Practice Area Soft Tissue Law

Soft Tissue Injuries

What are soft-tissue injuries?

There is a nearly inexhaustible list of activities that can lead to soft-tissue damage to joints, ligaments, muscles, and tendons. Some common results are discomfort, aggravation, swelling, abrasions, and blemishes. There are traditionally three different categories for Soft-Tissue injuries:

Contusions

A contusion, generally known to the public as a “bruise,” is a soft tissue injury that is often the result of blunt force being applied to the victim in a hard strike like a punch, kick, fall, or drop. The result will be pain, swelling, and discoloration. Contusions can be either mild or serious. Mild contusions will usually heal themselves, but serious contusions require medical assistance.

Strain

A strain is an injury to a muscle or tendon, and is often caused by overuse, force, or stretching. If a tear in the muscle occurs, surgery may be necessary.

This injury occurs when there is a harm done to a connection component in the muscles. These injuries usually afflict muscles and tendons. Common causes of this injury are hyperextension, overuse, stretching or overextending. Should a tear occur, the muscle will be unable to heal itself and medical attention and/or surgery may be required.

Sprains

Strains are injuries that specifically afflict ligaments. They are often caused by gyrating the muscle and ligament in a manner that is unexpected and painful such as a twist or rolling pressure applied. Sprains commonly afflict the knees, ankles, wrists and in rare cases the hips. A commonly referred to type of severe sprain is known as whiplash.

Whiplash

One of the reasons whiplash occurs so frequently in car accidents is because the head and neck are the core stabilizers in the body and often are the last to move and react. Therefore, while the body moves forward quickly, the neck is stationary, and when the body is returning the neck receives conflicting energy. Almost every person who has sustained injury in a vehicle has experienced whiplash to some degree because the mechanics of the body are consistent in automobile crashes.

The effects of whiplash are often no felt immediately following an accident and may go undiagnosed. It will likely be a few days before the pain will be felt, but once it sets in, it can severely limit one's movement. The neck can become stiff with inflammation and spasms can are occur. Severe discomfort can also be felt in the shoulders and arms. Tingling of the fingers and headaches are common complaints with this type of injury.

It is often the case that the effects of whiplash may lie dormant and go undiagnosed. The pain may take a few days to arise but once it occurs mobility will be come very limited due to a tightening of the joints and stiffness in the muscles. Once the muscles have begun to seize, ticks and spasms throughout the neck are common. Mild numbness and stinging sensations are often felt in the extremities when whiplash occurs.

Whiplash Symptoms:

Contact Our Offices

Should you experience any of the aforementioned afflictions or symptoms, and you have recently been involved in a type of vehicular accident, or injury as a result of the conduct of another person, contact the soft tissue injury damages attorneys law firm at the Law Offices of Michael P. Ehline.
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