• Exciting news! With our new Ad-Free Premium Subscription you can enjoy a distraction-free browsing experience while supporting our site's growth. Without ads, you have less distractions and enjoy faster page load times. Upgrade is optional. Find out more here, and enjoy ad-free learning with us!

sprain and twist

Status
Not open for further replies.

tulipflower

Member
Joined
Mar 4, 2014
Member Type
English Teacher
Native Language
Persian
Home Country
Iran
Current Location
Iran
Can we say 'sprain' is used for wrist but 'twist' is used for ankle?
 

emsr2d2

Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Jul 28, 2009
Member Type
English Teacher
Native Language
British English
Home Country
UK
Current Location
UK
You can sprain your wrist or your ankle, but I've never heard anyone say "I've twisted my wrist" in the same way we use "I've twisted my ankle".
 

Raymott

VIP Member
Joined
Jun 29, 2008
Member Type
Academic
Native Language
English
Home Country
Australia
Current Location
Australia
Can we say 'sprain' is used for wrist but 'twist' is used for ankle?
No. You can sprain both wrists and ankles without twisting them. However, if you twist your wrist (deliberately), you will see that you forearm usually goes with it, so there's no injury. Most wrist sprains are not caused by twisting.
Note also that 'sprain' or 'strain' is a pathological diagnosis; 'twist' is the method of injury - "twisted ankle" is not a formal medical diagnosis.
 

Rover_KE

Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Jun 20, 2010
Member Type
Retired English Teacher
Native Language
British English
Home Country
England
Current Location
England
Note to newbies: Raymott is a retired medical practitioner.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top