Soft tissue injuries are common and can happen due to accidents, falls, or physical strain. They affect the muscles, tendons, and ligaments and can cause swelling, pain, and mobility issues. Unlike fractures or visible wounds, soft tissue injuries are often tough to diagnose and treat.
These kinds of injuries are all too common in Las Vegas. Understanding what they are, what causes them, and how to treat soft tissue injuries can help you make a full recovery.
What Is a Soft Tissue Injury?
A soft tissue injury refers to damage or trauma to any of the soft parts of the body that help with mobility and support. Sudden trauma usually causes them, but they can also develop from overuse or repetitive stress.
Common types of soft tissue injuries include:
- Sprains: A ligament (typically affecting the knee, wrist, or ankle) getting stretched or torn
- Strains: A muscle or tendon, often in the back or hamstring, being stretched or torn
- Bruises: A blow or impact to the body causing localized bleeding under the skin
- Tendonitis: A tendon, often in the shoulders, elbows, or knees, becoming inflamed
- Bursitis: The bursa (a small sac filled with fluid that cushions bones and muscles) becoming inflamed, often due to repetitive motion or pressure
- Whiplash: The neck becoming strained due to rapid back-and-forth motion, usually during an accident
Any of these injuries can range from mild to severe, and symptoms can vary depending on the severity of the trauma.
What Are Common Causes of Soft Tissue Injuries?
In a large, active city like Las Vegas, several situations can cause soft tissue injuries. One of the most common is car accidents. With the streets often congested with traffic, even minor fender benders can cause people to get hurt.
Las Vegas’s streets, businesses, and entertainment venues also tend to be quite busy. Slip and fall accidents are common in places with wet floors, uneven surfaces, bad lighting, and poorly kept walkways. They happen especially frequently in spaces like malls, restaurants, and amusement parks.
With several outdoor activities available to both locals and visitors, it’s common to see people get hurt while hiking or playing sports. These activities may be fun and healthy, but they can also lead to sprained ankles, torn ligaments, and strained muscles.
For people who work in physically demanding industries like construction or hospitality, injuries often come from repetitive motion. Heavy lifting and slips are also common, putting workers at risk from the physical demands of their jobs.
What Are the Symptoms of a Soft Tissue Injury?
It can be tough to identify a soft tissue injury. Symptoms aren’t always immediately obvious, and the pain can sometimes take hours or even days to appear.
Signs of a soft tissue injury might include:
- Pain: Often localized around the injury but can also radiate to surrounding areas
- Swelling: Can appear immediately or gradually
- Bruising: Discoloration where the blood vessels have been broken
- Stiffness and Reduced Range of Motion: Moving the injured area can become difficult and painful
- Muscle Spasms or Cramping: Muscles around the injury may contract involuntarily
If you experience any of these symptoms after being in an accident or engaging in strenuous activity, it’s a good idea for you to get checked out by a doctor. Most soft tissue injuries heal on their own with enough rest and simple at-home care. However, some of these injuries might need more extensive treatment, such as physical therapy or even surgery.
What Are the Diagnosis and Treatment Options For a Soft Tissue Injury?
To properly treat a soft tissue injury, you need the right diagnosis. Depending on your symptoms, this might involve little more than a physical exam from a doctor. They’ll likely look at your range of motion, pain levels, and any visible signs of damage. More serious cases might require you to get X-rays or MRIs done to rule out fractures and more serious trauma.
With mild and some moderate injuries, you can usually treat them at home with the RICE method.
RICE stands for:
- Rest: Avoid putting weight or strain on the injured area to prevent additional harm
- Ice: Apply ice for 15 to 20 minutes several times a day in order to reduce swelling and numb the pain
- Compression: Wrap the injury with an elastic bandage to help lower swelling and provide support
- Elevation: Hold the area elevated above your heart level to keep the swelling down
More severe injuries could require physical therapy to rebuild flexibility and strength in the affected area. A physical therapist can guide you through exercises to improve your range of motion and reduce your chances of hurting the area again. This is especially important for serious sprains and strains.
Over-the-counter (OTC) pain relievers, like acetaminophen and ibuprofen, can assist with managing pain and reducing inflammation. Prescription medications could also be necessary if the pain is too severe for OTC meds to make any difference. Your doctor might also give you muscle relaxants if you’re dealing with muscle spasms.
Rarely, some soft tissue injuries need surgery to correct. This is generally reserved for severe ligament tears and tendon ruptures that don’t heal with less invasive treatments. Surgery would help repair the damaged tissue and restore full function to the area around the injury.
How Long Does It Take To Recover From a Soft Tissue Injury?
The time it takes to recover from a soft tissue injury will depend on its severity and your overall health. Minor injuries usually only take a few days to heal, while major trauma could require months of rehab and therapy.
Listen to your doctor’s advice and follow through with your physical therapy to improve your chances of reaching a full recovery.
How Can You Prevent a Soft Tissue Injury?
Not all accidents can be prevented, but there are a few things you can do to reduce your chances of getting a soft tissue injury.
Some tips include:
- Exercise Warm-Ups: Gently stretch and warm up your muscles before exercising
- Proper Techniques: With sports and weight lifting, check that you’re using the correct form to avoid unnecessary strain
- Strength Training: Build strength in your muscles, especially in the core and lower body, to stabilize joints
- Take Breaks: Take regular breaks from repetitive tasks
Soft tissue injuries can be painful and debilitating, but most people recover fully with proper treatment.
A Las Vegas Personal Injury Lawyer Can Help You Pursue Compensation If You’ve Suffered Soft Tissue Injuries
Have you suffered a soft tissue injury in Las Vegas because of someone else’s negligence? If so, you might be able to collect compensation for your medical bills, lost wages, and pain and suffering. Contact Battle Born Injury Lawyers to schedule a free evaluation of your case at 702-570-9000.
