When you sprain your joint you over move the joint and overstretch the ligaments that are holding it together. Ligaments are thick bands of inelastic fibres. Often when you sprain a joint you cause minor damage to other tissues as well, such as muscles and tendons, cartilage and bones.
You will feel a sudden pain as your joint moves in the wrong direction. Initially you may well use the use of your joint but after a minute or two you will able to start to move your joint and get yourself off the pitch/court. You may even be able to continue your sport although you will feel that you joint is 'delicate'.
You will soon notice swelling of the joint and you may walk with a limp if you have injured your ankle or knee. You should be able to get yourself home. The next morning you will notice that the joint is a lot more stiff and painful and your limp will be worse.
Early home treatment is very important, preferably before you get to the bar!
Within 2 -3 days you should see an improvement but it will take 6 weeks for this injury to fully heal. If you have no improvement after 1 week the injury may be more severe, however, it will respond well to physiotherapy. Please phone Lea Valley Physio for an appointment.
You will feel sudden, sever pain as your joint moves in the wrong direction and you may hear or feel something tear. You will be in a lot of pain and unable to move your joint. You will have to be assisted from the pitch/court and initially, if you have injured your knee or ankle, you will find it difficult to put any weight on it. This will gradually ease off slightly over the next 10-15 minutes and you should be able to start gently moving the joint. It will quickly swell and eventually the swelling and bruising could be extensive. You will not be able to get yourself home and if you have if you have injured your lower limb you will be limping heavily.
Again early home treatment is essential but it is probably not enough. Physiotherapy to reduce the pain and swelling and to get the joint moving is extremely useful. Please phone Lea Valley Physio for an appointment.
Also known as a ruptured ligament it is a common knee injury but very rare in other joints. The ankle ligaments are so strong that the bone is far more likely to fracture than the ligament. Other joints are more likely to dislocate.
You will feel a sharp pain along with a 'popping' sound. You will be in extreme pain and unable to move you knee. You will not be able to bare weight on your leg and movement of the knee will be poor.
When you fracture a bone near your ankle you often hear a 'crack' and it will be very painful. You will not be able to put weight on your foot and you may not be able to move your ankle. If it is a severe fracture you will see a deformity immediately. This deformity will feel solid if you gently touch it but be careful, touch it too hard and it will hurt!
When you dislocate a joint you may well hear a 'popping' noise and it is extremely painful. You will not be able to move that joint and it will look out of alignment.
All these injuries require prompt medical attention. Please go to your nearest A&E Department if you suspect you have a completely ruptured ligament, broken bone or dislocated joint.
Sometimes a partial recovery of a torn ligament in the knee [particularly the ACL] can be relatively quick and after 2 weeks you may have full movement, little swelling and be walking on your leg. However, the knee will feel unstable and you will not be able to return to your sport. If this seems to be the case a physiotherapist should be able to asses and diagnose the extent of your injury. If we think you require further specialist treatment we will refer you on. Please phone Lea Valley Physio for an appointment.
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