What’s the Difference Between Sprains and Strains?
If your ankle is looking a bit swollen after you rolled it playing a sport, or your lower back is aching after a strength training session that was a little too ambitious, you may wonder if you’re suffering from a sprain or a strain. But what are the differences between those two injuries, and how do you know which one you might be dealing with?
Understanding the Injuries
“By definition, a sprain is an injury to a ligament, and a strain is an injury to a muscle,” says Mark Riederer, MD, a pediatric sports medicine specialist at University of Utah ǿմý. “That’s really the fundamental difference between them.”
What Are Sprains?
When a sprain occurs, you have overstretched, twisted, or damaged a ligament, usually from a sudden event (i.e. twisting your ankle while running). Ligaments are bands of tissues that connect the bones at a joint—think ankles, wrists, fingers, elbows, and knees.
Symptoms of a sprain include:
- Hearing or feeling a popping sensation when the injury occurred
- Pain, especially when trying to move or put weight on the area
- Swelling and bruising around the injury
- Limited mobility
“The single most common injury we see in athletes is an ankle sprain,” Riederer explains. “Knee sprains are also common, especially in skiing when you twist your knee. We see finger sprains from jamming the finger in sports that involve a ball and wrist sprains from trying to catch yourself when you fall.”
What Are Strains?
Since you have muscles throughout your body, strains can happen anywhere. When a muscle or tendon (the tissue that connects muscles to bones) is stretched too much, it results in a strain, which is sometimes called a “pulled muscle.” Strains can occur both suddenly and gradually due to repetitive motions, which is known as an overuse injury.
Symptoms of a strain include:
- Pain and weakness when using the injured muscle
- Limited range of motion
- Swelling and bruising around the area
- Muscle spasms
Diagnosis and Treatment
Since sprains and strains have very similar symptoms, it can be hard to know which injury you may have.
“There are a lot of similarities between sprains and strains, so the diagnosis is going to be made upon the story of how the injury happened and the location of the injury,” Riederer says. “We’ll ask what they were doing when the injury occurred and if it happened suddenly, and then we’ll do a physical exam to see if it’s in a common location. Sometimes x-rays help rule out a fracture if it was an acute injury. But most providers can diagnose a sprain versus a strain based upon the story and an exam.”
Most minor sprains and strains can be treated at home using the PRICE method:
- Protection: Wear a brace or a wrap around the injured area to help stabilize it.
- Rest: Take it easy and allow your body plenty of time to heal.
- Ice: Apply cold packs to the area to reduce pain and inflammation.
- Compression: Wrap the area to bring down swelling.
- Elevation: Prop the injured area up above your heart to reduce blood flow to the area to reduce swelling and pain.
If your injury doesn’t improve or worsens, see a sports medicine specialist for further care. Physical therapy exercises can also aid in your recovery.
