Sprains: symptoms and treatment
What is a sprain?
A ligament sprain is an injury that is a tear of the fibers of a ligament due to excessive tension. At the same time, the general anatomical continuity of the tissues is preserved. One or several ligaments can be damaged at the same time. The most common areas of sprains are the ankle, knee, or wrist joints. A complete rupture of the ligaments may occur, or even their separation from the place where they attach to the bone.
Sprained ligaments
The main cause of sprains is sudden movements in the joint that exceed its physical capacity. Such an injury can be obtained at work and at home, on the street or at home, at the stadium and in the gym. It can be a sudden awkward body movement, slipping, dislocation, unsuccessful landing after a jump, falling on an arm or on an outstretched leg. In such cases, the joint loses its normal position and the ligament that supports it can stretch or break.
Often, sprains occur during active sports, especially with different types of wrestling, playing tennis, basketball, football.
The number of victims increases in winter due to ice.
Sprained ligament symptoms
A sprain can be recognized with pain and redness at the injury site. The pain increases when touched or pressed.
Swelling occurs in the area of stretch. It can get worse and turn into edema. From hemorrhage from small vessels under the skin, a bruise sometimes appears. Due to the defeat of the ligament in the joint, there is a sharp and tangible restriction of its mobility. The danger of such an injury is that the symptoms worsen over time. If the injury seemed easy right away, then after a few hours it becomes much more difficult to move.
It is customary to divide sprains into three groups according to their severity.
Moderate is characterized by slight pain resulting from tearing of several fibers of the ligament. With moderate damage, there is swelling and pain in the damaged area, as well as disability of the joint. The third degree is complete rupture with subsequent instability of the joint, which manifests itself in severe pain.
Sprain treatment
If a sprain is suspected, it is recommended to take action on the spot. To do this, limit the movement of the affected joint, protecting the limb from possible more serious damage. For this purpose, you can use various means, such as, for example, a splint or crutches. An elastic bandage or bandage will also help to fix the damaged area. A tubular compression bandage or compression bandage is most effective.
Try to cool the injured area immediately after injury. To reduce swelling and pain, apply a cold compress to the joint or briefly immerse the limb in an ice bath. The cold will help constrict blood vessels and reduce subcutaneous swelling or hemorrhage.
Many experts call Dialrapid the gold standard for pain relief at home. Unlike regular diclofenac sodium, diclofenac potassium salt acts several times faster. The preparation also contains potassium bicarbonate, which acts as a pH buffer, accelerating and enhancing the therapeutic effect and at the same time protecting the stomach walls from irritation. Dialrapid is available in powder form, which must be dissolved in a glass of water. Within a few minutes after taking, the drug will begin to take effect.
Keep the affected area raised with a roller, pillow or blanket.
A couple of days after the injury, you should start massage, physiotherapy exercises and thermal procedures (ozokerite, paraffin). Heat will speed up the process of edema resorption, increase blood flow to the affected area, and tissue regenerate faster.
An effective method of treating sprains is local therapy with anti-inflammatory drugs (non-steroidal gels and ointments). In addition, it is important to maintain blood microcirculation in damaged tissues. For this, electrophoresis or special drugs that improve blood circulation are suitable.
In order not to repeat the sprain in the same place, it is advisable to adhere to the home regimen for at least a week.
With such damage, it is not at all necessary to give up physical activity, the main thing is to monitor the load of the injured limb.
Training in the pool will be very useful. Swimming relieves stress on the spine and accelerates the strengthening of the muscle corset. If brine is added to the water (a medicinal product that is a waste product of microorganisms that live in the mud sediments of some lakes), the effect will increase. The brine has an analgesic and anti-inflammatory effect on damaged joint tissues.
Be careful! If within a few days the pain does not go away, the joint is deformed, and when pressure is applied, there is a sharp soreness (for example, when the victim steps on an injured leg or leans on a straightened arm), there is a possibility of dislocation, fracture or ligament rupture. In this case, medical attention will be required. The traumatologist will clarify the diagnosis, assess the degree of damage and prescribe the appropriate treatment. X-ray examination and subsequent application of a plaster cast may be required to securely fix the joint.
When a ligament is torn, surgery is needed to clean the wounds and connect the torn ligaments or tendons. In addition, you will receive comprehensive information about the rules for expanding the motor regime, if necessary, safe pain relievers and ointments will be prescribed, physiotherapy treatment. Exact adherence to medical recommendations will allow you to quickly return to work, maintain normal physical activity.
Article author: Mochalov Pavel Alexandrovich | d. m. n. therapist
Education: Moscow Medical Institute. IM Sechenov, specialty - "General Medicine" in 1991, in 1993 "Occupational Diseases", in 1996 "Therapy".
