What is worse a sprain or a fracture?
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Sprains can be extremely painful, and are easy to confuse as a break. Many times, they are more painful than a fracture, which has been confirmed by science. However, the symptoms of a sprain are usually: Pain around the injury area.
What takes longer to heal a fracture or a sprain?
A broken ankle is a more severe injury than a sprained ankle. With a clean break that doesn’t need surgery, recovery can take around 6 to 8 weeks. If you need surgery, recovery will take longer. With a minor ankle sprain, it may take around 2 weeks to heal.
Is a knee sprain worse than a break?
Sometimes, a sprain can be even more painful than a break. A sprain is caused by trauma that overstretches ligaments and puts stress on a joint. A mild sprain is where the ligaments are stretched but the joint remains stable, while a moderate sprain is where the ligaments are slightly torn, making the joint unstable.
Can a sprain be mistaken for a fracture?
Basic Facts. A sprain and a fracture can look and feel similar. Fractures can sometimes be mistaken for sprains, so it’s important to have any injuries evaluated by an orthopedic specialist as soon as possible.
Can you walk with a sprained knee?
Rest your knee and do not exercise. Do not walk on your injured leg if you are told to keep weight off your knee. Rest helps decrease swelling and allows the injury to heal. You can do gentle range of motion exercises as directed to prevent stiffness.
Does a sprain hurt to touch?
With most sprains, you feel pain right away at the site of the tear. Often the ankle starts to swell immediately and may bruise. The ankle area is usually tender to touch, and it hurts to move it. In more severe sprains, you may hear and/or feel something tear, along with a pop or snap.
Do sprains swell more than breaks?
If you can walk with soreness, it is unlikely that it is broken. Is there significant swelling? If the injured area experiences immediate and severe swelling, that could be a sign of a broken bone or fracture. However, if the swelling is mild and develops gradually, it is likely a sprain or strain.
How do you tell if it’s a sprain or fracture?
With a sprain, you feel pain. But if you have numbness or tingling, your ankle is most likely broken. Where is the pain? If your ankle hurts or is tender to the touch directly over your ankle bone, you probably have a fracture.
How can you tell the difference between a hairline fracture and a sprain?
Unlike hairline fractures, which are often found in feet and legs, sprains commonly affect your ankles. Symptoms of sprain are similar to those of hairline fracture and include pain during activities, swelling and bruising.
How long should you stay off a sprained knee?
It depends on the type and severity of the injury. Simple sprained knees takes about a week or two to recover from. Serious injuries requiring surgery may take several months to heal completely. However, if you sustain major traumatic knee injury, then it could take a year or longer for it to heal completely.
What is the difference between a fracture and a sprain?
However, the difference is pretty simple — a fracture is a break in your bone, while a sprain is a soft tissue injury. Sprains happen when the ligaments around your joint either stretch too far or tear.
Can a sprained ankle heal on its own?
You can usually treat mild-to-moderate sprains at home with rest, ice, and anti-inflammatories. Occasionally a sprain will be severe enough that surgery is required for it to heal properly. Fractures most often occur from some kind of trauma such as a car accident or a severe fall.
How do you know if you have a sprain or fracture?
Rest, ice, and elevation are what you need. Rarely, a sprain is so severe that it requires surgery. If a sprain is that severe, you’ll feel it and you probably heard an audible pop during the injury. Fractures are a bit more complicated because they do regard bones.
Do you need surgery for a broken leg?
Most sprains and fractures are treated in a conservative manner and surgery is not needed. However, if there is a severe break that needs to be stabilized, surgery may be needed. If you have managed to watch your injury for a few days, chances are it is not that severe.