Hey, I sprained my finger. I just want to understand why exactly keeping the finger immobile in a certain position makes it heal faster.
When changing my splint, I noticed that it is pretty stiff and supposed the body itself tries to keep it still while healing. Why does movement harm it? I can’t find a more accurate explanation to sprains either. Nothing beyond “it is swollen and hurt” yeah I know but ligaments are a very weird material, just want to understand sprains and ligaments a little bit more fundamentally I guess.
In: 1
A sprain is basically a bunch of tiny tears in the ligament that holds your joint together. It’s easier for your body to repair those tears if your joint isn’t moving around.
Imagine trying to tie your shoe, but the laces keep being pulled apart, then pushed back together. It’d be annoying as heck and nearly impossible. That’s about what you’re doing if you keep moving your joint when it’s sprained. By immobilizing you’re making your immune systems job that much easier.
And the swelling kind of is for splinting….but it’s more for isolating the site of injury, just in case pathogens managed to get in, preventing an infection from spreading to the rest of the body. The immobilization is kind of just a nice bonus.
Latest Answers