How to Handle Strains & Sprains

Strains are injuries to muscle or tendons (which connect muscle to bone) due to overstretching.
Sprains involve a stretch or a partial tear of ligaments (which connect two bones). Sprains and strains happen more often in teens than in younger children.

Make sure your child stops activity right away. They should rest for a few days to protect the injury and start getting better.
For 2–3 days, to help with pain and swelling:
- Have your child rest the injured area.
- While your child is awake, place a bag of ice wrapped in a towel on the area for 15–20 minutes, 3–4 times a day. Do not put ice directly on the skin.
- If the sprain or strain is on an arm, leg, hand, or foot, wrap the injured area loosely in an elastic bandage. But do not wrap if the area is on the head, neck, or torso (chest or belly).
- Keep the injured area above heart level by resting it on a pillow.
Give your child ibuprofen or acetaminophen for pain and swelling, but for no longer than 1 week.

Go to the ER if your child has:

To avoid sprains and strains, it can help for kids to:

Warm up properly and stretch before and after exercising or playing sport.
Always wear proper sports protective equipment.
Work with a sports trainer to make sure they don’t overtrain.
Get plenty of physical activity to keep muscles strong.
Stay at a healthy weight.
Avoid carrying very heavy objects. If they use a backpack, try to keep it light. They should use both shoulder straps when wearing the backpack.