Sprains and Strains (Print Version)

A sprain is a stretched or torn ligament. Ligaments are tissues that connect bones at a joint. Falling, twisting, or getting hit can all cause a sprain. Ankle and wrist sprains are common. Symptoms include pain, swelling, bruising and being unable to move your joint. You might feel a pop or tear when the injury happens.

A strain is a stretched or torn muscle or tendon. Tendons are tissues that connect muscle to bone. Twisting or pulling these tissues can cause a strain. Strains can happen suddenly or develop over time. Back and hamstring muscle strains are common. Many people get strains playing sports. Symptoms include pain, muscle spasms, swelling and trouble moving the muscle.

At first, treatment of both sprains and strains usually involves resting the injured area, icing it, wearing a bandage or device that compresses the area, and medicines. Later treatment might include exercise and physical therapy.

National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases

Start Here

Fractures and Sprains(Patient Education Institute) - Requires Flash Player - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/tutorials/fracturesandsprains/htm/index.htm
Also available in Spanish http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/spanish/tutorials/fracturesandsprainsspanish/htm/index.htm
What Are Sprains and Strains?(National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases) - http://www.niams.nih.gov/Health_Info/Sprains_Strains/sprains_and_strains_ff.asp
Also available in Spanish http://www.niams.nih.gov/Portal_En_Espanol/Informacion_de_Salud/Esguinces_y_desgarros/default.asp

Overviews

Questions and Answers about Sprains and Strains(National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases) - http://www.niams.nih.gov/Health_Info/Sprains_Strains/default.asp
Sprains and Strains(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/sprains-and-strains/DS00343/DSECTION=all&METHOD=print
Sprains and Strains: What's the Difference?(American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons) - http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/topic.cfm?topic=A00111

Diagnosis/Symptoms

MRI of the Musculoskeletal System(American College of Radiology, Radiological Society of North America) - http://www.radiologyinfo.org/en/info.cfm?pg=muscmr
Also available in Spanish http://www.radiologyinfo.org/sp/info.cfm?pg=muscmr
Ultrasound - Musculoskeletal(American College of Radiology, Radiological Society of North America) - http://www.radiologyinfo.org/en/info.cfm?pg=musculous
Also available in Spanish http://www.radiologyinfo.org/sp/info.cfm?pg=musculous

Treatment

Care of Casts and Splints(American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons) - http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/topic.cfm?topic=A00095
Also available in Spanish http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/topic.cfm?topic=A00496
Sprain: First Aid(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/first-aid-sprain/FA00016

Prevention/Screening

Stretching: Focus on Flexibility(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/stretching/HQ01447/METHOD=print

Rehabilitation/Recovery

MedlinePlus: Mobility Aids - Canes, crutches, walkers, wheelchairs - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/mobilityaids.html

Specific Conditions

Ankle Sprains: Healing and Preventing Injury(American Academy of Family Physicians) - http://familydoctor.org/online/famdocen/home/healthy/physical/injuries/010.printerview.html
Also available in Spanish http://familydoctor.org/online/famdoces/home/healthy/physical/injuries/010.printerview.html
Foot Sprain(InteliHealth) - http://www.intelihealth.com/IH/ihtIH/WSIHW000/9339/25957.html
Hamstring Muscle Strain(American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons) - http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/topic.cfm?topic=A00408
Hip Strains(American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons) - http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/topic.cfm?topic=A00361
Knee Ligament Injuries(American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons) - http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/topic.cfm?topic=A00349
Leg Strain(InteliHealth, Harvard Medical School) - http://www.intelihealth.com/IH/ihtIH/WSIHW000/9339/31318.html
Low Back Strain and Sprain(American Association of Neurological Surgeons) - http://www.neurosurgerytoday.org/what/patient_e/low_%20back_strain_sprain05.asp
Muscle Strains in the Thigh(American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons) - http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/topic.cfm?topic=A00366
Neck Sprain(American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons) - http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/topic.cfm?topic=A00410
Sprained Ankle(American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons) - http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/topic.cfm?topic=A00150
Thumb Sprains(American Society for Surgery of the Hand) - http://www.assh.org/Content/NavigationMenu/PatientsPublic/HandConditions/ThumbSprains/Thumb_Sprains.htm
Whiplash(National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke) - Short Summary - http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/whiplash/whiplash.htm
Wrist Sprains(American Society for Surgery of the Hand) - http://www.assh.org/Content/NavigationMenu/PatientsPublic/HandConditions/WristSprains/Wrist_Sprains.htm

Related Issues

Ankle Sprains: How to Speed Your Recovery(American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine) - Links to PDF - http://www.sportsmed.org/secure/reveal/admin/uploads/documents/ST%20Ankle%20Sprains%2008.pdf

Tutorials

Fractures and Sprains(Patient Education Institute) - Requires Flash Player - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/tutorials/fracturesandsprains/htm/index.htm
Also available in Spanish http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/spanish/tutorials/fracturesandsprainsspanish/htm/index.htm
Muscles(Patient Education Institute) - Requires Flash Player - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/tutorials/muscles/htm/index.htm
Also available in Spanish http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/spanish/tutorials/musclesspanish/htm/index.htm

Anatomy/Physiology

Muscles(Patient Education Institute) - Requires Flash Player - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/tutorials/muscles/htm/index.htm
Also available in Spanish http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/spanish/tutorials/musclesspanish/htm/index.htm

Clinical Trials

ClinicalTrials.gov: Sprains and Strains(National Institutes of Health) - http://clinicaltrials.gov/search/open/condition=%22Sprains+and+Strains%22

Research

Groin Injuries Averted by Preseason Injury Prevention Program(American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine) - http://www.sportsmed.org/tabs/search/details.aspx?DID=417

Journal Articles

References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)

Article: Ankle ligament injuries. - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18646418&tool=MedlinePlus
Article: Short- and long-term influences of a custom foot orthotic intervention... - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18614885&tool=MedlinePlus
Article: Overuse injuries in adolescents. - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18605393&tool=MedlinePlus
Sprains and Strains -- see more articles - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=search&db=pubmed&term=(sprains+and+strains[majr]+NOT+carpal+tunnel+syndrome[majr])+AND+english[la]+AND+humans[mh]+AND+(jsubsetk[text]+OR+guideline[pt]+OR+review[pt]+OR+clinical+trial[pt]+OR+patient+education+handout[pt]+OR+jsubsetaim[text]+OR+jsubsetn[text])+NOT+(letter[pt]+OR+editorial[pt]+OR+case+reports[pt])&doptcmdl=summary&cmd_current=Limits&pmfilter_EDatLimit=last+1+Year&tool=MedlinePlus

Dictionaries/Glossaries

Glossary of Orthopaedic Words(American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons) - http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/glossary.cfm

Directories

Find an Orthopaedist(American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons) - http://www6.aaos.org/about/public/members.cfm

Organizations

American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons - http://www.aaos.org/
National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases - http://www.niams.nih.gov/
Also available in Spanish http://www.niams.nih.gov/Portal_En_Espanol/

Children

Broken Bones, Sprains, and Strains(Nemours Foundation) - http://kidshealth.org/parent/firstaid_safe/emergencies/broken_bones.html
Also available in Spanish http://kidshealth.org/parent/en_espanol/general/broken_bones_esp.html
Strains and Sprains Are a Pain(Nemours Foundation) - http://kidshealth.org/kid/ill_injure/aches/strains_sprains.html

You may also be interested in these MedlinePlus related pages:

Sports Injuries - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/sportsinjuries.html
Tendinitis - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/tendinitis.html
Bones, Joints and Muscles - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/bonesjointsandmuscles.html
Injuries and Wounds - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/injuriesandwounds.html

The primary NIH organization for research on Sprains and Strains is the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases - http://www.niams.nih.gov/

Sprains and Strains - Multiple Languages - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/languages/sprainsandstrains.html