Sprains and strains are injuries to peri-articular (meaning near the joint) soft tissues, tendons, ligaments and muscles, in which there has been a stretching or strain, a tear or even a complete separation. The parts of the body most frequently affected are the ankles, fingers, wrists and knees and the symptoms are usually pain, weakness, bruising and swelling.

While in sprains the injury affects a joint, in strains the injury is to the muscle and some of the muscular fibres may tear. This is why the muscle contracts and swells.

When we talk about a torn muscle it means that many muscle fibres have broken at the same time. However in a sprain the joint is twisted causing a tear in the ligaments connecting bone to bone.

How to detect a sprain?
The signs of a sprain are swelling, pain, bruising and difficulty in moving the injured joint. Normally a doctor is able to tell whether you sprain by asking you some questions about how the injury occurred and making an examination of the damage.

What to do?�
� Place and support the affected part in a comfortable position.
� Apply cold to the area with ice wrapped in a cloth, never directly on the skin. Apply cold for a maximum of 10 to 15 minutes, leaving an interval of three hours between each application.
� Immobilise the area with an elastic bandage. The bandage should not be too tight so as not to restrict blood circulation, which will already be slower in the affected area.
� Get medical assistance.

How to treat a sprain
Many doctors recommend the RICE method: Rest, Ice, Compression and Elevation.
��Rest: this can be partial or complete depending on how serious the injury is. You will have to use crutches.
� Ice: the use of ice bags or massages with ice may reduce swelling, pain, bruising and muscle spasm. It should be used for the three days immediately after the accident.
� Compression: wrapping a bandage around the joint can be the best way to prevent swelling. You will need to keep the bandage on for between one and seven days.
� Elevation. Raise the injured limb for two to three hours every day to prevent swelling and reduce bruising.

Oral treatment
� Medicines. To reduce the swelling and ease the pain for the 48 hours following the injury, you can take a paracetamol based painkiller or something similar, but not if the area affected is badly bruised and showing signs of internal bleeding.
� Arnica Montana. This is a plant which gives immediate help in stopping internal bleeding and reducing the swelling. The frequency of the dose will depend on how bad the pain and swelling is.
� Rhus Tox� When movement alleviates the pain of the sprain and the joint is warm to the touch we can use extract of Rhus Tox.