free to ask Dr. Alex Jimenez, DC, or contact us at 915-850-0900.

We are here to help you and your family.

Blessings

Dr. Alex Jimenez DC, MSACP, RN*, CCST, IFMCP*, CIFM*, ATN*

email: coach@elpasofunctionalmedicine.com

Licensed as a Doctor of Chiropractic (DC) in Texas & New Mexico*
Texas DC License # TX5807, New Mexico DC License # NM-DC2182

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