The Difference Between A Sprain And A Strain

I often hear in the training room, “I sprained my hamstring.” This sentence is very confusing to me. Mostly, because you cannot sprain a muscle. The difference between a strain and a sprain is; one is an injury to ligaments and the other is an injury to muscles and tendons.

A sprain is an injury to a ligament. It is the stretch or tear of a ligament. Ligaments are pieces of connective tissue that join two bones together. Some of the most common ligaments sprained are the ligaments surrounding the ankle.

A strain is an injury to a muscle and/or tendon. A tendon is connective tissue which attaches a muscle to a bone. One of the more common strains is of the hamstring.

Both are fairly common injuries. And don’t worry if you get them confused or mixed up; just remember to get into OSI to get it fixed!

-Kaitlen