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Muscles allow movement to happen by contracting and making joints flex, extend and rotate. Sometimes when the movement of your muscles is stretched or torn, it results in a sprain or a strain. They are common injuries that share similar signs and symptoms, but involve different parts of your body. Sprains and strains occur when your body exhibits stress. In these stressful situations, muscles and joints are forced to perform movements for which they are not prepared or designed to perform. An injury can occur from a single stressful incident, or it may gradually come on after many repetitions of a motion. What is a Strain? A strain is a pull or tear of muscles or tendons. It is damage caused by an overstretched muscle or tendon, causing their fibers to be pulled apart and lose the ability to contract. The severity of the injury depends on the amount of tissue that is damaged. The most common cause of a strain is overuse, which weakens the muscle. On the onset of a strain, the muscles and joints are forced to perform movements for which they are not prepared or designed. An injury can occur from a single stressful incident, or it may gradually arise after many repetitions of motion. Damage can occur in three different areas: the muscle itself, the muscle tendon intersection, or the tendon itself. What is a Sprain? A sprain is a tear to the ligament that joins the ends of bones together. It commonly affects the ankles, knees and wrists. The purpose of a muscle is to allow the body to move. The muscle that you feel underneath your skin is made up of many smaller bundles of muscle fibers called fascicles. These, in turn, are made up of individual muscle fibers that are linked in a way that allows them to slide together, causing the muscle to shorten, or to slide apart, allowing the muscle to lengthen. The transition of muscle to tendon happens gradually as muscle fibers give way to tendon fibers before the bony attachment occurs. Depending on their location in the body, the tendon portion may be very short or very long. Sprains occur when the body is put under physical stress. Usually the mechanism of injury involves placing the muscle tendon unit or the ligament under excessive stretching, causing damage to the muscle, tendon or ligament fibers. At Home Remedies When you experience pain from a strain or a sprain, there are some simply remedies you may perform at home to alleviate the discomfort before seeing a physician. With proper care, most strains and sprains heal completely without complication. The initial onset of a strain or sprain, the first method you should perform is RICE, which includes these steps:
• Rest
• Ice
• Compress
• Elevate After following this at-home care, if your pain does not subside, you may want to visit your urgent care doctor in Lewisville. At your urgent care center you can receive the same level and quality of care that a family practice can, typically much faster than your local emergency room. For non-life-threatening conditions, head to your local urgent care center.
Sean Hartmen writes for Dr. Zahaluk of Main Street Urgent Care, a leading urgent care doctor in Lewisville, TX. From lacerations and burns to fractures and minor emergencies, Dr. Zahaluk offers quality, affordable medical care at the family practice in Lewisville for patients of every age.
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