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What is a Sprain?
Sprain happens when your ligaments become injured once they are overly stretched. Ligaments are elastic bands that are linked to your bones and responsible for holding joints in place. The extent of your sprain injury varies whether the ligament suffer from small tears or is completely torn apart.
When this happens, symptoms like swelling on the sprained area, pain, and inability to bear weight on the specific area suffering from sprain is common. The intensity of the pain is often an indicator of how severe the injury is. However, self-care is often enough for minor cases of sprains.
When to Seek Medical Assistance
Although you can perform first aid treatments yourself for sprain injuries, in some cases it can be so severe as to require emergency medical assistance. When any of the following scenarios happen, you must call 911 immediately:
• Whenever a popping sound is produced upon the acquisition of the injury;
• When you lack stability in the specific injured area;
• If the victim is suffering from fever that is unlikely high as it could indicate an infection;
• If the victim is suffering from intense amount of pain;
• If the injury does not improve after 2-3 days of initial treatment.
Assessing Extent of Injury
Before attempting to treat a sprain, you must begin by evaluating how serious the injury is. This will determine what specific treatment you need to perform, as well as safeguarding yourself to avoid worsening the injury.
You know that the injury is serious if any or a combination of the following is observed:
*snapping sound or indication of a broken bone
*deformities that are visible on the skin surface
*symptoms of hemorrhage
*increased joint laxity on the injured area of the body
*inability to move the injured area
*swelling on the injured area
*discoloration on the injured area
Protecting Injury
Whether the injury is serious or not, you can prevent further damage by protecting it. One way to do this is avoiding the use of the specific joint that is affected. You can make a splint to produce as little movement on the area as possible. For leg sprain injuries, you can also use crutches to avoid bearing weight on your sprained leg.
Resting Injury
Allowing proper rest and protection on the sprained area of the body is important for faster recovery. Protecting and resting your injury must then go hand in hand. You must avoid using the specific area of the body that is injured to avoid straining it. If you cannot avoid using it, for example if your leg or ankle is sprained, then you can find several supporting devices that will put minimal weight on the injured body part.
Cold Compress
Making an ice pack and using cold compress on the sprained area of the body is helpful in numbing the pain. However, it is not advisable to apply ice directly on the skin as it will result to frostbite. You can wrap the ice around a cloth or pack before applying it on your injury.
Place the ice pack or cold compress against the injured area for at least 20 minutes. After that, you will notice that the area has numbed and swelling has reduced. If the area has turned completely numb, stop using the ice pack. And make sure to not use the ice pack for beyond 20 minutes. Also, allow at least 20 minutes of break before re-applying cold compress again. This treatment should proceed for the next 3 days or until symptoms have subsided.
Bandage the Injury
Compressing the injured area is also useful during treatment. You can take an elastic bandage or wrap to snugly fit into the injured area. Avoid tying the elastic bandage too tightly as it can cut the circulation of blood.
Elevation
To prevent further swelling on the injury, you must raise the injured area of the body. Make sure that the injured area is elevated above the heart level to drain fluids out of the area and keep it from being swollen. Do this as often as possible during the first 48 hours since the acquisition of injury.
Recovery From Sprain
Most minor cases of sprain enable patients to recover normally. Meaning, they can go back to their normal everyday activities without signs of the injury. One way to help yourself recover from the injury is invite as much movement and circulation into the injured area. If there is any sign of pain or discomfort, do not push yourself beyond your capabilities.
For major cases of sprain, however, follow up treatment is often required. This will evaluate all signs of healing to ensure that the injured area has properly healed.
Sprain happens when your ligaments become injured once they are overly stretched. Ligaments are elastic bands that are linked to your bones and responsible for holding joints in place. The extent of your sprain injury varies whether the ligament suffer from small tears or is completely torn apart.
When this happens, symptoms like swelling on the sprained area, pain, and inability to bear weight on the specific area suffering from sprain is common. The intensity of the pain is often an indicator of how severe the injury is. However, self-care is often enough for minor cases of sprains.
When to Seek Medical Assistance
Although you can perform first aid treatments yourself for sprain injuries, in some cases it can be so severe as to require emergency medical assistance. When any of the following scenarios happen, you must call 911 immediately:
• Whenever a popping sound is produced upon the acquisition of the injury;
• When you lack stability in the specific injured area;
• If the victim is suffering from fever that is unlikely high as it could indicate an infection;
• If the victim is suffering from intense amount of pain;
• If the injury does not improve after 2-3 days of initial treatment.
Assessing Extent of Injury
Before attempting to treat a sprain, you must begin by evaluating how serious the injury is. This will determine what specific treatment you need to perform, as well as safeguarding yourself to avoid worsening the injury.
You know that the injury is serious if any or a combination of the following is observed:
*snapping sound or indication of a broken bone
*deformities that are visible on the skin surface
*symptoms of hemorrhage
*increased joint laxity on the injured area of the body
*inability to move the injured area
*swelling on the injured area
*discoloration on the injured area
Protecting Injury
Whether the injury is serious or not, you can prevent further damage by protecting it. One way to do this is avoiding the use of the specific joint that is affected. You can make a splint to produce as little movement on the area as possible. For leg sprain injuries, you can also use crutches to avoid bearing weight on your sprained leg.
Resting Injury
Allowing proper rest and protection on the sprained area of the body is important for faster recovery. Protecting and resting your injury must then go hand in hand. You must avoid using the specific area of the body that is injured to avoid straining it. If you cannot avoid using it, for example if your leg or ankle is sprained, then you can find several supporting devices that will put minimal weight on the injured body part.
Cold Compress
Making an ice pack and using cold compress on the sprained area of the body is helpful in numbing the pain. However, it is not advisable to apply ice directly on the skin as it will result to frostbite. You can wrap the ice around a cloth or pack before applying it on your injury.
Place the ice pack or cold compress against the injured area for at least 20 minutes. After that, you will notice that the area has numbed and swelling has reduced. If the area has turned completely numb, stop using the ice pack. And make sure to not use the ice pack for beyond 20 minutes. Also, allow at least 20 minutes of break before re-applying cold compress again. This treatment should proceed for the next 3 days or until symptoms have subsided.
Bandage the Injury
Compressing the injured area is also useful during treatment. You can take an elastic bandage or wrap to snugly fit into the injured area. Avoid tying the elastic bandage too tightly as it can cut the circulation of blood.
Elevation
To prevent further swelling on the injury, you must raise the injured area of the body. Make sure that the injured area is elevated above the heart level to drain fluids out of the area and keep it from being swollen. Do this as often as possible during the first 48 hours since the acquisition of injury.
Recovery From Sprain
Most minor cases of sprain enable patients to recover normally. Meaning, they can go back to their normal everyday activities without signs of the injury. One way to help yourself recover from the injury is invite as much movement and circulation into the injured area. If there is any sign of pain or discomfort, do not push yourself beyond your capabilities.
For major cases of sprain, however, follow up treatment is often required. This will evaluate all signs of healing to ensure that the injured area has properly healed.
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