Ankle sprain in children. Treatment for ankle sprains in children at home

Learning the world, children often receive abrasions, bruises, sprains or other injuries. Sprains in children have their own...

While exploring the world around them, children often receive abrasions, bruises, sprains or other injuries. Sprains in children have their own characteristics of treatment and rehabilitation. Bundles are called dense bundles connective tissue, the purpose of which is to strengthen the joints.

Ligaments may be subject to sprains and tears due to sudden movements or heavy load despite its strength. Pain and swelling when the ligaments are damaged is explained by the presence of a large amount of blood vessels And nerve fibers. Also, if the ligaments are damaged, it is not excluded complete break or partial tear of the ligament.

Causes of sprains in children

Large mechanical load is one of the most common causes of sprains. This could be, for example, a sudden movement of a joint in which the normal range of motion is exceeded. The most common are sprains of the ankle, knee and elbow joints.

Symptoms of a sprain in a child

Sprains in children are accompanied by severe, acute pain. But there are times when children do not feel pain and continue to move. In such a situation, harm to the child may be increased. After several hours, swelling appears in the area of ligament damage, joint function is impaired, and pain increases.

Three degrees of stretch:

The first is that a small portion of the ligament is damaged. A gentle approach to the injured limb is recommended. Second - a partial rupture of the ligament occurs, swelling appears, strong pain, there may be hematomas. Third, there was a complete rupture of the ligament. Accompanied by sharp and severe pain, the formation of hematomas, and severe swelling. When a ligament in the ankle joint is torn, it becomes impossible to step on the injured limb. Such a joint subsequently often becomes prone to sprains and dislocations.

We provide first aid

Timely first aid can protect you from developing severe consequences and significantly facilitate the treatment itself. Let's consider what first aid should be. First of all, the child needs to be put down or seated immediately after the injury.

The injured leg or arm must be kept immobile. It is necessary to immobilize the joint itself by applying a tight bandage to the area of the damaged joint. If the sprain is of the third degree, when the joint has abnormal mobility, it is necessary to apply splints from available materials. This can be a strong ruler, plywood, or a board.

The splint is placed on both sides, then a bandage is applied in such a way as to immobilize the joint. This will ease the baby's pain. Also, to alleviate the child’s condition, you need to apply something cold (wrapped in a towel) to the injured area for a couple of hours. If swelling occurs, it is necessary to elevate the injured limb, and it may be necessary to lay the child down.

Ointments containing anti-inflammatory components will become good remedy for application to an injured limb. They allow you to relieve pain effectively and quickly. After 5-10 days, signs of first and second degree sprains should disappear.

Treatment

As therapeutic treatment Physiotherapy procedures are used. If necessary, the child is prescribed injections with anti-inflammatory drugs. For a speedy recovery, physical therapy may be prescribed. Physiotherapy is quite often used to treat second and third degree sprains. Exercises are selected depending on the nature of the injury and the age of the child and are prescribed when swelling and pain disappear.

Sprain– this is an injury that a child can receive due to unnatural or sudden movement in a joint, the amplitude of which exceeds it functional abilities. In other words, this is a tear of parts of the connective tissue fiber of the articular ligaments. It is known that sprains are one of the most common childhood injuries.

Signs of a sprain

Usually, after an awkward movement, the child develops nagging pain in the area of the affected joint. Painful sensations, as a rule, intensify with movement. In some cases, movement becomes impossible altogether. But, unlike fractures, with sprained ligaments, there is no deformation of the limb. When a sprain occurs, swelling and hematomas occur at the site of the injury. If during your baby’s injury you hear a crunching sound in the joint area, and the limb itself has completely lost function, you should quickly consult a doctor. After all, these symptoms indicate a very severe sprain. Call ambulance if the baby complains of severe pain.

How to help with a sprain?

Remember: timely first aid can delay the development of various severe consequences of sprains in a baby, and also facilitate subsequent treatment. So, when providing first aid to an injured child with a sprain, you must first:

lay him down or sit him down comfortably, ensure immobility and complete rest for the injured arm or leg. To immobilize the joint, apply a tight bandage to the area of the injured joint. For this purpose, use an elastic bandage or something from available materials: a scarf, a scarf.
if there is a suspicion of obvious ligament rupture(and this is indicated by abnormal mobility in the joints), it is necessary to apply a splint, also constructed from improvised means. In this case, plywood, a board, or a ruler can serve as a tire. The splint should be placed on the child’s injured limb on both sides of the joint itself. It is important to apply the bandage so that the damaged joint is completely motionless.
to reduce swelling and pain in a child, apply an ice pack or just a towel, previously moistened, to the site of the sprain for the first couple of hours cold water. Remember that the towel must be changed, while wetting it with cold water.
When bruising occurs, it is important to give the injured limb exalted position. This is necessary to prevent the increase in swelling of the periarticular tissues.

If p sprained ligaments in a child is mild or moderate in nature - all signs of it will most likely subside in 5-10 days. And the functionality of the limb will be restored in 6-7 days. See your baby with a traumatologist and local pediatrician!

As soon as the baby begins to try to crawl and walk, the thirst for knowledge of the world around him increases in geometric progression. Every day the young researcher strives to conquer hitherto incomprehensible heights and obstacles, run as far as possible and show incredible acrobatic feats. Healthy child This is exactly how he should behave, but, unfortunately, with too much activity, such injuries are inevitable.

Ligaments are dense bundles of connective tissue. They strengthen the joints. But, despite their strength, ligaments are capable of undergoing certain deformations, such as sprains or even tears. This usually happens when there is a heavy load on the ligament or during sudden movement. Such injuries are quite painful due to the presence of nerve fibers in the ligaments. And the blood vessels at the site of the injury cause swelling. If the injury is severe, the ligament may also be partially torn or even completely torn.

More often sprains occurs in the ankle, knee and elbow joints.

Symptoms of a sprain in a child

A sprain in a child usually manifests itself as acute, severe pain. After some time, swelling appears at the site of the bruise, and the functions of the joint are impaired. Painless stretching also happens, but this option is extremely dangerous, since it is not provided on time health care.

Stretching is divided into the following degrees:

First degree - a minor area of the ligament is damaged. The pain is insignificant or absent at all. You need to watch the damaged area carefully for some time. A gentle regimen is recommended.

Second degree - acute pain, swelling, and sometimes hematomas occurred. This indicates partial rupture ligaments

The third degree is similar to the second, but the pain and swelling are stronger. If a ligament rupture occurs in the ankle joint, the victim will not be able to step on the affected limb. Such joint injury later makes itself felt in the form of frequent sprains or.

First aid for a sprained joint

The child must be seated or laid down immediately after the injury to ensure immobility of the injured limb. The joint itself needs to be immobilized. To do this, apply a tight bandage to the damaged joint.

For third-degree sprains, applying a splint will help relieve the pain. Suitable materials for this include rulers, boards, and plywood. The splint must be applied on both sides and bandaged so as to immobilize the joint. The child can also benefit from something cold, which should be wrapped in a towel and applied to the bruise.

To avoid swelling, the child needs to be laid down and the affected limb elevated. Take advantage medicinal ointments with anti-inflammatory effect. They will help numb the affected area. First and second degree sprains usually go away within 5-10 days.

Treatment of joint sprain

If necessary, the child is prescribed anti-inflammatory injections. But, as a rule, standard treatment consists of physiotherapeutic procedures and physical therapy, which is selected by the doctor taking into account the age of the child and the nature of the damage.

Children are always active, curious and emotional. They do not like to sit in one place and spend almost all their free time on the move. As a result of such vigorous activity, children are often injured, receiving sprains and fractures. The most common injuries are to the ankle ligaments or knee joint. Without experience and medical knowledge, determine by external signs the nature of the injury is impossible, so such children must mandatory be examined by a traumatologist or surgeon.

Sprains in a child: symptoms

Bundles of connective tissue (ligaments) that strengthen joints have a large number of nerve fibers and blood vessels, which explains the appearance of such severe pain at the time of injury. When a ligament is sprained, it occurs sharp pain. For example, when the ligaments of an arm are sprained, parents are often frightened by a child’s scream and begin to panic. If an injury is suspected, the child must be reassured and kept as still as possible. If the situation is serious, the baby is crying a lot, is worried, and tissue swelling is increasing, then call a doctor without delay. Children usually injure their limbs, but when falling from above, jumping into water, during sudden movements or traffic accidents, neck ligaments may be sprained or ruptured with displacement of the vertebrae. Depending on the location of the damage, the following pathological symptoms will occur:

1 pain in the injured area: if a sprain occurs in the foot, leg or knee joint, the child will not be able to move due to discomfort; with ligament damage cervical spine spine, children cannot move their heads and may complain of numbness in the fingers and headaches;

2 swelling at the site of the sprain: the sign may not appear immediately after injury, swelling of the soft tissues usually increases gradually;

3 hematoma: a bruise appears several hours or days after injury to the ligaments;

4 general malaise, local increase in temperature in the area of hematoma and edema.

With a moderate sprain, the child always spares the injured joint. When the ligament is completely torn, excessive (pathological) mobility of the joint is observed. In this case, the joint is immobilized and a splint or plaster is applied for 5-10 days.

First aid for sprains in childhood

The very first thing parents should do if they suspect a leg sprain or other ligament injury is to organize rest for the child’s injured limb. A heating pad with ice, previously wrapped in a towel, should be placed on top of the hematoma. You can keep the cold for 15 minutes every few hours. The joint itself can be wrapped loosely elastic bandage. To reduce pain, it is recommended to give the child regular analgesics (paracetamol, analgin, aspirin). When the baby calms down, you should show him to the doctor and go through a series of diagnostic procedures to rule out more serious damage.

Sprain in a child: treatment

Therapy for sprains usually lasts 7-10 days. IN acute period They use anti-inflammatory drugs, pain-relieving ointments and lotions, which help relieve swelling and alleviate the child’s condition. In case of severe trauma, the doctor may suggest hospitalization, since treating a sprained ligament in a child at home is not always appropriate. For example, it is better to perform a sprain of the knee joint in a clinic. As soon as the swelling will subside and the pronounced symptoms of the disease disappear, regular developmental exercises are recommended. Gymnastics is performed under the supervision of a physical therapy specialist.

Avoid injury and falls in childhood extremely difficult. But every parent can minimize the risk of their occurrence. To do this, you need to clearly tell your child about safety rules during active games and staying in gym. A the best remedy fortifications ligamentous apparatus children are given moderate physical activity.

This article was checked and edited by Vladimir Alekseevich Anokhin, professor, doctor medical sciences, Head of the Department of Pediatric Infections, Kazan State Medical University.

Sprained ligaments are a fairly common injury in children, as they most often occur during active games. fresh air or in the gym. Ligaments or muscles (foot, arm, hand, knee, neck or even muscles in the groin) are stretched when the joint bends unnaturally and the amplitude of its rotation significantly exceeds its natural one.

Due to the fact that it is the ligaments of the joint that protect our skeletal system from fractures, in case of injury, they are the first to suffer. According to statistics, 85% of primary injuries in children are sprains of the hand, foot or knee joint.

Sprains

Sprains in children are more common in children with early years going in for sports. Sports such as tennis, boxing, wrestling, gymnastics and football are at risk for injuries to the knee joint, muscles in the groin and hands.

When a child has a sprained foot, a stretch or tear occurs in the connective tissues (ligaments) that hold the joint in place. in good condition. This happens when a child falls or unsuccessfully turns the ankle (knee joint), hands or foot. Dislocation shoulder joint, and, as a result, stretching of the neck muscles occurs with an awkward wave of the hand.

Symptoms

Ligaments are tissue fibers with big amount nerve endings and blood vessels. When the muscles and ligaments of the arm, hand or neck are sprained in children, they begin to feel a sharp sharp pain, then swelling of the injured area. These are the main symptoms that the injury is associated with a sprain and requires immediate treatment.

The same thing happens if the baby pulls a leg or shoulder. Painful sensations occur immediately at the time of injury or immediately after it.

When a 3-6 year old child sprains an ankle or knee joint, the damaged area begins to swell, and the symptoms of this injury are the appearance of a hematoma. The child cannot move his leg motor functions legs are limited.

It happens that children do not always feel pain and a stretched leg, neck or arm goes away without obvious signs. This leads to the fact that the ligaments that are not fixed after the injury are stretched even more, and after a while the swelling increases sharply and the baby feels severe pain.

Doctors recommend that parents pay attention to the time when the baby began to complain of pain. If this happens immediately after an injury, then the ligaments are stretched, but if the limb is swollen and begins to hurt the next day in the morning, a muscle strain has occurred. In any case, treatment is necessary.

Three degrees of stretch

Sprains in children are classified by traumatologists into three main degrees:

Mild when a small area is damaged. The injury is accompanied by slight discomfort and after a few hours the baby’s motor functions are completely restored.
Partial rupture. This is a sprain of a leg or arm in a child, during which severe pain is felt for a significant period of time and bruises appear.
Complete break. In this case, unbearable pain is immediately felt in the damaged area, and if the child has a third-degree sprain of the leg, it is almost impossible to step on it.

First aid and treatment

Correctly provided first aid for ligament injuries is a guarantee that the child will not experience further complications and will go away. painful symptoms And the treatment will pass fast. Primary therapy and treatment of knee and ankle sprains in children includes complete peace and stillness. The baby must be put to bed or seated comfortably, placing a chair or stool under the sore leg, fix the leg in one position and try to ensure its immobility, explaining to the child what to do sudden movements- Is it dangerous.

What to do if a child has a sprained hand? As with an ankle injury, if you have a hand injury, immediately apply an ice pack or cold compress. With this type of injury, the cold lasts for 1.5-2 hours: solely to avoid severe swelling in the joint area.

No matter in which area the ligaments are sprained in children (neck muscles, knee joint), it is necessary to protect the baby from possible stress. If your baby doesn't understand that an arm or leg needs to be held still, try putting a light splint on him to immobilize the limb.

It is quite possible that stretching the foot will cause not only swelling, but also bruising in the evening. In this case, it is recommended to place the affected leg on a hill to ensure blood flow away from the injured area.

On the second day after injury, treatment of the sprain begins using heat. First of all, these are compresses. In pharmaceuticals today there are many warming ointments for the treatment of joints, neck and ligaments. If a 2-3 year old child has a sprained leg, it is necessary to thoroughly lubricate the wounded joint, wrap it in cellophane, then apply cotton bandage and wrap your leg in a woolen scarf or handkerchief.

When a child has a sprained neck muscle, a therapeutic pain-relieving patch is widely used. On sale today you can find Nanoplast - an excellent warming patch that has an analgesic and anti-inflammatory effect. The use of such means makes it possible to put a child under 10-12 years of age on his feet not in 10-15 days, as happens with usual treatment, but in a week, given its ability to activate blood circulation in the injured area and promote the resorption of hematomas.

A sprain in the groin or under the knee in a child from 3 to 12 years old is practically no different from any other type of sprain, with only one difference: these places are very inconvenient for applying bandages. For this type of injury, it is recommended to use elastic bandages.

Treatment of a sprained knee joint takes a little longer than usual, due to the fact that it is the knee and elbow that cannot be completely fixed and with a slight turn or movement of the body they are immediately involved.

There is no preventative treatment for this disease. Try to explain to your child how important it is to be careful in gyms and stadiums, at dance classes, or just when playing in the yard. Learn how to provide first aid for sprains. Perhaps awareness and quick response to the problem will allow you to quickly restore your child’s motor functions.