Sprains and strains are common injuries often used interchangeably but with different types of injuries. In a basketball game, it has been a typical scenario to see a player trying to make a much needed lay-up shot only to be blocked by an opponent that will cause them to land on each other, usually crushing the other player’s leg. When a young turk working out in a gym for the first time would start doing the bench press, arm curls, crunches, and bent-over rowing — all without consulting his trainer or instructor, he would most likely have a sore feeling all over his body after the workout.
In the first scenario, the player with the crushed leg may suffer from leg sprain such as ankle or knee sprain. Ankle sprain is the most common basketball injury which often occurs when a player lands on another player’s foot or the ankle rolls too far outward.
Sprain is a stretching or tearing of ligaments or joint capsules that connect one bone to another in order to stabilize joints and prevent excessive movement. More often, sprains occur when a joint is forced from its normal range of motion, by rapid changes in direction or by a collision. Common locations for sprains are your ankles, wrists and knees. On the other hand, the newbie gym buff may suffer from muscle or tendon strain for overdoing his work out program.
A strain is a stretching or tearing of muscle which often occurs when muscles suddenly and powerfully contract