Foot sprained or sprained? Muscle pulled or torn? Sometimes we don’t really know. And when should you keep your injury warm, and when cold? We will answer all your questions.
Strains, muscle tears, sprains, tendon tears… They are injuries of the subcutaneous tissues, which are all connected to each other. Tendons are fibrous structures that attach the muscles to the bones and ligaments are broad fibrous bands that encase the joints.
muscle strain
A muscle strain causes a pain during the effort that you feel along the entire length of the muscle, and that you cannot locate it properly. There is no bruising and no swelling. If you move, the pain gets worse.
muscle tear
With a muscle tear, you immediately feel a razor-sharp severe pain in a specific place. Movement is very painful. With a full tear, you may see an indentation at the site of the injury. Muscle tears are also often accompanied by bruising.
tendon tear
Tendon tears on the other hand hurt less than muscle tears, but if the tendon tears all the way through, you can no longer move the involved muscle.
sprain
You can also sprain a joint. This happens when the ligaments have to stretch too much. Then the bone pieces shift, and the joint becomes unstable.
Sprain
A sprain goes one step further. This causes tears in the ligaments, which quickly makes the joint thick, painful and blue. In the first hours you can hardly move it.
Warmed up muscle
A good warm-up before training should reduce the risk of injury. A warmed-up muscle contracts better and relaxes more easily.
This would reduce the risk of overstretching, it is generally assumed. There is currently no convincing scientific evidence for the beneficial preventive effect of this warming, but the use is well established.
ICE rule
In case of a soft tissue injury, it is best to apply the ICE rule as soon as possible: Immobilization, Compression and Elevation.
Immobilization This means that you should let the injury rest by moving as little as possible with the affected body part. How long you rest depends on the severity of the injury.
In the case of a tendon or muscle tear, for example, fibrin fibers are formed to repair the tear. If you get back into action too soon, you’ll break those new, brittle fibers again. It is recommended to rest for three days.
compression means that you are trying to limit the swelling. Immediately applying pressure to the area of pain will prevent too much fluid from seeping in from the blood vessels surrounding the injury. This way you can even stop bleeding.
Elevation means that you raise the affected area higher than your heart. Try to elevate the injured body part as much as possible for the first 72 hours. That is a very efficient way to reduce an emerging swelling. The less swelling, the faster the healing.
Cold and warm treatment
Finally, ICE also stands for ‘ice’, a cheap and effective way to reduce pain and speed up the healing process. Cold treatment reduces swelling. Cooling down for 20 minutes is more than enough, longer than half an hour is not recommended.
For a cold treatment you can buy special cold packs, which you can put in the freezer. This is not necessary: a bag of frozen peas will do just as well.
The only condition is that the cold suit is deformable, and that you can fold it over the sore spot. Just make sure that the frozen surface and the skin do not come into direct contact with each other. Wrap the cold pack in a towel or washcloth.
Heat is not recommended when it comes to acute injuries. Heat application can be useful for chronic injuries and for injuries without swelling or inflammatory reaction.
For example, stiff muscles and joints become more flexible if you pack them warm. Heat also helps to relax tense muscles and stimulates circulation.
Treating Pain
A painkiller can help with severe pain, but it is better to use a non-steroidal anti-phlogistic. This not only soothes the pain, but also slows down the inflammation.
Because these antiphlogistics often cause stomach pain, the variants in the form of creams, gels and sprays are more popular. Do not expect miracles from this, because the effect is moderate. Lubricating for more than a week is of little use.
Be sure to see your doctor if the pain is severe and does not go away with a painkiller. If the injury immediately causes extensive swelling, or if the joint appears deformed, a visit to the doctor is highly recommended. Even if the affected part of the body can hardly move, or if you hear cracking noises, it is better to consult your doctor.
