There are many bones in the human body that can be fixed, semi-movable and movable. Most of the movements of our body are provided by the joints. These formations are both strong and - thanks to the ligaments - very mobile.
Quite often an unsuccessful movement, a fall can lead to injury. Let's see what are the signs of a bruise, sprain and dislocation. Let's discuss what first aid should be provided for such injuries.
What is stretching?
For people who lead an active lifestyle, such an injury is not uncommon. One wrong movement is enough - and now stretching limits mobility. Human ligaments, despite their strength, are still capable of stretching and being damaged under the influence of a load.
A sprain is an injury in which there is a rupture of the connective tissue fibers that make up the ligaments. Since a large number of nerve endings and blood vessels pass through them, signs of stretching will almost immediately appear in the form of pain and swelling. Ligament injurycan be of varying degrees, the most serious is their complete rupture.
Severity also depends on the number of affected fibers. Any sudden movements, heavy load can lead to the fact that signs of joint sprain will be evident. Such injuries are not uncommon in children, athletes and those who prefer to lead an active lifestyle.
What can trigger a sprain
Ligaments are connective tissue that is responsible for their strength in joints and attaches muscles to bones. By their structure, the fibers are quite strong and able to withstand heavy loads, thereby providing mobility. If there is inadequate physical impact, then signs of stretching appear right there. Most often, these injuries occur:
- If mechanical damage to the joint occurs.
- Excessive exercise is taking place.
- For a long time, the joints and ligaments are subjected to the same type of load.
- Sudden movements in the joint that exceed the normal amplitude.
Factors that increase the risk of sprains
Athletes are always at risk. Despite intensive and regular training, ligaments do not always withstand excessive loads. In children, the ligamentous apparatus is not yet fully formed, so they can also be attributed to this group. There are some other factors that increase the risk of getting a sprain:
- If a person leads an inactive lifestyle, then any enhanced physic althe load may end up with signs of a sprain not long in coming.
- Many, going to the gym or working out on their own, distribute the load incorrectly when running, jumping, which is fraught with injury.
- The risk of strain will be significantly reduced if you do at least a little warm-up before doing the main group of exercises.
- Don't continue exercising if you feel very tired. In such situations, coordination can fail, and any awkward movement will lead to a stretch.
- With age, the elasticity of the ligaments decreases significantly, so the frequency of such injuries increases.
- In the second half of pregnancy, the ligamentous apparatus is already preparing for the upcoming birth and becomes too elastic, which increases the risk of stretching during awkward movements.
From all of the above, it becomes clear that almost anyone can get such an injury. It is now important to recognize the signs of a sprain in time and provide first aid to the victim.
Types of sprains
Sprain can occur in almost any joint, hence the following types of such injuries:
- Acromioclavicular sprain. Such damage often occurs if a person falls or gets hit on the top of the joint. Pain is immediately felt over the outer end of the collarbone when moving the arm across the body.
- Sternoclavicular joint strain can occur if you fall onoutstretched hand.
- Wrist sprain occurs when the hand is suddenly extended.
- Injury to the knee joint is also diagnosed quite often. This can be with a direct impact or twisting.
- Injury to the cruciate ligament can occur when the femur is twisted violently with the lower leg fixed. At the moment of injury, it feels like the knee is “falling apart.”
- Ankle sprain. Often happens if you twist your leg or accidentally land on the leg of a nearby person.
Signs of sprains for different types of injuries are almost the same, we will get to know them further.
Stretching degrees
The severity of sprain can be different, hence there are several degrees:
1st degree is the easiest. There is damage to a small area of the ligament. The victim feels pain, but it does not affect the movements. There may be no swelling at all.
2nd degree - moderate. As a rule, this is a partial rupture of the ligaments. Severe pain is felt in the injured area, swelling appears and hemorrhage appears under the skin.
The most severe degree is 3rd. There is a complete rupture of the ligaments, there is severe acute pain, large swelling, bruising. If there is an injury to the ankle joint, then the victim cannot even step on the foot.
Signs of stretching
When stretching, almost all victims note the appearance of pain. This is due to the large number of nerve endings in the ligaments andblood vessels, so there is also swelling.
Pain and swelling are the first signs of a sprain, but there are other symptoms as well:
- Bruise formation, tissue hemorrhage.
- The damaged area swells up.
- Redness of the skin.
- Motor activity is limited.
- If you touch the injured place, you feel pain.
- Rise in temperature (not always).
- Hyperthermia at the injury site.
Signs of bruising, sprains are quite similar. In both cases, it sometimes happens that the victim does not feel pain in the first moments, so he continues to move on. But this is dangerous because the stretching only increases, as the mobility of the joint injures the tissues.
In addition to sprain, ligament rupture is possible, and this will require completely different help and treatment. In addition, signs of dislocation, signs of sprain are also quite similar, so it is necessary to be able to distinguish between them.
Manifestations of dislocation
When a dislocation occurs, the following phenomena occur:
- Rupture of ligaments.
- Displacement of bones.
- The surfaces of the articular bones stop touching or do it partially.
- The joint changes its external shape.
- Motor function is disturbed.
Of course, dislocation and fracture are more serious injuries, but the first manifestations can resemble a sprain, so it is necessary to diagnose and begin effective therapy as soon as possible.
Signs of stretchingmuscles
In addition to sprains, you can observe the same injury, but affecting muscle fibers. If they are stretched or shortened too much, then there will already be signs of muscle strain:
- Pain in the muscle when moving and probing.
- The muscle swells and becomes swollen.
- Possible bruising.
- A painful lump appears at the site of injury.
- Violated in whole or in part the functioning of the muscle.
If the injury is mild, then in a few days it will stop bothering you. More severe injuries require medical attention.
Distinguish muscle strain from sprain can be on the following grounds:
- If there is a ligament injury, then pain appears almost immediately or after a short period of time.
- A sprain usually causes pain the next day.
How to help the victim?
So, we already know what signs indicate a sprain. And first aid can be provided to the victim in a timely manner, which will significantly reduce the risk of complications. The algorithm of actions will be as follows:
- The injured limb must be immobilized as soon as possible. This will help relieve pain and reduce the risk of negative reactions.
- Cold can be applied to the injury site - this will relieve swelling, reduce pain. In such situations, any improvised means can be used, ranging from snow from the street to a piece of frozen meat.from the freezer.
- Give the joint a natural position and apply a tight bandage.
- You can give the victim an anesthetic to relieve pain.
- If bruises appear, then the limbs should be given an elevated position, which will prevent the growth of edema.
- Visit a doctor to rule out dislocation and torn ligaments.
If there is a slight strain (signs) and first aid is provided, then after about 5 days the symptoms will begin to subside, and the ability to work is fully restored.
Taboo for sprains
Everyone should also know what not to do when stretching:
- It is forbidden to rub the injured area or heat it. Thermal procedures can be used only a few days after the injury to improve blood circulation, speedy resorption of hematomas.
- Do not take alcohol as a pain reliever - it can increase bleeding, if any, and slow down the process of tissue repair.
- Only complete rest will help the ligaments recover faster, but if you continue to train or work through pain, this can lead to the development of complications.
If you follow all the doctor's recommendations and ensure complete rest of the injured limb, the injured area will heal much faster.
Urgent to the doctor
If the healing process is delayed and the following are observedsymptoms, you need to see a doctor:
- Severe pain, the injured limb cannot be moved.
- Feeling numbness at or below the injured joint.
- The injury site turned very red.
- There have been cases of joint damage in the past.
- Mobility in the joint is impaired, a “crack” is felt.
- No improvement for several days.
- The body temperature has increased.
If one or more of these signs occur, then you will have to call a doctor.
Sprain treatment
Therapeutic measures include the following:
- Physiotherapy treatments.
- Injections of anti-inflammatory drugs.
- Therapeutic exercise.
- Use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.
If sprain without rupture of ligaments, then physiotherapy procedures have a good effect. But it is not always possible to visit such offices, therefore, with a slight stretching, a pressure bandage is quite suitable. Recently, orthopedic immobilization devices made of natural or synthetic materials have become increasingly popular.
In the first couple of days, you can use cooling compresses, and then move on to warming ones. A good help in the treatment of sprains is the use of ointments and gels, such as Voltaren, Diclofenac. They not only help reduce swelling, but also relieve pain.
Afterthe swelling will subside and the pain will disappear, you can start doing some exercises that will help restore the normal motor activity of the joint.
Severe sprains sometimes require the use of steroid hormones, such as prednisolone and hydrocortisone ointments. Such drugs have an anti-inflammatory effect, relieve pain and swelling of tissues.
If the injury is severe, surgery may be required to repair the torn ligaments.
Home Therapy
If the victim does not want to see a doctor, then, as a rule, they start home methods of therapy. First of all, a bandage is applied to the leg and an anesthetic injection is given. You can use "Diclofenac", "Ketanov" for these purposes.
Treatment at home is reduced to the use of ointments, compresses, which help relieve swelling, get rid of pain. You can recommend this home remedy recipe:
- Grate one potato and onion.
- Chop the cabbage leaf.
- Dissolve a tablespoon of yogurt clay.
- Combine all components and make a compress for the night.
You can use another recipe:
- 10 garlic cloves minced and pour 0.5 l of apple cider vinegar or 100 ml of vodka.
- Leave to infuse for 2 weeks in a dark place.
- After 14 days, filter and add 20 drops of eucalyptus oil.
- Composition can be used for compress.
If the injury is minor, then most likely, such methods will have an effective effect, and the symptoms of sprain will soon cease to bother.
Even minor injuries should not be ignored: without proper treatment, complications may develop, and this will require more serious therapy.
