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Emergency Medicine & First Aid vocabulary · Burns, Fractures and Sprains

Sprain

Meaning in emergency medicine & first aid, with examples

/spreɪn/nounCore term

In emergency medicine & first aid, sprain means: An injury to a ligament, the tough tissue that joins bones at a joint, caused by twisting or stretching it too far; ankles and wrists are most often affected.

In Turkish: burkulma, incinme

How it is used

Also a verb: sprain your ankle. Patients often worry that a sprain is really a fracture, and clinicians use examination, decision rules or an X-ray to tell the difference. First aid courses often use the acronym RICE or PRICE for soft-tissue injuries such as sprains.

Example sentences

  1. It's probably a bad sprain, but we'll X-ray it to rule out a fracture.

  2. She sprained her ankle stepping off the bus.

Common collocations

  • ankle sprain
  • bad sprain
  • sprain your wrist
  • sprains and strains
  • fractureA break or crack in a bone, from a thin crack that barely shows on an X-ray to a bone broken into several pieces.
  • dislocationAn injury in which a bone is forced out of its normal position in a joint, such as the shoulder, a finger or the kneecap.
  • bandageA strip of cloth or elastic material wrapped around part of the body to hold a dressing in place, give support or apply pressure.
  • splintA rigid or padded support fastened along an injured limb to stop it moving, reduce pain and prevent further damage.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

More terms: Burns, Fractures and Sprains

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This page explains English vocabulary for learners. It is not medical advice.