1. A sprain is an injury that involves the ligaments (tissues that connect bones at joints), whereas a fracture is an injury that involves bones.
2. Sprains can be of three degree:
1st degree: Mild with micro-tears, 2nd degree: Partial with visible tear in ligament, 3rd degree: Completely torn ligament.
3. If a sprain is 3rd degree, it will be more painful than a fracture. It usually requires a surgery to fix this injury, while breaking a bone, most of the time does not require surgery.
4. Breaks or Fractures also vary greatly. Minor fractures (like stress/ hairline fractures) are much less painful than compound/ complex fractures in which the bone may be cracked into half.
5. Blood supply is essential for growth and regeneration. Bones are highly vascularized whereas, ligaments are not. This causes the bones to heal comparatively faster than severe sprains. Thus, the duration of enduring pain until the injury heals also differs.
6. Also, ligaments have a rich supply of sensory nerves, which may also be responsible for an elevated sense of pain during severe sprains.
