Posted: April 24th, 2025

Musculoskeletal EN

Respond to post with 1 reference apa 7th edition and a question at the end.

Identify the 2 differential Diagnosis of sprain

 Bones, muscles and the tissues that connect them make up the musculoskeletal system. An injury to any of them manifests with inflammation and pain. Sprain is a stretching or tearing to the ligament (tough bands of tissue that connect bone to each other) and its common symptoms depending on severity may include pain, swelling, bruising, limited ability to move the affected joints (Holland, 2017). The differential diagnosis to sprain includes:

Strain: This can be confused with Sprain. Strain is over stretching or tearing of muscles or tendons. It presents similar symptoms of sprain such as pain around the affected joint, swelling, limited flexibility, and difficulty using the joint full range of motion. However, strain may cause spasm in the affected muscles, weakness and cramping.

Dislocation: This is when the bone in a joint becomes completely separated from each other (dislocation) or only partly out of position (Subluxation) (Campagne, 2023). Dislocation mimics sprain with similar symptoms like pain, swelling and deformity. But unlike a sprain, dislocation could cause physical deformity requiring manual reduction to reposition the bones.

Identify two differential diagnoses of fracture.

Fracture is a partial or complete break in the bone. Its symptoms include sudden pain, swelling, warmth, bruises or redness, inability to move the affected areas and inability to put weight on the injured area (John Hopkins Medicine, 2024). The differential diagnosis to fracture includes:

Sprain: This presents similar symptoms of fracture such as bruises, pain, swelling and limited movement. However, sprain typically affects joint stability while fracture affects bone integrity.

Bone contusion or bruises: This occurs when there is a small injury on the surface of the bone, and it results from trauma (Pietrangelo, 2019). It presents with similar symptoms of fracture such as pain, swelling, stiffness, and inability to use the injured joint. It may be hard to differentiate both. Thorough physical examination and imaging testing are often needed to differentiate them. Bone bruises are less severe and involve less damage than bone fracture.

References

Campagne, D. (2023). Overview of sprains and other Soft-Tissue injuries. Merck Manual Consumer Version. https://www.merckmanuals.com/home/injuries-and-poisoning/sprains-and-other-soft-tissue-injuries/overview-of-sprains-and-other-soft-tissue-injuries

Holland, K. (2017). Is it a sprain or a strain? Tips for identification. Healthline. https://www.healthline.com/health/sprain-vs-strain.

John Hopkins Medicine (2024). Fractures.

https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/fractures

Pietrangelo, A. (2019). What is a bone bruise? Healthline.

https://www.healthline.com/health/bone-bruise