Musculoskeletal

A Sprain and a Strain: What’s the Difference?

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I have a sprain. I think. It might be a strain. Or is a strain just for viruses? 

Though both a sprain and a strain cause pain, inflammation,  weakness, and a limited range of motion, they are, in fact, different. Contrasting injuries, such as sprains and strains, benefit from contrasting forms of treatment. 

If you are having trouble identifying the difference between a sprain and a strain, don’t worry, you aren’t the only one. It’s a tricky subject to understand, but we are going to try to work it out, together. It’s important to understand, as sprains and strains are something parents often see in active kids (and in themselves, too). 

Strains

Welcome to the medical terminology behind ‘pulling a hammy,’ the quintessential old-age indicator, that moment when you realize you need to stretch more and that your kids might need to drive you around. Strains are pulled muscles or tendons, tendons being the tissue that binds the muscle to bone. These injuries can be very, very, painful, as plenty of screaming children (or adults) can attest. 

However painful, strains are light injuries that can be treated at home, which we can discuss later in the article. You can tell if you’ve strained a muscle or tendon by pain and inflammation, as well as limited motion and muscle weakness. These symptoms are common for many injuries, but one defining feature of strains is a muscle spasm in the impacted area, also known as cramping. 

Strains often result from improper use of muscles (like not bending your knees to pick something up) or by repetitive movements that push the tendons and muscles just a little too far. Repetitive strains can become chronic, so please take caution when you experience any injury you think might have strained a muscle or tendon. 

Sprains

As I mentioned before, while strains injure tendons, a sprain is an injury to a ligament. Sometimes, active children (and adults) can cause a sprain by stretching out the ligament in question while running or playing other sports. Sprains can even be light tearing in the ligament as well- causing a more serious, but still manageable, injury. The most common location for sprains (by far) is the ankle, as that is the epicenter of so much activity.

Anything from landing awkwardly after a jump, to an aggressive pivot, or even landing on your wrist can cause a sprain. As the causes are plenty, every sprain can be different, and what sprains one person’s ankle may not have the same result on another person. 

You can tell that you or someone else has sprained an ankle, or another ligament, by significant swelling in the area, sometimes resulting in a bruise. Often there will be limited mobility, meaning that the joint may not be able to move in every direction. At times, a sprain is accompanied by a “popping” sound when the injury occurs.

Treatment

Every type of sprain or strain to muscle, tendons, or ligaments is manageable. In serious cases, physical therapy is recommended to the patient to minimize the risk of greater injury. The amount of weight, repetition, and type of modality performed on the patient will be prescribed and performed per the type of tissue injured.  

The basic RICE treatment can work well for either sprains or strains- rest, ice, compression, and elevation. Resting the injured area until inflammation and pain are gone is important. When icing an injury, remember to ice for ten minutes on, twenty minutes off. Compression with an ACE bandage or KT tape is very helpful, and these links contain videos that teach how to use both properly (the KT tape video is a little longer, but it contains great info).

If the pain becomes unbearable, if mobility becomes worse over time, or if there is any numbness in the area, please see a doctor, as these could be symptoms of a worse injury.

Remember this:

So, to wrap things up (get it): sprains and strains are quite similar, but involve different tissues. Sprains injure ligaments, while strains injure tendons or muscles. Sprains and strains will both cause inflammation, pain, and limited mobility, but both can be treated through the RICE method. When using the rice method, be cautious and wary of new or worsening symptoms. 

Thank you for reading, 

Angie Tanaka, 

Mom, and Doctor of Physical Therapy

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