What are the dangers of soft tissue injury after a car accident?
After a car accident, some common symptoms of soft tissue injury that you may experience include swelling, discoloration, soreness, and limited range of motion that can begin within 1 to 2 days after suffering a car crash. Sometimes, a muscle may become torn after a severe accident, leading to bruising and loss of mobility.
What is a soft tissue injury?
Soft tissues include muscles, tendons, and ligaments. All of these tissues comprise individual fibers. The fibers may undergo tearing, stretching, or inflammation in an accident. An individual can experience the consequences of a soft tissue trauma including overload, sprain, or strain.
Common soft tissue injuries in a car collision
Lacerations are one of the most common injuries resulting from a car accident. The outcome of a car collision can range from minor cuts, and bruises to major wounds that require immediate medical treatment.
A car accident lawyer can guide you on how to negotiate with the insurance adjusters while you focus on healing. Soft tissues are more vulnerable to damage compared to other structures of the body. Some of the most common soft tissue injuries in car accident cases are:
- Sprains;
- Ankle sprains;
- Strains;
- Whiplash;
- Contusions or bruises.
Sprains: Ligaments serve as the connection between bones and joints. Ligament injuries can lead to soft tissue sprains. Sprains are a common cause of pain in the wrist after a car accident.
Ankle sprains: Ankle sprains can be one of the most painful injuries. Ankle sprains happen when one or more of the ligaments in the ankles get stretched beyond a certain point.
Strains: Tendons can be injured by soft tissue strains in a car accident. A car crash may push or pull the tendon, which can result in a partial or complete tear.
Whiplash: After a car accident, neck injury may also result in soft tissue damage. In a crash, the head may be flung forward and then snap back with speed, thereby tearing the soft tissue fibers.
Contusions or bruises: Bruises occur when broken blood vessels remain under the skin’s unbroken surface. Bruises can arise from blunt trauma and are one of the common injuries after an auto collision.
Possible causes of soft tissue injury
Some of the causes of soft-tissue injuries besides car accidents include overuse, slip-and-fall accidents, bad twists, and blunt force trauma.
Overuse of muscles can cause carpal tunnel syndrome, sports injuries, and other conditions. Agitation of nerves, pain and inflammation may result, causing muscles to be worn out. If you suffer soft tissue injuries, rest is necessary to allow your body to heal.
Seeking medical attention for soft tissue is necessary when you have suffered any bruises or a slip and fall injury. Twisting your body after losing balance can also be a cause of soft tissue injury. It is always advisable to get medical care before your injuries worsen.
Symptoms of a soft tissue injury from a car accident
The symptoms of soft tissue injury vary, depending on whether it is a sprain, strain, whiplash, or concussion.
- Sprain soft tissue injury symptoms include swelling, redness, and bruising.
- Signs of tissue damage from strains include muscle weakness, pain, and limitation of muscle movement.
- Whiplash symptoms may include pain in the shoulders, headaches, neck stiffness, and sharp pain in the neck.
- Concussions may cause skin discoloration resulting in green, blue, or purple color of skin, along with tenderness.
All these tissue damage symptoms may affect your daily life activities after you experienced a car accident. Symptoms may appear after 24 to 48 hours but in some cases may appear after more time. Therefore, if you have been involved in a car accident, you should go for a proper diagnosis and seek medical care immediately.
What is soft tissue swelling?
Soft tissue swelling, pain, or discoloration may be the result of blunt force such as a slip and fall, blow, or kick as well as a car accident. Treatment for soft tissue contusion may include rest, ice, compression, and elevation.
What is the best treatment for a soft tissue injury?
Treatment for soft tissue injuries requires proper rest, elevation, compression, and anti-inflammatory medicines. To reduce swelling in acute injuries, ice packs can be used on the injured area.
In addition, corticosteroid injections can also reduce pain and inflammation. In case of infection, bursitis may arise and antibiotics may assist in soft tissue injury treatment.
Which technology is best for locating soft tissue injuries?
MRI technology can be used to assess soft tissue injuries such as ligament tears, cartilage injuries, or muscle injuries. Injuries to bone marrow can also be investigated when inflammation or infection occurs. MRI or CT scan can also detect subtle fractures.
How to prove fault after sustaining a soft tissue injury
Seeking medical care is the first step that needs to be taken after a car accident. It may lead to hefty medical expenses that you need to pay. Thereafter, you may need to file a car accident lawsuit to pursue compensation.
If someone else is at fault for the accident, you may pursue compensation for medical bills, property damage, lost wages, and pain and suffering. The average settlement for soft tissue injury car accidents varies, depending on the different factors of the case
Get legal help to pursue compensation for your injuries after a car crash
Schedule a free case consultation with an injury law firm that can help you settle your insurance claim. An insurance company may try to lower the amount you receive or deny your claim. A skilled attorney will help you estimate your appropriate settlement amount.