Strains and Sprains

Understanding Sprains and Strains

Sprains and strains are among the most common injuries we see, affecting everyone from athletes to people simply going about their daily activities. While these terms are often used interchangeably, they’re actually distinct injuries affecting different tissues in your body. Understanding the difference—and knowing when to seek professional care—can mean the difference between quick recovery and chronic problems.

Sprains vs. Strains: What’s the Difference?

Sprains: Ligament Injuries

A sprain occurs when ligaments—the strong, fibrous tissues that connect bone to bone at your joints—become stretched or torn. Sprains can happen at any joint in your body but are most common in:

• Ankles
• Knees
• Wrists
• Thumbs

Common symptoms of sprains include:

• Swelling around the affected joint
• Sharp or stabbing pain
• Dull or aching sensations
• Limited range of motion
• Tightness in the area
• Bruising
• Joint instability or feeling that the joint may “give out”

Strains: Muscle or Tendon Injuries

A strain involves injury to a muscle or tendon (the fibrous tissue connecting muscle to bone). Often called a “pulled muscle,” strains can range from minor overstretching to complete tears of the muscle or tendon tissue.

Common symptoms of strains include:

• Sharp, dull, achy, or throbbing pain
• Limited movement
• Swelling in the affected area
• Tenderness to touch
• Muscle spasms or cramping
• Weakness when using the injured muscle
• Bruising

When Self-Care Is Appropriate

For mild sprains and strains, initial self-care can be effective:

• Rest the injured area
• Apply ice for 15-20 minutes every 2-3 hours
• Use compression wraps to reduce swelling
• Elevate the injured limb above heart level
• Avoid activities that cause pain

When to Seek Professional Care

While minor injuries may improve with self-care, you should schedule an evaluation if:

• Pain isn’t improving within 1-2 days of home treatment
• The injury is impacting your daily function—difficulty walking, using your arm, or performing normal activities
• You heard a “pop” or tearing sound at the time of injury
• Significant swelling or bruising develops
• You cannot bear weight on the injured limb
• The joint feels unstable or gives out
• You have numbness or tingling beyond the injured area

Why Early Diagnosis Is Critical

Many people assume sprains and strains will “heal on their own with time.” While minor injuries may improve, waiting too long to seek care for moderate to severe injuries can lead to:

Scar Tissue Formation

When soft tissues heal without proper treatment, the body often lays down excessive scar tissue in a disorganized pattern. This scar tissue:

• Restricts normal movement
• Reduces flexibility
• Creates weak points prone to reinjury
• Can cause chronic pain
• Alters your biomechanics, potentially causing problems elsewhere

The first few days after injury represent a critical window. Early intervention can guide proper tissue healing, minimize scar tissue formation, and prevent chronic dysfunction.

Chronic Instability

Improperly healed ligament sprains can leave joints permanently unstable, leading to:

• Repeated injuries to the same area
• Accelerated joint degeneration
• Chronic pain and swelling
• Reduced athletic performance or functional capacity

Our Comprehensive Evaluation Process

When you visit our office with a suspected sprain or strain, we conduct a thorough assessment to:

1. Determine Injury Severity: Grade the sprain or strain (mild, moderate, or severe)
2. Rule Out Serious Conditions: Screen for fractures, complete tears, or other injuries requiring immediate medical intervention
3. Identify Contributing Factors: Assess biomechanics, muscle imbalances, or movement patterns that may have contributed to the injury
4. Evaluate Compensations: Check for areas where you’re already altering your movement to protect the injury
5. Create a Baseline: Document your current function to track recovery progress

This comprehensive approach ensures we don’t just treat your immediate injury but also address factors that could lead to reinjury.

Our Evidence-Based Treatment Approach

Based on your evaluation, we develop a personalized recovery plan utilizing the most effective therapies:

Focused Shockwave Therapy

For more serious strains and sprains, shockwave therapy has proven remarkably effective. Recent research has demonstrated that shockwave therapy:

• Accelerates tissue healing by stimulating cellular regeneration
• Breaks down early scar tissue formation
• Improves blood flow to the injured area
• Significantly reduces pain and inflammation
• Shortens recovery time compared to traditional approaches alone
• Helps restore normal tissue architecture

This cutting-edge treatment is particularly valuable for moderate to severe injuries or cases where healing has stalled.

Traditional Rehabilitation Approaches

We combine advanced therapies with proven rehabilitation techniques:

• Joint mobilization to restore proper movement patterns and prevent stiffness
• Instrument-assisted soft tissue mobilization to address developing scar tissue and improve tissue quality
• Laser therapy to reduce inflammation and accelerate healing
• Therapeutic exercises to rebuild strength, flexibility, and stability
• Proprioceptive training to restore balance and coordination
• Progressive loading protocols to safely return you to full activity
• Biomechanical correction to address movement patterns that contributed to injury

The Healing Timeline

With early intervention and appropriate treatment:

• Mild sprains/strains: 1-2 weeks for significant improvement
• Moderate injuries: 3-6 weeks with proper rehabilitation
• Severe injuries: 6-12 weeks or longer, but proper treatment prevents chronic issues

Without proper care, even minor injuries can become chronic problems lasting months or years.

• Prevention of Reinjury

Once healed, we focus on preventing future injuries through:

• Strengthening exercises targeting vulnerable areas
• Movement pattern training
• Flexibility work
• Activity-specific conditioning
• Education on proper technique

Research shows that properly rehabilitated injuries have significantly lower reinjury rates compared to those that “heal on their own.”

Don’t Wait and Hope

The natural tendency is to wait and see if an injury improves on its own. While this approach occasionally works for very minor injuries, it’s a gamble that often leads to prolonged recovery, chronic pain, and increased likelihood of reinjury.

Early intervention—ideally within the first few days of injury—gives you the best chance of:

• Complete recovery without lingering issues
• Minimal scar tissue formation
• Faster return to activities
• Prevention of compensatory problems elsewhere
• Avoiding chronic instability

If you’ve experienced a sprain or strain and your pain isn’t improving quickly or is affecting your daily life, don’t wait. The sooner we begin treatment, the better your outcome will be. Schedule your evaluation today and give your body the best chance for complete recovery.