What to do if you sprain your ligaments. Bobyr Clinic

What to do if you have a sprain

What are ligaments

The structures that connect parts of the skeleton are called ligaments in medicine. Strands, or dense formations, are connective tissues that hold bones together and hold joints together.

They are responsible for the operation and regulation of joints. If they rupture, the functional mobility of the connection of two or more bones is disrupted. It becomes very difficult to move and perform various actions.

Ligament rupture changes the position of the bones, and motor ability is impaired. It's painful.

Common type of injury

In case of a sharp turn (a twisted leg), a strong blow or bruise, excessive physical exertion, wearing uncomfortable shoes, deviation from the norm in the construction of the foot (pathology), a special disease (myasthenia gravis), immobility, excess weight, inflammation of the musculoskeletal system - these and other reasons lead to sprains.

How to understand that it is a sprain

There was pain in the ankle joint. Swelling of the foot and leg appeared. Blue discoloration has formed in the affected area. This is why it is difficult to move, stand on your leg or move it.

The unpleasant sensations will not stop on their own. Even if at first a person can move with a limp, then the condition worsens the very next day.

The body temperature rises, and the skin around the injury is hot when touched, redness appears, then a bluish tint appears, and the leg becomes swollen.

Sprained ligaments are not a dangerous ailment, but unpleasant. None of us are immune from this, regardless of age and gender. It is advisable that a person nearby can provide the necessary and correct assistance in the first minute after the injury. Thus, the risk of complications will be reduced significantly.

We act immediately

Step-by-step instructions for helping a victim and treating sprains.

Rest and stillness are the first manipulation. You cannot move the injured limb. It is advisable to elevate the injury site to avoid swelling.

If there is ice, apply it to the injury site; you can limit yourself to a bandage soaked in very cold water. The ice changes several times during the day. Under no circumstances should the cold come into contact with bare skin.

You need to secure the joint with an elastic bandage, but do not wrap it too tightly, otherwise blood circulation will be impaired.

If the injury occurs at the ankle joint, then bend your leg at a right angle (90 degrees). Now we apply the bandage as follows: wrap a bandage or other material first in the lower part of the lower leg, and make a twist along the oblique through the toes higher and higher. Make sure that numbness does not occur; in this case, the bandage should be loosened.

The next day, warm baths are recommended, and an anesthetic ointment is rubbed into the joint. For peace of mind, take an over-the-counter pain reliever.

Contraindications for stretching

Do not strain the injured limb; physical activity is contraindicated.

No massage, no heat, i.e. Do not use a bath, hot bath or heat compresses; this includes rubbing and kneading. Otherwise, swelling will increase and hemorrhage will occur.

Alcohol will not dull the pain, it will only slow down recovery.

Medical assistance for stretching

The victim is forced to come to the emergency room or to a specialist if:

It becomes impossible to stand on the affected leg; numbness is felt, even if the bandage is loosened. This is a sign that the ligament has completely torn.
The patient noticed redness on the injury, increasing more and more. This means the development of infection.

Recommendations

Watch your step and don't walk on uneven roads.
In cold weather, avoid icy and slippery areas. Eating right and losing extra pounds is the key to maintaining joints. Wear comfortable shoes, do not obey the whims of fashion. These are the conditions for preventing ligamentous injuries. Author: K.M.N., Academician of the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences M.A. Bobyr

There are three degrees of stretching

In this case, there is a rupture of several fibers, accompanied by minor pain. At the same time, a person’s movements are not limited.
Here you can diagnose a partial rupture of the ligaments, which is accompanied by pain, swelling, bruising, and difficulties for further movement.
At this stage, it can be observed that the ligament is completely torn. Here everything is accompanied by acute pain and large-scale hematomas. In most cases, it is impossible to do without the intervention of professionals.

Functions of the musculoskeletal system

Our body is designed in such a way that each part of the body is responsible for its own safe operation; we must contribute to this by developing the instinct of self-preservation.

It so happened that nature worried about our health in advance, reminding us what tasks our skeleton has:

protective - with the help of bone tissue, vital organs (brain and spinal cord, heart, lungs and others) are protected;
supporting – intended for attaching muscle tissue and internal organs;
motor – provides ease of movement, balance when walking, moving limbs;
spring - helps to soften vibration during movement;
biological – aimed at preserving vital processes, such as blood circulation, exchange of minerals, trace elements, vitamins.

With age, the wear and tear of our organs of movement leads to systematic pain, which stops the vital activity of our body, labeling it “chronic”, then pain occurs at the slightest change in weather.

Every day, millions of people, while performing physical activity or moving around, encounter problems such as sprains. This is a painful but mild type of injury that will take a long time for the ligament material to heal. Doctors recommend treatment by applying compression bandages to the injury site and not putting any weight on it for a while. In order for a quick recovery process to take place, you need to eat right and take vitamins for sprains .

Sprains: treatment with NANOPLAST forte medicinal patch

Further treatment for sprains is primarily heat. Compresses and warming ointments are used. that is very effective and convenient at this stage of treatment for sprains . Thanks to its unique properties, the NANOPLAST forte medical plaster not only relieves inflammation, but also has an analgesic effect, improves blood circulation in the injured area, and accelerates the resorption of hematomas. The course of treatment usually ranges from 3 to 9 days.

In the case of a mild sprain, all signs of sprain subside after 5-10 days. For more severe sprains, the treatment process is longer - from several weeks to 6 months. In this case, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), usually in tablet form, are used for anti-inflammatory treatment of soft tissue injuries. And here NANOPLAST forte can provide significant help - its use allows you to reduce the dosage and duration of use of NSAIDs for sprains . Long-term course use of NANOPLAST forte is possible. Consult a specialist. Read more >>>

Severe sprains may require surgery to repair the torn ligaments. Such operations are usually performed by an orthopedic surgeon.

When pain disappears and swelling subsides, restorative physical therapy is recommended.

Sprained joints: symptoms and treatment

Ligaments are special formations consisting of connective tissue. Their main function is to hold the joint and at the same time ensure its mobility in certain directions. Sprained joints are not only common among professional athletes; such injuries often occur in everyday life. The ankle and shoulder joints are most often injured. This is due to the peculiarities of the anatomical structure, as well as the increased load on the joints.

Symptoms of a sprain:

A sprained joint is characterized by pain and limited mobility. For example, in case of injury to the ligaments of the leg, a person cannot even lean on his foot. At the time of injury, severe acute pain is observed. As a rule, the process takes place silently. If a complete rupture of the fibers occurs, a loud pop is clearly audible. When stretched, swelling and hyperemia of the skin may form, as well as small bruises at the site of injury. Sometimes there is a subfebrile body temperature, which ranges from 37.0 – 37.2 degrees.

Causes of sprains:

Ligament damage can occur in absolutely anyone, even those who lead an inactive lifestyle. An ankle sprain can occur in the following cases:

An unfortunate fall, for example, on ice.
Stumbling over an obstacle.
Tucking the legs (especially important in the winter season).
Working with heavy weight due to profession or when playing certain sports.

The risk of such injury is significantly increased in women who prefer to wear high heels or platform shoes.

A hand sprain usually occurs due to a bad fall that results in you landing on your hand.

Athletes experience sprains much more often. Representatives of almost all sports are susceptible to this type of injury.

Note that previous injuries significantly increase the risk of re-injury. Regardless of the type of injury, it is very important to promptly and fully treat the injury, even if it is a minor sprain.

Classification:

In medical practice, this joint ligament injury is usually divided into several degrees:

First degree.

The fibers are not torn, only pain is observed, which goes away within 1 - 2 weeks.
As a rule, there are no other symptoms. Second degree
.
Some of the fibers are completely torn, there is acute pain, swelling of the skin, and sometimes small subcutaneous hemorrhages are noticeable. Independent movement is difficult; in order to fully move you have to use crutches, stilts or other auxiliary attributes. Third degree.
In this case we are talking about a complete rupture of the ligaments. The pain is acute and does not subside even when standing still. There is severe swelling, extensive hematomas, lack of support and impaired motor activity. In particularly advanced cases, surgical assistance may be required.

With the first or second degree of severity, you can get by with conservative treatment: local ointments or creams, exercise therapy, massage and other manipulations. This will help quickly cope with pain and speed up the process of tissue regeneration. With the third degree of severity, the situation is more complicated; surgical assistance may be required. Recovery time is individual and depends on the characteristics of the body and the location of the injury.

Diagnostics:

It is quite difficult to independently understand that we are talking about a sprain, and not about another pathology. If no improvement is observed within several days, and the pain only intensifies, you should immediately consult a doctor. With such problems, they turn to a traumatologist or orthopedist-traumatologist.

As a rule, to determine a sprain, a specialist just needs to visually look at the injured area, palpate and take an anamnesis. But still, to definitively confirm the diagnosis, diagnostic procedures, for example, ultrasound diagnostics or computed tomography, can be prescribed. Only after this the doctor prescribes full treatment. Typically, the recovery period ranges from 1 to 4 weeks.

How to relieve pain from sprains at home?:

If a joint sprains, first aid measures must be taken immediately. This will help avoid complications and speed up the recovery process. Immediately after an injury, use restraints such as an elastic bandage or splint. If you don’t have anything suitable at hand, you can take regular cloth or gauze. Apply a fixative bandage to the sprained area.

1. At home, a cold compress will help reduce the intensity of pain. To cool the injured area, you can use ice or frozen food wrapped in a cloth. If there is nothing suitable nearby, place your arm or leg (depending on the location of the injury) in ice water. The compress must be applied for 10-15 minutes. This method will prevent or reduce the manifestation of edema and hematomas. 2. It is recommended to keep the damaged area at an elevated position. When the body is in a horizontal position, you should place a rolled towel, pillow, blanket, etc. under it. 3. Provide maximum rest to the damaged area. Try to limit physical activity until the pain subsides. 4.After 2 – 5 days (depending on the severity), gradually begin massaging the injured area. This will lead to improved blood circulation and speed up the process of tissue repair. 5. As soon as the pain begins to subside, begin therapeutic physical activity. Develop the ligaments gradually, start with light exercises and do not overdo it. If you experience acute pain when performing exercise therapy, postpone this activity for another couple of days. And in this case, it is advisable to see a doctor.

Useful substances for our ligaments

Certain groups of vitamins are considered the most important:

Retinol - by consuming it, you will strengthen your immunity, cartilage tissue at the cellular level, helping phosphorus and calcium to be absorbed in the body;
ascorbic acid – has an antibacterial effect, protecting your bone tissue from viral diseases, increases the body’s self-healing properties, slows down the aging of skeletal bones, and therefore does not lead to wear and tear;
B vitamins – relieve pain and promote damage restoration;
calcium is one of the most important mineral components of our body, thanks to which our bones are strong;
selenium - intended for rapid healing of the damaged surface of the ligamentous material, relieves pain shock from injury;
Vitamin F – has an anti-inflammatory effect.

A high content of vitamins and microelements can be found in food products; the main thing is to carry out heat treatment correctly, otherwise all useful substances will evaporate.

Important! For better absorption of calcium in the body, it is necessary to take additional vitamin D.

To replenish the vitamin balance, you need to eat the following foods:

vegetables - carrots, beets, green peas, bell peppers, which contain three times more vitamin C than lemon;
citrus fruits – orange, lemon and others;
dairy products with a short shelf life, cottage cheese, cheeses, egg yolk;
fruits – apricots, sea buckthorn;
fish, seafood, red meat.