Sprains and Strains
A joint sprain is the overstretching or tearing of ligaments. Ligaments are the bands of tissue that connect two bones together in a joint. The most common location for a sprain is the ankle joint.
A joint strain is the overstretching or tearing of muscles or tendons. Tendons are the dense fibrous cords of tissue that connect bones to muscles. The most common locations for a muscle strain are the hamstring muscle and the lower back.
The symptoms of a sprain and a strain are very similar. That’s because the injuries themselves are very similar
Common symptoms of sprains
• bruising • pain around the affected joint • swelling • limited flexibility • difficulty using the joint’s full range of motion
• muscle spasm • pain around the affected joint • swelling • limited flexibility • difficulty using the joint’s full range of motion
Heat and Redness in some injuries doesn’t always occur immediately as it can take hours to develop. It is caused by thousands of tiny blood vessels opening as a result on the liquefying dead cells and vessels that were previously closed open resulting in the area becoming warm and pink.
