Sprain and Strain Can Cause Long-Term Pain…But With Physical Therapy, They Don’t Have To!
Does this scenario seem familiar? You’re walking down the sidewalk, when suddenly – your ankle slips off the curb. You feel an immediate twinge of pain, but you’re unsure whether or not it requires a trip to the doctor.
It is true that many mild injuries can be treated with the R.I.C.E (rest, ice, compression, elevation) method; however, some injuries require the help of a medical professional.
It can be difficult to determine where your injury is and if the injury you sustained is a sprain or a strain. Fortunately, consulting with a physical therapist at Chiron Physical Therapy to help you get everything sorted out as quickly as possible, so you can recover and get back to your daily life!
What’s the difference between a sprain and a strain?
One of the first and most common questions people ask when they hurt a part of their body: is it a sprain, or is it a strain? While they may seem similar, the distinctions are actually easier to make than you may think. In order to know the differences between a sprain and a strain, you must first know the differences between a tendon and a ligament.
Tendons are fibrous, tough structures that connect bone and muscle. Ligaments are connective tissues that are similar to tendons, except they connect bone to bone rather than muscle to muscle.
When the tendons that connect your muscle to your bone are stretched or ruptured, a strain ensues. A strain can be either acute, which means it happens right after an accident, or chronic, which means it builds up over time from doing the same thing over and over again.
A sprain occurs when the ligaments connecting your joints are damaged. This can affect your ankles, knees, elbows, or wrists. With a sprain, the joint is so violently twisted that the tissues are stretched or torn. Pain might be minimal, subsiding in minutes or hours, or severe, requiring physical therapy or surgery.
So, what can physical therapy do to help?
Physical therapists at Chiron Physical Therapy have a lot of experience with sprains and strains, both diagnosing and treating them. We will assist you in recovering from your injury and will give you advice on how to avoid further injuries in the future.
A sprain or strain can be effectively treated with physical therapy in three simple steps.
- A physical therapist will focus on pain management. This is done with passive physical therapy methods like manual therapy, ice and heat therapies, light stretches, ultrasound, and electrical stimulation.
- As soon as the pain has been alleviated, we’ll focus on boosting your injury’s healing with strengthening and range-of-motion activities.
- Following the healing of your injury, we will focus on strengthening exercises that will help you build muscle around the affected area and reduce your risk of reinjury.
Ready to get back on your feet? Give our clinic a call
Do you think you may have a sprain or strain? If so, contact us today.
We’ll give you the best treatment methods for your needs so you can relieve your pain without harmful medications or expensive surgical procedures. We are here to support you every step of the way!