Any injuries that damage the body’s soft tissues or connective tissues are called soft tissue injuries. The most common symptoms of soft tissue injuries resulting due to car accidents are pain, swelling, discoloration, and limited range of motion starting 1 to 2 days after the accident.
Don’t neglect pain that develops following a car accident, even if it seems minor at the scene of the accident. The impact of car accidents can cause different types of soft tissue injuries, including sprains and traumatic brain injuries, which can significantly affect the daily life of the accident victim.
Specialty Care Clinics provide quality treatment for soft tissue injuries. Our team of healthcare professionals will help you recover from this condition regardless it is minor or major, visit us immediately, dial 469-545-9983 to book an appointment.
WHAT ARE SOFT TISSUE INJURIES?
Soft tissue injuries refer to the impairment of soft tissues such as muscles or connective tissues such as tendons and ligaments. Individual fibers make up both types of tissue. Tissue damage occurs when individual fibers are stretched, torn, or inflamed.
Soft tissue injuries occur when the body experiences trauma such as overuse or accidental blunt trauma to specific parts of the body. Soft tissue injuries are common in vehicle accidents because the force of impact is often exerted on the accident victims.
Even in a minor crash, the force exerted can fiercely push accident victims across the vehicle. This movement stretches the tissue beyond its normal range of motion and can cause partial or complete tearing of individual tissue fibers. The forceful impact can also damage blood cells within the tissue.
COMMON SOFT TISSUE INJURIES DUE TO CAR ACCIDENTS:
Soft tissue is much more at risk of damage than the rigid structures of the body, such as bone. This may explain why soft tissue injuries are one of the most common accidental injuries. Here are the types of soft tissue injuries most common in car crashes.
- Contusions (Bruises)
Contusions (Bruises) are collections of damaged blood vessels under the skin’s surface. Blunt trauma is the main cause of contusions. During motor accidents, slamming against the steering wheel, dashboard, or side window is the main cause of contusions.
The symptoms of a bruise are skin discoloration (blue, purple, or green) and pain. Bruising is also a common symptom of injury for more serious injuries, such as a sprain. A diagnosis of infection is essential to confirm that there is no longer a serious injury.
- Whiplash Injury
The most frequent kind of neck injury from automobile accidents is whiplash, a hyperextension injury that affects soft tissues in the neck. A whiplash injury happens when the head suddenly swings back and forth, shredding a number of soft tissue fibers. Cervical strain is a term that describes whiplash frequently, but the back-and-forth motion can also harm ligaments and even neck joints.
Sharp neck pain, stiffness in the neck, shoulder discomfort, and headaches are all signs of whiplash. Whiplash can reduce the neck’s and shoulders’ range of motion, depending on the degree of the injury. To stabilize the soft tissues after a whiplash injury, a neck brace is frequently needed for many weeks.
Late symptoms of pain usually begin 24 to 48 hours after the accident, but can take more than a week to fully develop. See your doctor as soon as neck pain begins for the best chance of a full recovery and to avoid chronic pain from untreated whiplash.
- Strains
An injury to muscles and the tendons like connective tissue that links muscles to bones is referred to as a soft tissue strain. Soft tissue strains, like sprains, happen when the tissue is forced over its usual range of motion, leading to a partial or full tear. After rear-end accidents, knee strains, commonly known as dashboard knee, frequently result in knee pain.
Muscular aches, muscle weakness, and restricted range of motion are all typical symptoms of soft tissue injuries. Muscle spasms, which happen when soft tissue spontaneously stretches and contracts to improve blood flow, are a telltale indicator of a strain.
- Sprains
Ligaments are connective tissues that are impacted by soft tissue sprains. Ligaments act as a link between bones and joints and provide stability to joints by limiting mobility. Sprains happen when a ligament has an abrupt stress that prevents the tissue from moving normally. As many accident victims grab the steering wheel to brace for impact, they are a frequent source of wrist discomfort following a vehicle accident.
Sprains are classified into two categories, partial tears, and full tears. A total tear could need surgical repair, although a minor tear might mend on its own in two to three weeks. Limited range of motion, redness, and swelling are typical signs of a soft tissue sprain.
Soft tissue injuries affect people’s lives, get them treated immediately. Seek professional treatment at Specialty Care Clinics and recover faster, call us at 469-545-9983 to book an appointment.