SPRAINS=LIGAMENTS

STRAINS=MUSCLE & TENDONS

SPRAINS...

A sprain is a stretching or tearing of a ligament.  Your ligaments are fibrous connective tissue structures that connect one of a bone to another end of a bone.  A sprain is often caused by acute trauma either indirectly from a bad fall or bad twist or from a direct collision.  Sprains are graded into one of three distinct categories...

1st Degree Sprain- These sprains are categorized by pain and discomfort to the ligament, with minimal to no joint laxity or looseness.  In other words, even though there's pain, the actual joint is still stable. 

2nd Degree Sprain-  This involves partial tears of the ligaments, increased pain, increased swelling, loss of function and difficulty with movement. 

3rd Degree Sprain-  These are the most severe.  Third degree sprains are complete tears of the ligaments.  With this there is loss of stability and sometimes dislocation.

The most common symptoms of a sprain are pain, swelling, and bruising.  Unlike a strain, where the pain is felt in the belly of the muscle, pain from sprains is found on, in, or around the joint itself.  People who have sprained a ligament often report hearing or feeling a "pop" in the joint.  That pop is the sound of the ligament stretching or tearing.  The most common sprain is the ankle sprain, usually due to improper footwear or unconditioned musculature around the ankle.   The following pictures are the ankle ligaments...

	The lateral side of the ankle consists of three seperate ligaments... PTF-Posterior Talofibular Ligament   CF-Calcaneal Talofibular Ligament   PTF-Posterior Talofibular Ligament
	The Medial Side of the ankle consists of the Deltoid Ligament   The Deltoid Ligament is triangular in shape and consists of a superficial and deep layer which connect the talus of the foot to the medial malleolus.

It is estimated that there is about one inversion of the ankle per 10,000 persons per year in the United States.  Inversion (turning in) constitutes 85 percent of all ankle sprains, and only 5 percent of ankle sprains are from eversion (turning out) of the foot.  Therefore the Deltoid Ligament is the least injured.

STRAINS...

A strain is an injury to a muscle or tendon.  Muscles move your skeleton in an amazing variety of ways.  When a muscle contracts it pulls on a tendon, which is in turn connected to your bone.  Muscles are made to stretch, but if stretched too, or if stretched while contracting, an injury may result.  A strain can be either a stretching or a tear of the muscle or tendon. 

Severity of a Strain-What makes one strain more serious than another depends upon how much of the muscle is damaged and how close the tear is to the end of the muscle.  Muscles are stronger in the middle than the are at the ends.  It will tear and be damaged much worse at the ends where it is more narrow.   Unlike sprains, there are no defined degrees of strains.

Symptoms of a Strain- The symptoms of a strain are almost identical to a sprain.  There is pain, swelling, and bruising of the affected area.  Usually the pain from a strain is felt deep within the muscle though.

PREVENTION AND TREATMENT...

Prevention of Sprains/Strains:  Stretch before you workout, use proper footgear for all activities, warm up properly before activities, strengthen the muscles to prevent injury, and remain flexible.

Treatment of Sprains/Strains:  R.I.C.E.

R-REST:  The first 24-48 hours after an injury is considered the crucial period.  Gradually put as much weight on the involved body part as tolerated and discontinue crutch use (for legs) when you can walk normally, with no pain or limp.

I-ICE:  The first 48 hours after the injury, you must ice and elevate 20 minutes at a time every 3 to 4 hours.  Do not ice for more than 20 minutes because you do not want to damage the tissues.

C-COMPRESSION:  Use compression when elevating.

E-ELEVATE:  For example, an ankle injury needs to be elevated higher than the heart as often as possible.  This is especially important at night.