Sprains and Strains Treatment Specialist in Palm Bay, FL

Sprains are common injuries that affect the ligaments in our body. Ligaments are strong, durable, elastic-like bands that hold the joints of the body in place by connecting bone to bone. When someone gets a sprain, it means they have torn the fibers that make up the injured ligament. Sprained ligaments can be partially torn, or they can be completely torn, depending on the extent of the injury. The most common joint on the body for a sprain is the ankle, with sprains also being common in the wrist, knee, or thumb.

Minor sprains can often be treated through self-care techniques at home, following the commonly used rice treatment method:

• Rest the injured joint or limb for up to 72 hours and try to avoid putting weight on it as much as possible. Depending on the limb, you may want to use crutches to keep the weight off. Ideally, you shouldn’t avoid all types of activity during this time, just ones that involve putting weight on the injured limb.

• Ice the affected area to help minimize swelling. This can be done using an ice pack, a slush bath, or by filling a compression sleeve with cold water. If using ice, place a thin towel or cloth between the ice and your skin, or minimize the amount of time you use it so as not to cause damage to the tissues. Ice the area as soon as you can follow the injury and continue to ice it in 15-20 minute increments roughly 6 times a day for the first 2 days.

• Compression applied around the injured area using a bandage or elastic wrap will help minimize swelling.

• Elevate the limb, ensuring that the injured part is above the heart as much as possible.

If you aren’t seeing improvement after a couple of days or if you have severe pain, it is best to get the limb checked by your doctor to ensure it isn’t something more serious.

Like any other injury, the recovery time will vary based on the type of injury, the severity of it, where the injury is, and how quickly the injured person’s body heals. For both sprains and strains, mild cases can heal quickly within a few days to a couple of weeks, with the recovery time being different for everyone. Severe sprains or strains can potentially take several months to heal, and in extreme cases, strains may require surgery to repair. This will add additional time to the recovery period. Your doctor can let you know what you can expect for your recovery based on your injury and how well you typically heal. Depending on the injury, your doctor may recommend you participate in some physical therapy to help strengthen and heal the injured joint and prevent you from reinjuring it in the future.

The terms sprain and strain is often used interchangeably to describe an injury to a joint that results in the tearing or overstretching of the soft tissues around the affected area. While the two injuries are very similar, with similar symptoms, they are different in the type of tissue that is damaged. A sprain is a tearing or overstretching of the ligaments that connect bone to bone in a joint, whereas a strain is a tearing or overstretching of the tendons or muscles. Tendons are used to connect muscles and bones and are made up of dense fibrous tissue cords.

While many of the symptoms of both injuries are the same, such as pain at the affected joint, limited flexibility, swelling, and difficulty bearing weight, there is one main symptom that will help you identify if it’s a sprain or a strain. With a sprain, there will potentially be bruising on or around the affected joint, whereas with a strain, the affected muscle may experience muscle spasms.

If you have sustained a serious injury, whether it is a sprain or a strain, getting it checked by a doctor through urgent care, such as Restore Health Urgent Care, will ensure you are taking proper care of it to allow it to heal. For more information, please contact us or book an appointment online. We are conveniently located at 1840 Eldron Blvd SE. Suite 1 Palm Bay, FL 32909. We serve patients from Palm Bay FL, Malabar FL, Melbourne FL, June Park FL, Brevard County, Indian River County, and surrounding areas.