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A sprain (from the French espraindre - to wring) is an injury which occurs to ligaments caused by a sudden overstretching (for the muscle injury, see strain). The ligament is usually only stretched, but if it is completely torn, a longer period of immobilization and surgical repair may be necessary. Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Injury is damage or harm caused to the structure or function of the body caused by an outside agent or force, which may be physical or chemical. ... In anatomy, the term ligament is used to denote three different types of structures:[1] Fibrous tissue that connects bones to other bones. ... For other uses of Muscles, see Muscles (disambiguation). ... A strain is an injury to a muscle in which the muscle fibers tear as a result of overstretching. ...

Degrees

Although some signs and symptoms can be used to assess the severity of a sprain, the most definitive method is with the use of Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI). Sprains are graded in four degrees. In medicine, a sign is a feature of disease as detected by the doctor. ... The term symptom (from the Greek meaning chance, mishap or casualty, itself derived from συμπιπτω meaning to fall upon or to happen to) has two similar meanings in the context of physical and mental health: Strictly, a symptom is a sensation or change in health function experienced by a patient. ... “MRI” redirects here. ...

The first degree is only a minor tear or stretch of a ligament. In anatomy, the term ligament is used to denote three different types of structures:[1] Fibrous tissue that connects bones to other bones. ...

The second degree is a tear of a ligament, which is usually followed by pain or swelling. Edema (BE: oedema, formerly known as dropsy) is swelling of any organ or tissue due to accumulation of excess fluid. ...

The third degree is a complete rupture.

The fourth degree is the most severe and actually breaks the ligament, along with some small bones if severe enough, and requires surgery to repair.

Signs and symptoms

The typical signs and symptoms associated with a sprain are the cardinal signs of:

• inflammation
• localized pain
• swelling
• loss of function

An abscess on the skin, showing the redness and swelling characteristic of inflammation. ... Pain redirects here. ... For other uses, see swelling. ...

Joints involved

Although any joint can experience a sprain, some of the more common include:

• the ankle. It is the most common, and has been said that sprains such as serious ankle sprains are more painful and take longer to heal than actually breaking the bones in that area. ^{[citation needed]} See sprained ankle for more details.
• the knee. Perhaps one of the more talked about sprains is that to the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) of the knee. This is a disabling sprain common to athletes, especially basketball, Football, and judo players. See Anterior cruciate ligament injury.
• the fingers.
• the wrist. The wrist is a common sprain area. However, it has been said that it heals quickly.^{[attribution needed]}

For a review of anatomical terms, see Anatomical position and Anatomical terms of location. ... A sprained ankle is a common medical condition where the one or more of the ligaments of the ankle are damaged but not severed. ... For other uses, see Knee (disambiguation). ... The anterior cruciate ligament (or ACL) is one of the four major ligaments of the knee. ... This article is about the sport. ... Soccer redirects here. ... This article is about the martial art and sport. ... Diagram of the right knee Grays Fig. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... In human anatomy, the wrist is the flexible and narrower connection between the forearm and the palm. ...

Prevention

Sprains can best be prevented by proper use of safety equipment (wrist, ankle guards), warm-ups and cool-downs (including stretching), being aware of your surroundings and maintaining strength and flexibility. Physical conditioning is the best way to avoid or lessen the degree of sprains. Warming up Chang-Hwa Bank make their warming up for knees to prevent damage and accident at 2006 Taipei 101 Run Up on October 22, 2006. ... Cooling down is the term used to describe an easy, full-body exercise that will allow the body to slowly transition from an exercise mode to a non-exercise mode. ... An actively stretching Siberian tiger Cat stretching in utterly relaxed position Stretching, as theorized in literature, is the deliberate act of lengthening of muscles, in order to increase muscle flexibility and/or joint range of motion (Weerapong et al 189-206). ...

Treatment

The first modality for a sprain can be remembered using the P.R.I.C.E.^[1] RICE is a treatment method for soft tissue injury which is an abbreviation for Rest, Ice, Compression and Elevation. ...

• Protect: Protect the affected part from further injury.

• Rest: Stop all activities which cause pain to the sprained area.

• Ice: Apply ice to the area several times a day, but never for more than 10-15 minutes at a time. Protect the skin while preventing the swelling.

• Compression: Wrap the sprained area to reduce swelling. Cold water will do also.

• Elevation: Keep the sprained area as close to the level of the heart as is conveniently possible.

The ice and compression (cold compression therapy) will stop the pain and swelling while the injury starts to heal itself. Controlling the swelling and inflammation is critical to the healing process and the icing further restricts fluid leaking into the injured area as well as controlling pain. There are very few or no other articles that link to this one. ...

References

1. ^ Mnemonic at medicalmnemonics.com 235

For other uses, see Mnemonic (disambiguation). ...

External links

• More information and treatment at nhsdirect.nhs.uk