Sprains vs. Fractures: When Your Injury Requires Professional Care

Sprains and fractures are two of the most common musculoskeletal injuries. While they may present with similar symptoms, they’re separate types of injuries with different treatment needs.

A sprain is a soft tissue injury that affects a ligament (tissue that connects bone to bone), either stretching it beyond its normal tolerance or tearing it completely.

A fracture is a break in a bone, which may be anything from a crack to a complete separation of parts along the break.

While it’s possible to heal a minor sprain with the RICE (rest, icing, compression, and elevation) method, major sprains and fractures require professional care.

At Mercy Medical Urgent Care, Dr. Bilal Khoder and our staff treat all types of musculoskeletal injuries, including sprains and fractures. Because it’s possible to mistake one for the other, it’s important to seek out medical attention so you heal properly.

Sprains 101

Ligaments are thick bands of tissue that connect bones together and prevent them from moving too far. They also ensure that your joints only move in the direction they’re supposed to.

Sprains happen when ligaments around a joint become damaged. Any joint ligament can be sprained, but the most common joints affected are the wrists, knees, fingers, and thumbs.

The most common causes of a sprain include:

• Sports injuries
• Falls
• Slipping
• Rolling an ankle or twisting a knee while walking, running, or jumping

Sprains can also be caused by overuse or repetitive motion, such as performing the same movement again and again for work or a particular sport.

The most common symptoms of a sprain include pain, swelling around the joint, bruising or other discoloration, reduced range of motion, and instability.

Sprains are graded based on the severity of the injury.

Grade 1 sprains are mild, with little to no tearing of the ligament.

Grade 2 sprains are moderate. The ligament becomes torn, but the tear doesn’t go all the way through the tissue.

Grade 3 sprains are severe. The ligament is torn all the way through.

Once you get a diagnosis, you can treat the injury at home with the RICE method and take over-the-counter NSAIDs to reduce pain and inflammation.

We may also prescribe a brace or splint to hold the joint in place, a walking boot, crutches, and a course of physical therapy once you’ve started to heal to regain your joint’s strength and range of motion.

Recovery time depends on which ligament you sprained and its severity. Grades 1 and 2 take a few weeks, while grade 3 injuries can take a few months.

Fractures 101

Fractures are partial or complete breaks in a bone. They can occur from a traumatic injury, or they can happen from repetitive stress.

Closed fractures refer to those contained within the skin with no open injury. 

With an open fracture, also called a compound fracture, the bone breaks through the skin and is visible. These generally take longer to heal and put you at risk for complications like infections, so it’s important you get urgent medical attention.

A displaced fracture means the edges of the bone around the break are misaligned. They often require surgical repair. With non-displaced fractures, the bones remain aligned.

Symptoms of a fracture are similar to those of a sprain. There may also be a deformity that you can see or feel at the break.

How a fracture is treated depends on the severity of the break.

Immobilization

You’ll need a splint or cast to hold your bone in place while it heals. Generally, this is the only treatment needed for a non-displaced fracture. If you need a splint, healing usually takes 3-5 weeks. If you need a cast, the bone typically takes 6-8 weeks to heal.

Closed reduction

More severe breaks require the doctor to realign the bone. They physically push and pull your body part on the outside to line up the broken bone on the inside.

Surgery

For an open fracture or a break with multiple bone fragments, the doctor usually performs an open reduction and internal fixation. In addition to aligning the bone, they put fasteners like rods, pins, plates, wires, and screws in the bone to hold the pieces together.

If you’ve sprained or fractured a body part, you need medical attention, and Mercy Medical Urgent Care can help. We’re open seven days a week, and you can walk in or give us a call at 386-758-2944 to schedule.