Minor sprains or strains often do not require a visit to a physician and will heal on their own with basic home treatment. However, more significant injuries often require medical care. Parents are urged to schedule a visit with a physician if they are unsure of the seriousness of a child’s injury, or if the child displays any of the following symptoms:

• Severe pain
• Inability to place weight on a joint
• Crookedness or significant bumps or lumps in a joint
• Inability to move a limb, joint or other body part
• Loss of muscle function
• Numbness in the injured area
• Redness spreading from the injury site
• Injury to area that has previously been injured

A physician will perform a physical examination and compile a thorough medical history of the child. The physician may touch the injured area to feel for abnormalities or for warmth or cold in the injured region. The physician also will look for signs of swelling or tenderness and changes in color of the skin.

When diagnosing a sprain or strain, a physician may need to take an x-ray to rule out a broken bone. Imaging tests such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) may be used to help the physician determine if a ligament or muscle has been partially or completely torn.