Sprains and strains
Tendon and ligament injury
Both ligament sprain and tendon and muscle strains are
common, they occur not only in persons who do a lot of sports but also those
who don’t do enough exercise, overuse and trauma situations.
The ligament joins a bone to a bone
The tendon connects the muscle to the bone.
A sprain is stretching or tear of a ligament where a
strain is an injury to a tendon or muscle where there is micro-tearing, more
severe tearing or overstretching.
Both sprains and strains result in pain, some cases
more than others depending on the severity of the injury. More often than not
other symptoms such as swelling, heat in the affected joint, instability of the
involved joint or muscle spasm and or lack of strength in the muscle also occur
as a result of the injury. It may be difficult to put weight on the affected
joint.
Diagnosis
will be based on the symptoms, and graded by severity of the injury. In severe
cases it’s important to eliminate other possible injury such as fracture to the
bones of the affected joint.
General advice given with this type of injury is (RICE)
rest, ice, compression, elevation.
Anti-inflammatory medication may be given.
Physiotherapy is usually advised as part of the
rehabilitation process.
Chinese
medicine,
This type of injury may fall into the category of bi
syndrome ( blockage) of the affected channels involved. There may be variations
of the diagnosis in Chinese medicine terminology that reflect the pattern being
presented and depending on the type of injury and location.
Acupuncture
can be extremely effective in helping to reduce inflammation which will in turn
improve blood circulation and help to relieve pain. This will speed up the
recovery process.
The acupuncturist will also take into account any
underlying energetic imbalances the person maybe presenting with and help to
correct these which will also aid the recovery process.
These injuries can sometimes be frustrating as they can
be slow to heal. Both tendons and ligaments have poor blood supply, they can
take much longer to repair than a torn muscle which has a huge blood supply by
comparison.
Over
straining the tendon or ligament may aggravate the situation, if you need to
work or are going to attempt exercise strap the sprained area or wear a support
initially for some time after the initial injury.
Rehabilitating the injured ankle or wrist is a
important and may take some time to build strength back into the affected
joint.
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| Rotating the toes and ankle |
Helpful
Rotating the toes and ankles gently can be very effective
once the swelling has gone and most initial pain has begun to subside, only
rotate in the direction that feels best or has no pain.
Aches and pains ? this will help click here
