A sprain of a ligament or a tendon injury could spell the end of a career if you are a sports person or even in an office job.

A tendon injury could cause a workplace to lose some major bucks, these tendon demons also account for up to 30 to 50% of all sports injuries, which indefinitely shortens or ends careers.

Ligament sprains are a stretch or tear to a ligament; they most often happen in the knee ligaments but also occur frequently in the hand and foot. Depending on the severity of the strain the ligaments can be merely stretched or, in worse cases can result in a partial or complete tear, a partial tear is a small rip in the ligament or muscle effected, although they recover quicker than a complete tear which is a separation of two parts of the ligament or muscle which in some cases can result in years of physical therapy partial tears are a serious injury and should be dealt with quickly and appropriately.

There are 4 specific types of recuperation that need to be implemented after a sprain is diagnosed. Commonly referred to as the RICE method it is broadly known as the best method to have a quick and effective recovery process.

The 4 Stages of RICE are Rest, Ice, Compression and Elevation. Rest involves reducing exercise and daily activities to the barest of minimums, for lower body sprains crutches are intensely recommended.

Ice involves applying an ice pack, frozen vegetables or crushed ice in a plastic bag to the injured area for 20 minutes at a time 4-8 times a day. To avoid frostbite and cold injury to not apply the chosen ice tool for more than 20 minutes.

Compression is a fairly simple task and is usually applied when your doctor realizes you have a sprain, it involves using compression tools on the injured area to reduce swelling examples are things like elastic wraps, bandages and splints.

If possible keep the injured area above the heart to reduce swelling and improve recovery time, after all of these steps have been implemented rehabilitation is recommended at this point see your doctor to construct a physical therapy plan to suit your needs.

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