Sprains and Strains Instruction Sheet:Sprains and Strains first aid

Home > Diseases & Conditions > First Aid & Safety > Sprains and Strains Instruction Sheet:Sprains and Strains first aid Your ligaments are tough, elastic-like bands that connect bone to bone and hold your joints in place. A sprain is an injury to a ligament caused by excessive stretching. The ligament can have a partial tear, or it can be completely torn apart.
Of all sprains, ankle and knee sprains occur most often. Sprained ligaments swell rapidly and are painful. Generally, the greater the pain, the more severe the injury is. For most minor sprains, you probably can treat the injury yourself.
Initial treatment for sprains and strains should occur as soon as possible. Remember RICE!
Rest the injured part. Pain is the body's signal to not move an injury.
Ice the injury. This will limit the swelling and help with the spasm.
Compress the injured area. This again, limits the swelling. Be careful not to apply a wrap so tightly that it might act as a tourniquet and cut off the blood supply.
Elevate the injured part. This lets gravity help reduce the swelling by allowing fluid and blood to drain downhill to the heart.
Over-the-counter pain medication is an option. Acetaminophen (Tylenol) is helpful for pain, but ibuprofen (Motrin, Advil, Nuprin) might be better because these medications relieve both pain and inflammation. Remember to follow the guidelines on the bottle for appropriate amounts of medicine, especially for children and teens .
Medical Treatment

Sprains and strains can usually be treated without surgery. The home treatment with RICE is sufficient. Some injuries, however, need operations to fix complete tears of muscles or tendons that do not allow them to do their job of moving the body. Significant tears of ligaments that stabilize joints also may need repair.
Sometimes, resting the injury requires some help. Slings for arm injuries or crutches for leg injuries can be used, in addition to a variety of removable splints to protect the injured area from further damage and movement. Resting also helps relieve some of the muscle spasm associated with the injury.
Occasionally, if the injury is especially severe, the physician may want to use a nonremovable splint made of plaster or fiberglass. Although the splint may look like a cast, it doesn't have plaster or fiberglass completely encircling the injured area. Instead, by only going partially around an injury, there is some room to allow for swelling that may occur during the next few days.
Follow the instructions for P.R.I.C.E.
Protect the injured limb from further injury by not using the joint. You can do this using anything from splints to crutches. Rest the injured limb. But don't avoid all activity. Even with an ankle sprain, you can usually still exercise other muscles to minimize deconditioning. For example, you can use an exercise bicycle with arm exercise handles, working both your arms and the uninjured leg while resting the injured ankle on another part of the bike. That way you still get three-limb exercise to keep up your cardiovascular conditioning. Ice the area. Use a cold pack, a slush bath or a compression sleeve filled with cold water to help limit swelling after an injury. Try to ice the area as soon as possible after the injury and continue to ice it for 10 to 15 minutes four times a day for 48 hours. If you use ice, be careful not to use it too long, as this could cause tissue damage. Compress the area with an elastic wrap or bandage. Compressive wraps or sleeves made from elastic or neoprene are best. Elevate the injured limb above your heart whenever possible to help prevent or limit swelling.
After two days, gently begin using the injured area. You should feel a gradual, progressive improvement. Over-the-counter pain relievers, such as ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin, others) and acetaminophen (Tylenol, others), may be helpful to manage pain during the healing process.
See your doctor if your sprain isn't improving after two or three days.
Get emergency medical assistance if:
You're unable to bear weight on the injured leg, the joint feels unstable or you can't use the joint. This may mean the ligament was completely torn. On the way to the doctor, apply a cold pack. You have a fever higher than 100 F (37.8 C), and the area is red and hot. You may have an infection. You have a severe sprain. Inadequate or delayed treatment may cause long-term joint instability or chronic pain.
Identification / look out for:
Pain. Swelling, redness and heat of joint. Joint movement restricted. Bruising.
What to do:
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