Sprains and strains happen when you overstretch or tear a tissue between muscles and bones. People often get sprains and strains when they fall, twist an arm or leg, play sports or push their bodies too hard.
How to Avoid Sprains and Strains:
- Clear ice from porches and sidewalks in winter
- Wear shoes and boots with nonskid soles
- Put handrails on stairways at home
- Use rubber mats or strips in bathtubs and shower stalls. A support bar is also a good idea
- Make sure there are light switches near the doors in your house. Make sure outside doors and steps are lit at night
- Put a night-light in the hallway between the bedroom and bathroom
- Don’t leave shoes, toys, tools or other things where people can trip over them
- Clean floors with nonskid wax. Secure carpet to the floor
- Make sure rugs have nonskid backing
- Be careful when you use a ladder. Make sure it’s steady. The ladder should be tall enough that you don’t have to stand on the top three steps.
Tips for preventing Sports Injuries:
- Start slowly. Begin an exercise program doing things that are easy for you. Build up gradually.
- Warm up your muscles with slow, easy stretches before you exercise. You should do this even for all sports. Don’t overdo it. If muscles or joints start to hurt, ease up. Cool down after hard exercise. Slow down for about five minutes (e.g., five minutes of walking after running).
- Wear shoes that fit you and the exercise you do.
What to Do for a Sprain or Strain
Depending on how bad the sprain or strain is, self-care may work. You may need a doctor’s help for a very bad sprain in case a cast or even surgery is required.
| Questions to Ask… | YES | NO |
| Did you hurt yourself in a vehicular accident or fall from a high place | Seek emergency care | Go to next question |
| Do you note any of these signs: A bone sticking out, A crookedness or wrong shape to the injured body part, A grating sound from the bones in that part, A loss of feeling in the injured body part, An inability to move the injured body part or put weight on it. |
Seek Emergency Care | Go to next question |
| Do you note any of these signs: The skin around the injury turns blue and/or feels cold and numb, There is bad pain and swelling, It hurts to press along the bone, The pain is getting worse. |
See a Doctor | Provide Self-Care |
Self-Care Procedures:
Call your doctor if the sprain or strain doesn’t start to get better after four days. |
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