The words strain and sprain are commonly used interchangeably to describe a stretching of the soft tissues surrounding a joint. However, there’s a key difference between the two.

A sprain is an excessive stretch or tear in a ligament. Ligaments are bands of tissue that connect two bones together in a joint. The most common location for a sprain is the ankle joint. Ankle sprains are caused due to: 

• Athletic activities like jogging, running, jumping
• Accidents like falling, stumbling or slipping
• Injury caused by repetitive biomechanical stress 
• Over exertion

A strain is also an excessive stretch or tear, but it happens in a muscle or a tendon. Tendons are dense cords of tissue that link muscles to bones. The most common locations for a strain are the hamstring muscle and the lower back.

The symptoms of a sprain and a strain are very similar. That’s because the injuries themselves are very similar. An individual is likely to experience swelling, pain, limited flexibility, reduced range of motion and tenderness around the affected joint.

The main difference is that a sprain may cause you to have bruising around the affected joint, while a strain may cause you to have a spasm in the affected muscle.

Sometimes after a severe ankle sprain, the ligament does not fully recover and loses a lot of its strength that is needed to support the ankle to be stable. Custom insoles with a deep heel cup and supporting wedging can help provide support and stability in such cases – something that makes the all difference between not being able to and being able to walk or run due to the severe pain that arises.