Ouch! They’re both painful! If you have a strain or sprain, you know it, usually right away. Sprains and strains are some of the most common sports injuries, and they often cause tenderness and swelling that make it difficult or painful to move a joint or an extremity for a while.
People sometimes use the term “strain” and “sprain” interchangeably, but the two entities differ. What are the differences between the two and how do you know which you have?
What Is a Sprain?
A sprain is an injury to a ligament. Ligaments are bands of thick tissue that connect one bone to another at a joint. When you strain a ligament, you stretch or tear the tissue. This can happen when you fall while running or playing sports or twist a body part, like an ankle.
Ankle sprains are the most common type of sprain, with knee sprains being a close second. A knee sprain can happen when you twist your knee, fall, or experience a sudden blow to the knee.
Health care professionals divide sprains into three classes or grades.
Grade one is mild and consists of only tiny tears in the ligament you can only see with a microscope and don’t greatly disrupt function, although you may experience pain.
Grade 2 is where a ligament has a partial tear and there may be some instability when bearing weight on the limb. Grade 3 is the most severe, as the ligament is torn away from the bone and it’s impossible to bear weight on the joint due to instability.
What is a Strain and How Does It Differ from a Sprain?
A strain is an injury to a muscle or tendon. Tendons are thick bands of tissue that connect muscles to bones. Muscles and tendons that are strained are stretched or torn. The muscles most commonly strained are the muscles in the lower back and back of the legs.
A strain can happen suddenly when you twist your body or when you lift something heavy. Strains can also come on gradually after using a muscle too much or from poor posture. If you start exercising or playing sports and your muscles are cold and stiff, you place enough stress on the muscle to cause a strain.
Sprains and strains, because they cause pain and swelling, can make any movement of the affected muscle painful. That’s a characteristic feature of a muscle strain; it gets worse when you move and is usually not painful without movement.
What Are the Signs and Symptoms of a Sprain or Strain?
A sprain often happens suddenly. For example, you might twist an ankle while running or walking on an uneven surface. With a sprained ankle or another sprain, you often feel immediate pain and may have swelling, redness, or bruising that comes on at the time of the injury or later. If the sprain is severe, you may have difficulty walking or putting weight on the ankle.
With a strain, you typically make a sudden movement and feel pain in a muscle. If the strain is severe, you could experience swelling at the site or have some weakness when you try to move the muscle. If the muscle is torn, you might hear a “pop” at the time of the injury and be unable to use the muscle at all. A strain can come on suddenly, due to an injury, or slowly over time.
Diagnosis and Treatment of Sprains and Strains
If you have an injury that makes it difficult to walk, bear weight on a leg, or move a muscle or joint, it should be evaluated right away. If you experience numbness, tingling, or weakness or have a lot of pain, swelling, or bruising, you also need evaluation.
During an evaluation, your provider will ask how the injury happened, and examine the injured or sore area. Depending upon what they find, they may recommend an x-ray or a scan to make sure there isn’t a break or fracture in the injured area.
Sprains and strains can be mild or severe. The treatment your provider advises will depend on how bad the sprain or strain is and where it is on your body.
Treatment of Sprains and Strains
For a mild sprain or strain, a provider may recommend resting the area by not using the muscle or joint. They may suggest applying an ice pack to the injured area to reduce swelling. For a muscle strain, heat may be a better option.
In some cases, you may need to wear a splint or use crutches until the injury heals. Your provider will discuss the options with you and tell you how to treat it. Severe sprains or strains may require immobilization with a splint or even surgery. Physical therapy is helpful for healing some sprains and strains.
Mild sprains and strains may improve with physical therapy, but more significant sprains and strains may be so unstable that they require surgery or immobilization with a brace or splint for healing to occur. That’s why it’s important to see a physician if you have problems bearing weight on a limb or if you have significant swelling.
How to Prevent Sprains and Strains
The best way to deal with a sprain or strain is not to get one. Here are some tips for lowering your risk of spraining or straining tissues:
- Make sure you’re wearing exercise shoes that offer good support.
- Do a thorough warm-up to ensure your muscles and joint tissues are warm and pliable.
- Don’t overtrain. Give your muscles and joints a chance to recover between workouts.
- If you feel pain or discomfort, stop and evaluate. Don’t exercise through it.
- Strength train in a balanced way to prevent muscle imbalances.
- Work on improving your posture and avoid sitting too long.
- Don’t forget to stretch after your workouts.
References:
- Harvard Health Publishing. “Knee Sprain”
- MayoClinic.org. “Sprains”
- MedicineNet.com. “Questions and Answers About Sprains and Strains”
- “Strains | Sprains | MedlinePlus.” 12 Apr. 2021, https://medlineplus.gov/sprainsandstrains.html.
- Martin RC, Grier T, Canham-Chervak M, Bushman TT, Anderson MK, Dada EO, Jones BH. Risk Factors for Sprains and Strains Among Physically Active Young Men: A US Army Study. US Army Med Dep J. 2018 Jul-Dec;(2-18):14-21. PMID: 30623394.
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