A sprain is:

• A. injury to a ligament caused by joint trauma but without joint dislocation or fracture
• B. a fracture of a bone near a joint
• C. a dislocation of the joint
• D. a muscle strain

Answer: (A)

The main idea here is distinguishing between different soft-tissue injuries around a joint and identifying what a sprain specifically involves. A sprain is an injury to a ligament, the tough bands of tissue that connect bones at a joint and help hold the joint stable. It happens from a twisting or wrenching motion that stretches or tears these ligaments, but it does not involve a bone breaking and it does not cause the joint to become completely out of its normal position. That’s why a sprain is described as ligament injury from joint trauma without dislocation or fracture.

To contrast, a fracture means a break in a bone, a dislocation means the bones in the joint have shifted out of their normal alignment, and a muscle strain refers to damage to muscle or its tendon, not the ligaments. A common example is an ankle sprain from turning the foot inward, which injures the ligaments but leaves the bone intact and the joint in proper alignment.