Eli5 Whats the difference between a twisted, sprained, fractured and broken ankle?
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Fractured and broken mean that a bone has cracked. This may heal on its own but may heal crooked depending on if a part is displaced (not in it’s correct location.) Treatment could involve immobilization (such as a cast or splint), non weight-bearing (crutches or sling), reduction (moving the bones back into place), or even fixation (surgery to implant metal hardware into the bone)
Sprain is an injury of a ligament (a connective tissue which holds 2 or more bones together. These often heal on their own but may result in some permanent change (scarring).
Strain is an injury to a muscle or tendon (connective tissue which connects a muscle to another structure, often a bone, but sometimes another muscle or another connective tissue.) These also often heal on their own.
Rupture or tear is an injury to a tendon or ligament where the fibers have become disconnected in such a way that either part or all (depending on if it’s partial or full thickness) of the structure cannot maintain tension on the things it connects to. These usually don’t heal on their own without intervention, but don’t always require intervention if they are partial thickness or not essential. Sometimes these may just need the torn ends to be stitched together, particularly if repaired early. If some time has passed, they may need to be reconstructed with a graft.
Twisted is a casual term which I guess describes how the injury happened, but not what the injury is.
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