With correct treatment, the microscopic tears will heal fairly quickly, and full use is often resumed within a week. If there is only minor swelling and the joint can still function without pain, then the injury is probably minor. In severe sprains, complete tears may occur, creating instability of the joint.
In a mild strain or sprain, the sinews are abruptly stretched, creating microscopic tears in tendons and ligaments. Sinew injuries are categorized according to their severity. Interestingly, modern medicine recognizes that during early fetal development all of these tissues develop from one layer of cells, called the mesoderm. In Chinese medicine, connective tissues around the joint are collectively referred to as Jin. Jin is often translated as ‘sinews’, a concept which includes tendons, ligaments, cartilage, and the fibrous connective tissue around the joint capsule. When a joint is subjected to the types of stresses imposed upon it by sports activities, these tissues bear the brunt of the strain. Muscles, tendons, and ligaments encased in fibrous connective tissue hold the joints together. Sinews are the complex connections of soft tissue that surround the joints. Sinew injuries, or soft tissue injuries, are not only the most common type of sports injury, they also plague many of us who don’t play sports but perform repetitive tasks, like typing at the computer or gardening.