Just when everything is fine … a sprain

Ordinary for those who train, but not only: a sprain is a troubled injury. Learn about ways to prevent, treat and minimize it.

It’s not worth overreacting: the bands of muscle tissue that attach muscles to the bones, also known as ligaments, easily resent with some movements imposed to them, misplacing it from their spots. The resulting pain is atrocious, but the recovery of a sprain is not difficult.

It is also easy to note that you got a sprain, and not just by the pain. Muscles get unusual stiffness, accompanied by swelling and bruises. The function of the affected member is destroyed by this injury and there are rare occasions where who gets hurt listen a sort of snap when the sprain happens.

People with a higher risk factor for suffering sprains are those who start exercising all of a sudden, without warming up, and who have a sedentary lifestyle. Who does too much exercise is also subject to this possibility, due to muscle fatigue. Regardless of the reasons that may lead to this condition, it is imperative that a suitable warming up before exercise: is the only way to put the bloodstream in action, irrigating all the ligaments, making them more flexible and less prone to injury. There are also sports with a higher incidence of sprains: basketball, baseball, diving, skiers, skaters, snowboarders and gymnasts.

To cure the problem, the ideal is to rest, apply ice several times a day, between 20 to 30 minutes at a time, rise the affected limb to the level of the heart and take an anti-inflammatory. If symptoms are persistent, maybe it’s not just a sprain, there may have been something more serious: small tears of muscle fibers are common and they require greater attention and physiotherapy. In other cases, there are also reports of ligaments injuries, which means that the medical treatment is indispensable.