I think I sprained my ankle. Or maybe I strained it. Are you sure you didn't break it?

We toss those sports injury terms around all the time. But do we know what they actually mean?

In this week's Visit to the Training Room, Kai Aboulian, who is both a physical therapist and athletic trainer at Foundry Sports Medicine in Providence, helps shed some light on the most common injuries suffered on the athletic field:

Sprains vs. Strains
A sprain is a stretch or tear of a ligament, the band of connective tissues that joins the end of one bone with another. Sprains are caused by trauma such as a fall or a blow to the body that knocks a joint out of position and, in the worst case, ruptures the supporting ligaments.

Sprains can range from first degree (minor) to third degree (the worst). Areas of the body most vulnerable to sprains are ankles, knees and wrists. Signs of a sprain include varying degrees of tenderness or pain, bruising, inflammation, swelling, inability to move a limb or joint or joint looseness, laxity or instability.

A strain is a twist, pull or tear of a muscle or tendon - a cord of tissue connecting muscle to bone. It is an acute, non-contact injury that results from overstretching or over-contraction. Symptoms of a strain include pain, muscle spasm and loss of strength. While it’s hard to tell the difference between mild and moderate strains, severe strains not treated professionally can cause damage and loss of function.

Knee Injuries
Because of its complex structure and weight-bearing capacity, the knee is the most commonly injured joint. Each year, more than 5.5 million people visit orthopaedic surgeons for knee problems.

Knee injuries can range from mild to severe. Less severe would be tendinitis, patella femoral compression syndrome, iliotibial band syndrome and bursitis, to name a few.
More severe injuries include bone bruises or damage to the cartilage or ligaments. Major injuries are common to the Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), Meniscus injuries, Posterior cruciate ligament (PCL), Medial collateral ligament (MCL) and the Lateral collateral ligament (LCL).

Knee injuries can result from a blow to or twist to the knee, from improper landing after a jump or from running too hard, too much or without proper warm up.

Other common sports injuries suffered by athletes are shin splints, Achilles tendon injuries, patella dislocation and hamstring, quadriceps and calf injuries.

Fractures
A fracture is a break in the bone that can occur from either a quick, one-time injury to the bone (acute fracture) or from repeated stress to the bone over time (stress fracture).

The most common symptom of a stress fracture is pain at the site that worsens with weight bearing activities. Tenderness and swelling often accompany the pain. This is very important for the coaches to recognize and refer the athlete to the trainers or the team physicians.

Dislocations
When the two bones that come together to form a joint become separated, the joint is described as being dislocated. Contact sports such as football, basketball and lacrosse, as well as high impact sports that can result in excessive stretching or falling, cause the majority of dislocations. A dislocated joint is an emergency situation that requires medical treatments.

If you have a specific sports medicine question for Kai, e-mail it to him at kai@foundrysportsmedicine.com.