1. Sprain or strain?
Sprains happened when the ligaments holding bones together stretch or tear suddenly. Most sprains happen around joints in the leg, like in the ankle or the knee. A strain involves a muscle, whereas a sprain involves the ligament around the bones. Muscle strain takes a couple of weeks to heal and often doesn't need much immobilization. Ligaments sprains always need to be immobilized and elevated and it often takes more than six weeks to fully heal. A ligament sprain requires physical therapy to regain full range of motion.
2. Stretch it Out
Prevent sprained ligaments by stretching before working out or other physical activity. A properly stretched ligament is ready to take on movement without over stretching or tearing. Unstretched ligaments and muscles aren't as elastic as those in good condition and tear or injure more easily.
3. Warm it Up
A thorough ten minute warm up is a great way to avoid sprains while working out. Warming up increases blood flow to muscles and ligaments makes them ready to work. An adequate warm up also lets your body know if anything doesn't feel quite right before your workout. If you experience pain, tenderness or muscles weakness in joints or muscles while warming up, listen to what your body is telling you. You might need a support bandage around knees or ankles. Take a look at your workout and make changes to meet your body's needs for that day.
4. Just What the Doctor Ordered
Caring for any type of ligament injury, such as an ankle sprain, takes time. Your doctor will let you know how long to keep your injury immobilized. If you need a splint, wear it as long as prescribed. Follow all instructions for icing the injury, heat therapy and elevation. Your doctor may prescribe an anti-inflammatory or tell you to take an over the counter anti-inflammatory pain reliever such as Ibuprofen to reduce swelling. Putting weight on an injured ligament before it's ready is likely to cause re-injury and further damage to the area.
5. Give it a Grade
Doctors use a grading system to determine how severe your ligament injury is. Grade one is an injury to just a few of the collagen fibers that make up the ligament. This usually means some swelling and pain over the affected joint. Grade two is more severe and includes a lot of swelling and more intense pain. Grade three is the most severe and means the ligament is torn and may require surgery.
