Sprains & Muscle Strains: Causes, Symptoms & Pain Relief
Sprains and muscle strains can interfere with day to day life, making it more difficult for you to get on with doing the things you enjoy. Read on to find out what causes sprains and strains, the symptoms you might notice and the sprain and muscle strain pain relief options available, including Naprosyn® Pain Relief.
Always consult a healthcare professional if you are worried about pain you are experiencing.
What are sprains and muscle strains?
Sprains and strains are common injuries that affect muscles and ligaments. Ligaments are bands of connective tissue that hold two bones together.
A sprain is an injury to your ligament that can happen when the ligament is suddenly stretched. Ankle sprains are the most common type of sprain , but they can also occur in other joints, including knees and wrists.
A muscle strain, also known as a ‘pulled muscle ’, refers to the stretching or the tearing of the muscle fibres. Strains tend to happen when a muscle is stretched too far or it has been forced to tighten too much. In the legs, they most commonly occur in the calves, hamstrings and quadriceps.
What causes sprains and muscle strains?
Sprains and strains can be caused by a variety of things, including:
Not warming up before exercising
Sprains and strains occur when a muscle is overstretched or twisted. Warming up before exercise helps prevent sprains and strains by making muscles stronger, more flexible and better prepared for movement.
Playing sport
Whether you play football, tennis, golf or something else, playing sports puts you at an increased risk for sprains and strains. To reduce this risk, it’s a good idea to incorporate strength training exercises into your routine and make sure to warm up properly before you play sports.
Tired muscles
Tired muscles are more susceptible to injury as they have a reduced capacity to absorb energy before reaching a level of stretch that causes injuries. If you engage in exercise - whether you’re doing resistance training, cardiovascular exercise or playing sports - it’s important to build rest into your routine to allow your muscles to recover.
What are the symptoms of sprains and muscle strains?
If you have a sprain or muscle strain, you might experience:
- Pain, weakness or tenderness in the affected area
- Swelling or bruising
- Cramping muscle spasms
- An inability to put weight on the injury
- Difficulty using the affected area normally.
How to treat sprains and muscle strains
Most can be treated at home without the need to see a GP. In severe cases, physiotherapy or surgery may be required, but this is usually only necessary when muscle or ligaments tear badly. Most ligament and muscle injuries heal without intervention over time.
While these injuries can be painful, sprain and strained muscle pain relief can help to relieve discomfort.
PRICE
To treat sprains or strains at home, for the first few days, it’s advisable to follow PRICE therapy, a simple method that focuses on reducing pain, swelling and risk of further injury.
- Protection - Protect the injured area to prevent pain and further injury by using a support, such as crutch, sling or supportive shoes. As you get better, you should be able to reduce your reliance on the support.
- Rest - Avoid physical activity and do not put weight on the injury if possible for the first 24-48 hours to avoid the affected area being stressed. As pain subsides, you may be able to start gentle movement.
- Ice - Apply ice as soon as possible after the injury occurs to reduce swelling and alleviate pain. You could use a bag of frozen vegetables or crushed ice wrapped in a damp towel. You should keep the ice on the affected area for 10 to 15 minutes and repeat every two hours until pain and swelling reduces.
- Compression - Bandage your injury during the day to help prevent swelling and support it.
- Elevate - Keep the injured area raised to help reduce swelling. If you have a sprained knee or ankle, for example, you could put your foot up on a chair. If you have a hand or wrist injury, wearing a sling with your hand positioned higher than your elbow can help.
Sprain and pulled muscle pain relief
You may not need any medication if you’re not experiencing pain with a sprain or pulled muscle. However, if you are in pain, over-the-counter treatments such as paracetamol and ibuprofen can help.
Whether you’re looking for a strained muscle treatment or pain relief for a sprain, naproxen is another possible option. Like ibuprofen, naproxen is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID). It works by lowering the chemicals in the body that cause pain and swelling. Naprosyn® Pain Relief contains the active ingredient naproxen and is now available over the counter without a prescription. This powerful pain relief treatment offers up to 12 hours of uninterrupted pain relief from one dose.
Looking for a back muscle strain pain reliever or relief from a sprained knee? Naprosyn® Pain Relief can help reduce pain and swelling from these and other everyday strains and sprains. Visit our about Naprosyn® Pain Relief page to find out more about how this pain relief works.
