A ‘sprain’ means the stretching of the ligaments which surround and support a joint. They frequently occur with children and usually affect the ankle, wrist or knee joint. The symptoms are pain on movement and tenderness round the joint together with a history of the child having twisted or ‘gone over’ on the joint.

Bind the joint fairly firmly with a crepe bandage to avoid unnecessary movement until the symptoms have settled. Give aspirin or Disprin for pain relief if required.