Joint Sprains

The most common soft tissue is injured are muscles, tendons and ligaments. These injuries often occurs during sports and exercise activities, but sometimes simple everyday activities can cause an injury.

Causes

These fall in two categories:

• Acute injuries are caused by a sudden trauma, such as a fall, twist or blow to the body.
• Overuse injuries occur gradually over time, when an athletic or other activity is repeated so often, areas of body do not have time to heal in between occurrences.

A sprain can result from a fall, a sudden twist, or a blow to the body that forces a joint out of its normal position. This results in an overstretch or tear of the ligament supporting that joint. Typically, sprains occur when people fall and land on an outstretched arm, slide into base, land on the side of their foot, or twist a knee with the foot planted firmly on the ground.

Although sprains can occur in both the upper and lower parts of the body, the most common site is the ankle. Ankle sprains are the most common injury in the United States and often occur during sports or recreational activities. The knee is another common site for a sprain. A blow to the knee or a fall is often the cause; sudden twisting can also result in a sprain. Sprains frequently occur at the wrist, typically when people fall and land on an outstretched hand.

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