Welcome to the Get Fit Guys' quick and dirty tips to get moving and shape up.

My name is Brock Armstrong and I'm the Get Fit Guy.

Sprains and strains are common injuries among us avid movers, and they share similar signs and symptoms.

But the difference comes down to ligaments versus tendons.

And that is what we are going to talk about today. Let me set the stage. It's a sunny summer

day and you decide to go for an early morning jog. You down your coffee, you slip on your running

shoes and you head out the door. A few minutes later, you are cruising

along the trail lost in your thoughts when an enthusiastic dog darts out towards you. You suddenly

snap out of your daydream and dodge the happily bounding dog, but while doing so, you plant

your foot in a less than optimum way and you feel a pain that reminds you of that time

that you sprained or was it a strain, your wrist while you were playing hockey. Later that day,

you stop in at a walk-in clinic to have a medical professional look at your slightly swollen and

achy ankle. The doc says not to worry about it. It is just a strain, or maybe it's a sprain. Take it easy,

and you should be good to go after a few days' rest and rice. Now sprains and strains both refer to

damage to the soft tissues in the body, including things like ligaments, tendons, and muscles. They are both common

injuries for those of us who use our bodies in new and exciting ways each day, and they both share

some common symptoms. What it comes down to is which soft tissue, ligament or tendon, has been

affected. Now, a ligament is a tough band of fibrous tissue that connects

bones to other bones or cartilage and is usually located around joints. A tendon on the other hand

is a tough cord of fibrous tissue that connects muscles to bones. And that, right there, is the main differentiating factor.

A sprain is an overstretched, torn, or twisted ligament.

Commonly sprained areas include wrists, ankles, thumbs, and knees.

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