Sprains and strains: Signs and symptoms
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Recognising sprains and strains
Sprains and strains can be managed relatively simply, so it helps to know how to identify this common type of injury.1
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Signs and symptoms
Both sprains and strains cause pain, inflammation and swelling.
- Symptoms of a sprain occur around the affected joint and can also include bruising, loss of function, and mechanical instability if severe2
- Symptoms of a strain affect the injured muscle and can include spasm, weakness and cramping2
Symptom severity depends on both the severity of the injury and the time since the injury took place – it can take up to 24 hours for bruising and swelling to become apparent.2
Understanding sprains and strains
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Overview Acute Musculo Skeletal pain
Acute musculoskeletal pain is seen almost every day in pharmacy practice. Many patients will present with pain following a sport or work injury. Many of these injuries can be caused by a patient overexerting themselves and leading to muscle or joint inflammation. Conditions such as low-back pain, muscle pain affect a large number of patient. Most patients with mild to moderate pain can be managed with the large selection of pain relievers.
Learn more
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The role of Calpol Tablets and Voltaren Emulgel In managing your Customers pain.
A customer in pain is one of the most common presentations seen in pharmacy practice. Although there are a vast number of conditions that cause mild to moderate pain, many of them can be effectively managed by over-the-counter (OTC) pain relievers.
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