Sprained Or Strained Ankle

When a sprain occurs, the supporting foot is twisted in an un-natural way, partially tearing and injuring the ligaments that are located on the outside of the ankle. When a strain occurs, either muscles or tendons are either overstretched, or really torn. The usual symptoms of a sprain are swelling, pain, bruising, and the inability to move the sprained joint. Strains involve the symptoms of muscle spasms, weakness in the muscle, localized swelling, cramping, inflammation, and sometimes inability to move the muscle.

The first concern with treating sprains and strains is to reduce the swelling and pain by using ice packs and/or anti-inflammatory medicine. Wraps, splints, and sometimes even hard casts are used to treat sprains and strains by keeping them from further injury. On very rare cases, these conditions require surgeries.