We've all been there. You're playing tennis in Riverside Park one Friday after work and you are about to send a glorious backhand sailing over the net, when out of nowhere a tennis ball makes its way under your foot and you crash, in all your glory, to the ground. You know before you even try to stand up your ankle has twisted and you see crutches in your imminent future.
You also know the best treatment for a sprained ankle is Rest Ice Compression and Elevation (RICE) as well as an immediate trip to your happy Upper West Side (or Westchester) neighborhood physical therapy clinic, Sloane Stecker. Being the genius that you are, you also know Sloane Stecker is open for appointments seven days a week so you call in and have your appointment booked before you hobble your way home.
Sprains occur when ligaments or joints are either torn, stretched, or knocked out of place by direct trauma. This can be from a fall, taking a hit from another person or object, or any variety of incidents if you're clumsy enough! Unlike a sprain, a sTrain is when a muscle or a tendon (sometimes both) are injured.
One of the most common sprains is to the ankle. You can see how the ligament that kept the ankle joint securely in place is slightly torn, leaving the ankle unstable. With enough effort, however, you can sprain much more than just your ankle! For example:
- Hip Sprain
- Wrist Sprain
- Elbow Sprain
- Shoulder Sprain
- Knee Sprain
Basically, if there is a joint stabilized by a ligament, you can sprain it!
Strains occur in the muscle (or tendon) and can often take a while to notice while you're going to tell you've sprained something almost immediately. Strains are often either acute or chronic. They can occur from constant overuse or from simply lifting too much the wrong way. Either way, they're a real pain. You may have suffered from strained back muscles or a strained hamstring, but you can also suffer from elbow strain and forearm strain as well as any other muscle group you regularly overwork or use improperly. Chronic muscle strain definitely doesn't have to be a regular part of your life. Physical Therapy can definitely help and our staff is also specifically trained to help asses and retrain movement patterns that might be contributing to chronic pain.
You may not like to see love on your side of the net during your tennis game, but you definitely want to see plenty of love while you're limping through your pt regimen. Both of our offices are fully staffed with the best physical therapists New York has to offer and we have a long list of happy patients to prove it.
One of our physical therapists at our Lincoln Square clinic receiving a handmade gift from a former patient, a pt book disguised as a mid-evil "torture" guide.
Whether you've suffered through a sprain or a strain, the treatment you'll receive at Sloane Stecker will have you chasing love on the tennis courts again in no time flat!