Common Types Of Soft Tissue Injuries
Taking care of your health is important for longevity and a full and happy life. But while moving through everyday life, you are likely to encounter circumstances beyond your control, some of which could lead to accidents that result in severe soft tissue injuries.
Many accidents can cause soft tissue injuries, which is a broad term used to describe many different types of harm that can occur because of an accident.
When a victim suffers from soft tissue injuries, the pain and damage are real, but these types of injuries are not always taken as seriously as they should be by insurers and those responsible for the accident.
At Mitch Grissim & Associates in Nashville, our experienced personal injury attorneys will zealously advocate for the compensation you deserve after an accident.
To learn more about what your claims might be worth, schedule a free consultation in our office today.
What is Soft Tissue?
Soft tissue refers to parts of the body that are not hard, like bones, or organs within the body. Common examples of soft tissue include muscles, tendons, and ligaments.
These parts of the body can be injured easily in accidents when a force, twist, impact, or penetrating force occurs, with the severity of the injury and length of recovery determined by several different factors.
When considering the health of your soft tissues, especially after an accident, there are several injuries that you can experience that will damage these vital body systems.
Types of Common Soft Tissue Injuries
Soft tissue injuries come in many forms, from ankle sprains to inflammation. The type of injury, as well as the severity of the injury, often dictate the level of available compensation in a personal injury claim.
It also matters how long it will take a victim to recover from soft tissue damage. Some of the most common types of soft tissue injuries include the following:
Contusions
Also known as a bruise, contusions occur when a sudden trauma or blunt force is applied to soft tissue, causing capillaries to rupture and bleed and potentially crushing underlying muscle fibers. Contusions often cause pain, swelling, and discoloration that can last for days or weeks.
Though contusions could be considered acute injuries, internal damage that is hard to see could result from the trauma and require intense medical care.
Strains
Strains are injuries that happen most often with muscles and tendons that attach muscles to each other. They can occur when these tissues are forced or stretched in an accident. If a strain is severe enough, a tear can occur in the soft tissue that may require surgery in order to repair. Elbow strains frequently occur, as well as damage to calf muscles or back muscles.
Victims of strains must rest the soft tissue affected, which could mean missing work and losing wages. The delicate state of the muscles or tendons could also cause overuse injuries if not rested thoroughly. Overuse injuries occur gradually, so be sure to allow time for healing.
Sprains
A sprain is a type of soft tissue injury that affects ligaments and occurs when a wrench or twist causes a partial or complete tear in the tissue. The most severe sprains can cause a ligament to be completely torn, making surgery necessary.
Ignoring this type of soft tissue injury can be devastating for your long-term health and mobility, while also causing further injury to the systems that are connected to that particular tissue.
The body’s joints are particularly vulnerable. You could get a sprained knee, wrist sprain, sprained ankle, or other damaged joints. Keep your body weight off of injured joints and seek appropriate treatment if this is the case.
Bursitis
This soft tissue injury affects the bursa, or the fluid-filled sac that rests between bones and other soft tissues like muscles or tendons, and causes inflammation of the area. This is a common issue with the Achilles tendon.
Bursitis can be caused by direct trauma to the area in an accident, and if rest does not heal the injury, steroid injections may be required. Initial treatment may not catch bursitis right away, so monitor yourself for any inflammation that occurs in the days and weeks following the accident.
If the bursa remains infected for a long period, eliminate stress to the area and seek medical attention quickly.
A Soft Tissue Injury is not Always Obvious
These types of soft tissue injuries can be difficult to spot on your own. Some of them will build up over time, while others simply do not have obvious and noticeable side effects.
It could be an acute injury where you do not feel any immediate pain. A partial tear may not manifest for a while after the initial injury occurs.
Depending on the severity, it is possible that soft tissue injuries fall to the bottom of your priority list after an incident. Failure to rest and recover properly after a physical trauma could turn acute injuries into more severe issues.
Best Practices for Recovery
When you have experienced physical trauma, there are many appropriate steps that you can take to aid in your recovery.
Seek Medical Care
Diagnosing your soft tissue injuries as quickly as possible is the key to recovery. Your doctor can tell you the best ways to treat your injury and whether to focus on rest or physical activity to heal.
Reduce Swelling
The most common soft tissues injured will often lead to swelling in some form, and it is important to manage it effectively.
Ice compression and elevation can help alleviate these symptoms typically, but if inflammation occurs and the area seems to release body heat, you may need anti-inflammatory medication to relieve pain.
Cardiovascular Activity
This will depend on the nature of your injury, but soft tissue injuries can often be healed with balanced fitness and an intelligent workout routine. First, consult your doctor to discuss what type of exercise would help with your recovery, as activities like contact sports could do you more harm than good.
The right exercise routine can correct muscle imbalance, repair torn ligaments, help ligaments stabilize, restore connective tissue, and reverse any muscle weakness. Always moderate sports and exercise activities or you could experience overuse injuries.
A person who incorporates cardiovascular exercise into their routine can increase their health and strength, allowing for faster recovery and injury prevention with proper conditioning.
Don’t Overdo it
When recovering from an injury, it is important to moderate physical activity to avoid further injury. Avoid contact sports for a while. Engage in slight stretching to avoid re-injury.
If you were in good physical shape before the incident, work back up to that activity level rather than jumping into it full speed. Begin stretches slowly, and watch out for tendon inflammation after athletic or other activity.
There could be underlying muscle tension as a result of your injury that will lead to a muscle spasm if overworked.
Finding a balanced fitness program will determine the effectiveness of your recovery. If your symptoms persist from the injury, see your doctor again to find out if you are overworking your soft tissues.
Legal Options After an Injury
If you have been injured in an accident that was the fault of someone else, you have a right to pursue damages. Many soft tissue injuries will require medical treatment, which can place a heavy financial burden on the victim.
Whether you suffer a sprain to your outer ankle, persistent inflammation, contusions, or a significant muscle strain, you have a right to pursue compensation to cover your losses.
These losses could include medical bills, lost wages, the cost of an anti-inflammatory drug, or other costs associated with the injury.
An experienced personal injury lawyer from our team can help you file a claim and win the settlement you deserve when another party causes your injury due to negligence. Injuries involving soft tissue can be dangerous for your health, and we want to help you recover physically and financially from the accident.
Call or Contact Our Office Now
Our legal team’s top priority is ensuring that you can recover from the accident quickly and at no personal cost. When someone else’s negligence results in your injury, we vow to hold the responsible party accountable through a legal process that protects your interests.
Filing a claim can be complicated and overwhelming for injured victims. Tennessee law has strict standards for proving liability and awarding damages. For that reason, you need a legal professional on your side who has experience defending victims’ claims and earning compensation for their clients.
If you or a loved one has suffered an accident in the Nashville area that resulted in soft tissue injuries, or worse, let the knowledgeable personal injury lawyers at Mitch Grissim & Associates handle your case.
To learn more, call the office or contact us today to schedule a free evaluation of your injury claims. We want to make sure that we understand your case ahead of time, and would love to answer any questions you may have upfront at no cost.
