If you have been involved in an accident such as road traffic accident, or an accident at work or you have slipped or tripped over then one of the common injuries that can suffer is known as a Soft Tissue Injury
What are Soft Tissue Injures?
It is a term used to refer to injuries to muscles ligaments or tendons. It does not include fractures to bones.
The most likely ones that you may experience are:-
- Sprains
- Strains
- Contusion
- Whiplash
Sprains
A sprain is a stretch or tear of the ligaments. Ligaments support the joints of your body they are bands of connective tissue that connect one bone to another.
Areas of your body where sprains are most likely to occur are your wrists, ankles or knees.
A sudden twist of your knee or ankle can cause a sprain.
A sprain to your wrist can often occur when you put your had out to break you fall.
Sprains are usually treated conservatively with rest, ice, compression and elevation (R.I.C.E) followed by exercise. In more severe cases surgery may be necessary to repair the ligaments.
Strains
A strain is due to an injury either a muscle or a tendon. Your bones are supported by muscles and tendons. Tendons connect muscles to bones.
Strains can vary in degree from merely stretching the muscle or tendon to tearing the same either completely or partially.
The treatment of strains is similar to that of sprains. In some cases the tear will need to be repaired with surgery.
Contusions
This is a bruise caused by a blow or force applied to your ligaments, muscles or tendons. Blood will collect around the injury and this caused the skin to discolour.
They are best treated the same way as sprains and strains with rest, ice, compression and elevation.
Whiplash
This occurs when the soft tissue in the spine is stretched and strained after the body is thrown in a sudden and forceful jerk. If usually causes stiffness in the neck and headaches.
In the initial period following a whiplash injury they are treated in the same way as sprains and strains of other parts of your body.
In addition soft tissue injuries are sometimes treated with pain killer such as Paracetamol and physiotherapy.
The effect of soft tissue injuries
Also there is often a preconception that soft tissue injures are not as serious as a fracture to a bone, the reality is that they can often take longer to recover from than a simple fracture and they can have a significant effect on your daily life, ability to work and to carry out your daily activities.
Accidents and Soft Tissue injuries
Soft tissue injuries can often be caused as a result of accidents which occur. The following are examples
A whiplash injury is most often caused in a road traffic accident.
A sprain or strain can be caused by twisting your knee or ankle when tripping over a defect in the pavement or slipping on something spilt on the floor of a supermarket.
A sprain, strain or contusion could be caused as a result of something fallen on you at your place of work.
If you have sustained a soft tissue injury as result of an accident which was not your fault then please call on 0800 849 2220 and our specialist team of personal injury lawyers can help you to bring a claim for compensation for your personal injuries and other losses on a no win no fee basis.
