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Sprains, Strains and Soft Tissue Injuries.

You have been treated for a Sprain, Strain or Soft Tissue Injury. You have been thoroughly examined and are now considered fit to be discharged. The following will aid your recovery.

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Sprains, Strains and Soft Tissue Injuries

Sprains to ligaments, strains to muscles and soft tissue injuries are very common. These injuries are often diagnosed by their clinical presentation and therefore do not always require an X-ray.

The injury will be painful and there may be bruising and swelling around the site, however most minor injuries will resolve in approximately 2 weeks.
Depending on the severity of the injury, the discomfort of a sprain/strain may last for up to 2–3 months. If you are no better within 7–10 days or your condition has worsened please see your GP for a review.

Treatment

The principle of treatment for all these injuries is the same. You can be reassured that the bone is unlikely to be broken and, as such, it is not necessary to immobilise the joint.

In fact it is important to keep the joint moving.

A useful RECIPE to encourage healing of the injury is as follows:

Rest the affected joint for the first 24–48 hours.

Elevate the affected limb.

Cold packs; or

Ice to help reduce swelling.

Pain relief.

Exercise the affected joint.

Elevation

Lower limb injuries should be elevated above the hip and upper limb injuries elevated above the centre of the chest whenever possible in the first 72 hours.

Cold pack/Ice pack

It is important not to leave cold or ice packs on the skin for too long as they can cause burns. We advise using a bag of frozen peas wrapped in a damp tea towel and apply this to the affected area for 15–20 min, then remove it and allow the skin to warm up before repeating every 2 hours. Cold is useful in the first 48–72 hours of injury and heat should be avoided during this time.

Exercises/Heat

Exercises are very important in aiding your recovery. They should be repeated regularly to avoid stiffness of the joint. Early Exercises leaflets are available for each joint describing the type of exercises you can do.

If you do not have a leaflet, move the joint in all directions, this includes walking as normal and lifting as you are able. Heat packs before exercises can be useful after the first 72 hours of injury.

Pain relief

Pain relief is available from your pharmacist; it is important to check what medication is suitable for you, especially if you already have another medical condition or take other medications.

You have already had an X-ray

Your X-ray did not show an obvious injury to the bone, also known as a fracture. As a safety net these images are reviewed again by a specialist, if they see a fracture they will inform the Practitioner/Doctor, who may call you to check your progress.

It is still important to see your GP or return here for a review if your condition has not improved.

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