We see too often, patients coming in weeks to months after they have dealt with a sprain or strain, complaining about pain and looking for treatment methods to help. If you leave a strain or sprain untreated, the initial injury will heal on its own which may cause further damage and can cause more pain, become unstable, and lead to chronic pain, swelling, and sometimes arthritis. We highly recommend you DO NOT do these when you have a sprain or strain: 1. Do not walk on it or try to ignore the injury itself, with severe strains and sprains they should immediately be immobilized and have a medical professional look at it for an examination for diagnosis and proper treatment to be applied 2. Ignoring the injury or acting like it never happened is a huge risk factor for future sprains or strains down the road and can lead to further issues. Again, if left untreated, or treated incorrectly, the injury can lead to instability, and possibly arthritis. 3. Delaying treatment is not recommended, as the ligaments should be re-positioned into a more stable position to enable them to start healing correctly when the injury is still fresh and the body is sending signals to start healing the sprain or strain. If you are looking for a sprains and strains treatment specialist, call Mercy Medical Clinic today to set up an appointment online. We serve patients from Wylie TX, Lavon TX, Rockwall TX, Sachse TX, Allen TX, and Winningkoff TX.