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• Summary
• Diagnosis and Tests
• Prevention and Risk Factors
• Treatments and Therapies

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• Living With
• Related Issues
• Specifics

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Research

• Clinical Trials
• Journal Articles

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• Children
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• Patient Handouts

Summary

A sprain is a stretched or torn ligament. Ligaments are tissues that connect bones at a joint. Falling, twisting, or getting hit can all cause a sprain. Ankle and wrist sprains are common. Symptoms include pain, swelling, bruising, and being unable to move your joint. You might feel a pop or tear when the injury happens.

A strain is a stretched or torn muscle or tendon. Tendons are tissues that connect muscle to bone. Twisting or pulling these tissues can cause a strain. Strains can happen suddenly or develop over time. Back and hamstring muscle strains are common. Many people get strains playing sports. Symptoms include pain, muscle spasms, swelling, and trouble moving the muscle.

At first, treatment of both sprains and strains usually involves resting the injured area, icing it, wearing a bandage or device that compresses the area, and medicines. Later treatment might include exercise and physical therapy.

NIH: National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases

Diagnosis and Tests

• Musculoskeletal MRI (American College of Radiology; Radiological Society of North America) Also in Spanish
• Musculoskeletal Ultrasound (American College of Radiology; Radiological Society of North America) Also in Spanish

Prevention and Risk Factors

• Stretching Safely and Effectively (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish

Treatments and Therapies

• How to Care for a Sprained Ankle (American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society)
• Strains and Sprains (Nemours Foundation)

Living With

• How to Strengthen Your Ankle After a Sprain (American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society)
• How to Stretch Your Ankle after a Sprain (American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society)
• Mobility Aids: MedlinePlus Health Topic (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish

Related Issues

• Sports Injuries (National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases) Also in Spanish

Specifics

• Hamstring Injury (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
• Sprained Thumb (American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons)
• Whiplash (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
• Wrist Sprains (American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons)

Clinical Trials

• ClinicalTrials.gov: Sprains and Strains (National Institutes of Health)

Journal Articles References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)

• Article: Heel kicking exercise rapidly improves pain and function in patients with...
• Article: Rotating-pulling-poking manipulation in gait analysis for lateral ankle sprain treatment.
• Article: Comparing the hamstring muscle activity between injured and non-injured sides during...
• Sprains and Strains -- see more articles

Find an Expert

• National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases Also in Spanish

Children

• Ankle Sprain Treatment (American Academy of Pediatrics) Also in Spanish
• Strains and Sprains (For Parents) (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish

Teenagers

• Ankle Sprains (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
• Strains and Sprains (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish

Patient Handouts

• Ankle sprain - aftercare (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Elbow sprain -- aftercare (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Foot sprain - aftercare (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Hamstring strain - aftercare (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Hip flexor strain -- aftercare (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Sprains (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Strains (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Tendon repair (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Wrist sprain - aftercare (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish