This can be the result of a single incident, such as a fall, or due to repeated overuse of the muscles and joints. In overuse cases, small amounts of stress accumulate and damage the supporting structures of the joints.

Of these two most common problems, (sprains and strains), sprains are the more severe.

A sprain is a simple stretch or tear of the ligaments. The ligaments are the strong bands of connective tissue that connect one bone to another. All joints have ligaments that bind the bones together allowing controlled motion by the muscles. The most common ligament injury is probably at the ankle. A sprained ankle occurs when your foot turns inward and your weight places excessive tension on the ligaments of your outer ankle, tearing the fibers.

Sprains can cause rapid swelling. Generally, the greater the pain and swelling, the more
severe the injury. There are three types of sprains:

Mild. The ligament is over stretched or tears slightly. The area is somewhat painful, especially with movement. There is tenderness if you touch the area and there is a little swelling, and you can put weight on the joint.

Moderate. The fibers of the ligament tear, but not completely. The joint is tender, painful and difficult to move, and it is very uncomfortable to put weight on it. The area swells rapidly and may be discolored from bleeding under the skin. This discoloration may take a day or two to see.

Severe. One or more of the ligaments tear completely. The area is extremely painful. You can’t move your joint normally or put any weight on it. If you try to walk, your leg feels as if it will give way. The joint becomes very swollen and also can be discolored.

A sprain is a simple stretch or tear of the ligaments....
The most common ligament injury is probably at the ankle.

Strains are milder and affect the muscles. Usually if you have a sprain, ligament injury, you also have a strain, muscle injury.

Your bones are moved by a combination of muscles and tendons. The tendons connect the muscles to the bones. For example, your Achilles’ tendon attaches your calf muscle to your heel bone. Some tendons are long, like the Achilles tendon, but most are very short. A strain is the result of an injury to either a muscle or a tendon, usually in your foot or leg. The strain may be a simple stretch in your muscle or tendon, or it may be a partial or complete tear in the muscle-and-tendon combination. Repeated strains that do not completely heal lead to a condition called tendonitis. What usually causes tendonitis is not just a single injury, but a series of small stresses that repeatedly aggravate the tendon.

Untreated or incompletely healed strains and sprains cause altered joint mechanics. Over time, this altered mechanics causes stress on the bursas of the joints. The bursa is a sac filled with fluid. They are located between a bone and a tendon or muscle. They allow the tendon to slide smoothly over the bone.

Repeated stress and overuse can cause the bursa to swell. This is called bursitis, and is usually associated with tendonitis.

Most mild strains and sprains heal with “R.I.C.E.” The letters stand for rest, ice, compression and elevation. Basically, you want to prevent added injury and prevent swelling. If the soreness lasts more than two to three days, then it is more severe than you thought and will require treatment.

Untreated, strain and sprain injuries can lead to arthritic changes in the joints years later.

The treatment of sprain and strain injuries requires reestablishing normal joint alignment and support of the muscles and ligaments. In moderate to severe injuries, muscle coordination may be lost and has to be reestablished to help prevent reinjury. Failure to completely heal a sprain has led to the familiar statement "once a sprain - always a sprain."

Proper care of a sprain/strain injury requires your body to heal the ligament and muscle tendon injuries.

Usually if you have a sprain, ligament injury, you also have a strain, muscle injury.

This may require additional nutritional support to speed the healing, and supportive measures like taping or orthotics to support the damaged joint in a proper position. In many cases, exercises will need to be done to reestablish good muscle support and coordination.

By treating and normalizing the function of the joint and the supportive tissues, you help prevent, or slow down, arthritic changes that take years to occur.

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