21 Mar Differences Between a Sprain, Strain, and Tear
Injuries happen to all different types of people. While athletes are the most commonly noted, various muscle injuries can happen as a result of trauma, repetitive tasks, and overexertion. Understanding the difference between a sprain, strain, and tear can assist you in determining the extent of an injury.
Sprain
Sports medicine is one of the most popular places you’ll find sprains happen. For the average joe, a sprain is equivalent to twisting an ankle where you feel a jolt of pain go through your foot. Sprains are considered injuries to the ligaments of the body. They involve overstretching or even tearing the ligaments.
Ligaments are the fibrous tissues that hold the bones to one another. These types of injuries typically happen when a joint is forced into an unnatural position. Bruising, tenderness, inflammation, muscle pain, and hampered movement are all symptoms associated with a sprain. Sprains are graded on a scale of mild to serious. For mild injuries, it takes about a week to two weeks to fully heal. For more severe sprains, healing can take several weeks and should be done via the oversight of a medical professional.
Strain
A strain is considered the tearing or overstretching of a tendon or muscle. Tendons are fibrous tissues that connect the bones to the muscles. As any professional handling sports medicine El Segundo will tell you, strains can happen due to repetitive movements or a single incident.
Strains range from acute to chronic. Acute is the name given to those strains that occur due to an instantaneous stretch or tear of the tendon or muscle. Chronic strains are those which result from long term repetitive motions of the tendons and muscles of the body. Cramping, weakness, muscle spasms, pain, swelling, bruising, and immobility are all symptoms associated with this condition.
Tears
Tears can happen to tendons, muscles, and ligaments of the body. Tearing is the name given to the ripping of fibrous tissues of the body. A professional of sports medicine near you should be able to evaluate your injury and determine if the tear is significant. Many people diagnosed with tears will go through a few months of recovery.
When a tear occurs, there is inflammation and pain in the area. The worse the injury, the more inflammation and pain will occur. Most tears can be successfully treated with the help of an experienced chiropractor El Segundo. However, some severe tears may require surgery to repair. An example of where surgical intervention is going to be required is in the case of an ACL tear.
Regardless of whether you have a sprain, strain, or tear, you’ll need to follow the basics of RICE. This stands for rest, ice, compression, and elevation. This practice helps to reduce swelling and inflammation of the body. When inflammation is reduced, pain is reduced for the patient. If you believe that you’re dealing with one of these injuries, it’s best to talk with a health professional sooner rather than later.