“Soft tissue” is not a medical term. Instead, doctors, nurses, and physical therapists often use the phrase with patients to identify injuries that affect structures other than the skeleton. These injuries can range from minor injuries that will heal without treatment to permanent injuries that could affect you for the rest of your life.
You can seek compensation for these injuries when they result from someone else’s negligent or wrongful actions. This compensation should cover your medical bills and out-of-pocket costs. It should also reimburse you for any lost wages.
Causes Of Soft Tissue Injuries
Since “soft tissue” is not a technical term, it can have many meanings. Broadly, it can refer to anything other than bones. This definition includes the connective tissues, muscles, and organs.
The tissues that can be affected include:
- Ligaments
- Tendons
- Muscles
- Fascia
The following traumatic events can cause soft tissue injuries:
Blunt Force Trauma
Blunt force injuries result from an impact that does not produce an open wound. For example, a slip and fall accident might cause a blunt force injury to the buttocks when you strike the ground. This injury could cause pain, swelling, and other symptoms, but it will not result in external bleeding since it does not break the skin.
Penetrating Trauma
Penetrating trauma causes an open wound. Specifically, something lacerates or pierces the soft tissue through the skin. The risk of blood loss and infection compounds the resulting soft tissue damage. For example, a motorcyclist might suffer penetrating trauma in a motorcycle accident when they slide across the pavement covered in broken glass.
Hyperextension
Hyperextension occurs when soft tissues are stretched beyond their normal limits. In severe cases, the tissues may even tear. Car accidents can cause hyperextension injuries as a vehicle occupant’s body whips and twists during a collision.
Common Soft Tissue Injuries
Soft tissue injuries can take many forms, including the following:
Lacerations
Lacerations happen when something slices the soft tissues. The victim may experience pain and bleeding, and severe blood loss may be life-threatening. However, medical intervention may staunch the bleeding. Doctors can repair lacerations by sewing or gluing the tissue together.
Bruises
Bruises, also called contusions, happen when blood vessels under the skin rupture. These injuries often result from blunt force trauma.
The injured area may feel painful and discolor since the blood can be seen through the skin. In most cases, bruises will heal within a few days to a few weeks without any long-term symptoms.
Sprains And Strains
Strains and sprains are often confused with each other. However, they are distinct injuries that have different symptoms. Strains happen when a tendon or muscle suffers a hyperextension injury. Sprains occur when you hyperextend a ligament holding a joint together.
The following symptoms often accompany strained muscles or tendons:
- Muscle pain and inflammation
- Weakness
- Muscle spasms
- Stiffness
Conversely, you may experience the following symptoms after spraining a ligament:
- Joint pain and swelling
- Limited range of movement
- Joint instability
- Bruises
Mild sprains and strains may heal within a month without medical care. However, severe cases might require surgical repair.
Torn Cartilage
Cartilage lines your joints and provides a tough, smooth surface for the bones to move on. Blunt forces and hyperextension can tear the cartilage, leaving the bones in the injured joint unprotected. They will grind against each other, producing severe pain and swelling.
Unfortunately, cartilage grows very slowly. As a result, a doctor may recommend surgery, long-term immobilization, and lengthy physical therapy to aid in your recovery.
Whiplash
Whiplash is a type of hyperextension injury. It occurs when the weight of your head hyperextends your neck as it whips around in a collision. Car crashes are a common cause of whiplash, although it can happen in many situations. For example, you may suffer whiplash in a fall if your head whips as your body strikes the ground.
Whiplash typically involves hyperextension of the ligaments, tendons, and muscles in the neck. As a result, you may experience symptoms such as neck stiffness, pain, and swelling. However, the whipping motion can also damage the discs. If this happens, you may have a permanent neck injury that causes pain and weakness to radiate into your shoulders and arms.
Contact The Law Firm of Alton C. Todd Personal Injury Lawyers to Schedule a Free Consultation With a Galveston Personal Injury Lawyer
Soft tissue injuries may require expensive surgery. You may also require months of physical therapy as you recover from your injury. Contact The Law Firm of Alton C. Todd Personal Injury Lawyers at (409) 207-9299 for a free consultation to discuss your losses and the compensation we can seek for them under Texas law.
