Some of the most common injuries are not visible. A sprain or muscle/joint strain may not be obvious. You might have some swelling or maybe a bit of bruising, but that’s not a certainty.
Because they’re non-visible injuries, you might feel it’s not important to go to urgent care. Sometimes, it’s not. However, there are other situations where delaying care worsens the injury or increases healing time. How do you tell when a strain or sprain needs medical care?
The Three Grades of Severity
Sprains and strains are graded in terms of severity. A good rule of thumb is to stay home if it’s Grade 1, but consider urgent care for other strains and sprains.
Grade 1 – Tiny tears in the tissue of the ligament, muscle, or tendon.
Grade 2 – Partial tear of the tissue that causes joint weakness, swelling, and mild bruising.
Grade 3 – Complete tear of the ligament, muscle, or tendon that causes extreme pain after the sensation of a pop. Swelling and bruising are to be expected.
The Differences Between Sprains and Strains
When you stretch or tear a ligament, you’ve experienced a sprain. If that stretch or tear occurs on a tendon or muscle, it’s a strain. That’s the main difference between sprains and strains.
There is more to it. Sprains are most likely to occur on the wrist, knee, or ankle. Strains are more likely to damage the hamstring, back, and neck. Despite this, they can happen to any muscle, tendon, or ligament when you overwork a muscle group, fall or misstep, or twist the wrong way.
The symptoms of sprains and strains are also similar. Sudden pain in a joint or muscle is the most common sign. Once the pain happens, you may find that that area is very tender and hurts if you touch or try to massage the tissue in the affected area. If you press the bone and it hurts, you may have fractured the bone.
In severe sprains, you might see bruising. Bruising is not common with a strain. Swelling is common with either, and the joint or affected limb may not be able to handle the weight or maintain the position for long. For example, a strained thumb may be unable to maintain a grasp. Loss of mobility is a symptom you experience with either.
Strains have one symptom that makes them easy to diagnose. The strained muscle often spasms. If you’re experiencing muscle spasms after an injury, that muscle is likely strained.
Tips for Preventing Strains and Sprains
How do you prevent a muscle or tendon strain or a ligament sprain? Warm up before a sport or activity. That helps get the fibrous tissue and joints warmed up and ready for action. After you’re done, walk around to ensure your body cools down properly.
If you’re overweight, talk to a doctor about a weight loss program that helps reduce the burden on joints, muscles, ligaments, and tendons. Working with a doctor helps you find the best solution for weight loss that doesn’t feel impossible to maintain.
Stay hydrated. If you’re dehydrated, it reduces lubrication in the joints. It also helps amino acids, electrolytes, and glycogen to the cells, which helps with muscle repair and tissue growth. Water also helps flush out toxins from the blood, which reduces muscle pain. A good rule of thumb is to drink a small glass of water each hour and increase it when you’re exercising or playing a sport. You’ll lose more water when you’re sweating, so it’s important to make up for the lost fluids.
Eat a diet rich in antioxidants. Fruits and vegetables contain key vitamins that help with cell health. Aim to get enough protein to help with muscle growth and repair, and make sure you’re getting enough calcium and D3 through milk and other dairy products. Whole grains are important for B vitamins and fiber.
Don’t lift from the back. If you’re engaging in an activity like weight lifting, lift with your legs by squatting down. Don’t bend over, grasp the weight and then straighten to a standing position. Proper form is vital when it comes to avoiding damage to the muscles and tendons in your back and shoulders.
As you exercise or play a favorite sport, listen to your body. If you notice a new pain or feel more tired than normal, take a break. If a short break doesn’t help you, it’s worth talking to a doctor to see if there is a problem with your joints or muscles.
Finally, make sure you’re wearing proper footwear. If you do a lot of running and jumping, you need shoes that absorb the impact of each step. Supporting your ankles is important in basketball where you do a lot of fast spins and sudden stops.
The Signs That You Need to See a Doctor
Mild sprains and strains are best treated at home. With rest, ice, compression, and elevation (RICE), your muscle, tendon, or ligament will heal on its own. Take it easy for a week or so to ensure you don’t reinjure yourself. If you need pain relief, an NSAID medication you purchase at the store, such as ibuprofen, is a good option.
After you injure yourself, there are a few situations where you should go to urgent care. If the pain is severe and ibuprofen isn’t helping, you might have a severe sprain or strain that requires medical attention.
If you cannot put any weight on the area, go to urgent care for scans or x-rays. If you’re going to need crutches or a splint, it’s important to do that before you worsen your injury. If the injury is to a wrist, thumb, or finger, any pain that impacts the range of motion and makes it hard to do things on your own should be addressed. If you can’t hold a fork to eat a meal, it’s a problem.
Should you notice that the muscle in the affected area feels misshapen or doesn’t look like it used to, it’s likely that the muscle was torn. Go to urgent care as surgical repair may be needed. If possible, you might find that massage therapy, PRP injections, and stem cell therapy help with tissue repair.
If you gently touch or massage the area and notice the bone hurts more than the tissue, you could have fractured that bone. See a doctor to have x-rays done and make sure you don’t have an injury that’s worse than you imagined.
Premium Urgent Care is the ideal place to go when you experience an injury like a sprain or strain. Having a convenient location for X-rays or a medical assessment ensures you follow the best care plan to recover correctly and avoid unnecessary discomfort. Get in line with our online check in.