What Is a Strain?

A strain is an injury to a muscle or tendon — the fibrous tissue that connects muscle to bone. Strains happen when the muscle or tendon is stretched beyond its capacity or placed under excessive load too quickly.

Common mechanisms include sprinting, kicking, heavy lifting, or any sudden explosive movement that the tissue isn't prepared for.

Symptoms of a strain:

• Pain in the affected muscle or tendon
• Swelling and bruising around the injury site
• Muscle weakness
• Limited range of motion
• Muscle spasms

Grades of muscle strain:

• Grade 1 — a small number of muscle fibres are affected. Pain is localised but strength is maintained. Recovery is usually straightforward with appropriate management.
• Grade 2 — a significant number of fibres are involved, with associated pain, swelling and bruising. Activating the muscle reproduces pain, and both strength and range of motion are reduced.
• Grade 3 — a complete tear of the muscle or tendon. This is a serious injury that may require surgical assessment and a lengthy rehabilitation process.

What Is a Sprain?

A sprain is an injury to a ligament — the connective tissue that holds bones together and provides joint stability. Sprains occur when a joint is forced beyond its normal range of motion, overstretching or tearing the ligament in the process.

Common mechanisms include rolling your ankle, landing awkwardly from a jump, a sudden twisting motion, or contact from another player during sport.

Symptoms of a sprain:

• Pain around the affected joint
• Swelling and bruising
• Reduced mobility and difficulty moving the joint
• A feeling of instability or the joint "giving way" in more severe cases

Grades of ligament sprain:

• Grade 1 — stretching of a small number of ligament fibres with no significant laxity. Pain and swelling are mild and recovery is usually quick with good management.
• Grade 2 — a partial tear involving a considerable proportion of fibres, resulting in some joint laxity. More significant swelling, bruising and instability.
• Grade 3 — a complete rupture of the ligament. The joint may feel grossly unstable. Depending on the location, surgical assessment may be required.

Key Differences

Strain:

• Affects muscle or tendon
• Caused by overstretching or overloading a muscle
• Common locations include hamstring, calf, quadriceps and rotator cuff
• Main symptoms are muscle pain and weakness

Sprain:

• Affects ligament
• Caused by a joint being forced beyond its normal range
• Common locations include ankle, knee, wrist and thumb
• Main symptoms are joint pain and instability

How Physiotherapy Helps

For both sprains and strains, physiotherapy plays a key role in recovery — from the acute stage right through to full return to activity.

In the early stages we focus on accurate diagnosis, understanding the grade of injury, and applying the PEACE & LOVE principles to manage pain and swelling (see our blog post on this).

From there, rehabilitation typically includes:

• Restoring range of motion — gentle mobility work to prevent stiffness and maintain joint health
• Strengthening — targeted exercises to rebuild muscle and tendon capacity, or to restrengthen the muscles that support an injured joint
• Balance and proprioception training — particularly important for ligament injuries where joint position sense is disrupted
• Manual therapy — hands-on treatment to reduce pain and improve movement quality
• Load management — a structured return to activity that matches what your tissue can handle at each stage of recovery
• Education — understanding your injury, your recovery timeline, and what to do (and avoid) at each stage

One of the most common mistakes we see is stopping rehabilitation as soon as pain settles. Pain reduction is a great sign — but it doesn't mean the tissue is fully healed or that strength and stability have returned. Completing the full rehabilitation process is what prevents the injury from recurring.



If you've had a strain or sprain and aren't sure where you're at in your recovery, book online or call us on (08) 7123 4148. We'd love to help you get back to full function safely.