When you think of a sprain, think of an ankle,  the most common sprain people get (25,000 ankle sprains/day according to NIH). Ankles have lots of ligaments that attach bone to bone and it’s these that get pulled or torn during the twisting motion associated with a sprain.

On the other hand, a strain involves an injury to a muscle or tendon (which is attached to a muscle). To help remember whether a tendon attaches a muscle to a bone, perhaps knowing the anatomy of the achilles tendon may help. The achilles tendon is attached to the calf muscle on one end and the heel bone on the other.

So sprains involve an injury to ligaments, the tough band of fibrous tissues that connect bone to bone while strains involve an injury to the tendons that attach muscles to bones.

In either case, a sprain or strain involves either an overstretched ligament or tendon and in more severe injuries, can actually be partially or completely torn.

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