Let’s say you recently saw your doctor for the low back pain you’ve been experiencing. They tell you that you have sprain in your back- or did they say strain?
What is the difference and does that impact how you are going to treat it?
This article provides quick and easy guidelines for strains and sprains.
What is a Strain?
A strain is an injury to a muscle.
A strain can occur in the muscle belly (red, meaty part of the muscle) or the tendon (band of tissue that attaches muscle to bone).
Hamstrings and back muscles are commonly strained.
What is a Sprain?
A sprain is an injury to a ligament.
Ligaments are bands of tissue that connect bone to bone.
Rolling your ankle is the most common type of sprain.
What Are the Symptoms?
The symptoms for a strain and a sprain are pretty much the same (just like the rain in Spain falls mainly in the plane).
Symptoms include1:
- Pain
- Swelling
- Decreased range of motion
The major difference in symptoms is that a sprain can cause bruising, but a strain will not. A strain can lead to muscle spasms.
What’s the Cause?
Strains and sprains can be caused by a sudden movement or from repetitive use.
Playing sports can lead to an increased risk of injury, so it’s important to make sure you do a proper warm-up, stretch, and cool down.
Also, making sure you are doing strength training to have the right muscle balance and endurance for the type of activity you’re doing is important.
Maintaining your strength, even if you don’t play sports, is also vital, because having weaker muscles puts you at higher risk for injury.1
Some people are prone to sprains (especially ankle sprains) because of laxity in their ligaments. Increasing your balance and proprioception (body awareness, or knowing where your body is in space) can help with this. Your physical therapist can help you work on these types of exercises.
How to Treat a Sprain or a Strain
For both a sprain and strain, the following are recommended:
- Rest– give the injured area time to heal. Rest is really key for a strain or sprain. For some ankle sprains, or leg muscle strains, your PT or doctor may advise non-weightbearing on the affected side for a time period.
- Ice– when a new injury occurs, inflammation is part of the healing process, so ice can help to decrease excessive inflammation and pain. Just make sure there’s a layer of fabric between your skin and the ice.
- Compression– while it can be tough to apply compression to a back strain, hamstring, leg, or forearm strains, and ankle sprains can benefit from compression along with ice (I recommend using these ice packs which wrap nicely. Also, using compression socks may be recommended for leg sprains/strains.
- Elevation– once again, certain injuries can’t really be elevated, but propping your leg or arm up on some pillows can help to get excess fluid out of that area. Decreasing the swelling can help decrease the pressure and therefore pain in that area.
- Progressive return to activity– while resting is important, there comes a time when increasing mobility and restoring prior level of activity is beneficial. Check with your physical therapist and return to activity progressively, rather than rushing back into it, which risks re-injury.
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Sources:
- Sprain vs. strain (2019) Center for Orthopaedic Surgery & Sports Medicine. Available at: https://www.centerfororthosurgery.com/sprain-vs-strain/ (Accessed: November 23, 2022).
