Any injury to your body’s “soft” areas, specifically the muscles, tendons and ligaments, are classified as a soft tissue injury. These injuries can cause pain and discomfort from soreness, stiffness, swelling and bruising, and are common in car accidents. If you begin to feel any of those symptoms after a car accident, your local Bullhead City injury lawyer is standing by to get you the compensation you deserve.
Typical soft tissue injuries include:
- Contusions: bruising from a direct blow that does not break the skin, but causes blood pooling beneath the skin.
- Strains: overstretching and/or tearing of muscles or the tendons that connect muscles to bones.
- Sprains: overstretching and/or tearing of ligaments, which connect bones together in joints.
Sprains and strains are often lumped together, and the terms used interchangeably, but there are distinct differences between the two. Many symptoms are the same, but sprains often include bruising, while strains involve muscle spasms. Soft tissue injuries can be acute (immediately apparent) or chronic, which have long lasting impacts on your daily life.
Common STIs from Car Accidents
According to information gathered by the National Center for Biotechnology Information, low-impact collisions often produce no visible damage to the vehicle, but can still cause occupant injury. In crash tests, occupant injury can occur in accidents at as little as 2.5 miles per hour (mph), while vehicle damage may not occur until 8.7 mph.
This is because the body absorbs the speed from the hit, often causing the neck to snap back and forth and damage the soft tissue. This can result in whiplash, the most common soft tissue injury caused by a car wreck. Information gathered by Dynamic Chiropractic indicates 85% of neck injuries result from rear-end impacts, with impacts as low as five mph.
Other common soft tissue injuries following a car crash can include:
- Contusions from slamming into the steering wheel, console or other parts of the car.
- Contusions to the chest and ribs from the seatbelt.
- Concussion from impacting with the car door or frame.
- Sprains to the wrists, ankles, knees or hips.
- Sprains or strains to the lower or middle back.
Soft Tissue Injury Treatment
Soft tissue damage usually results in immediate pain and immediate or delayed swelling and stiffness. Bruising may also occur in 24 to 48 hours. To alleviate initial symptoms, your doctor may recommend:
- Rest
- Ice packs to alleviate swelling
- Compression to prevent additional swelling
- Lastly, elevation to reduce swelling
You may also require the use of over-the-counter or prescription pain relief medication. For back and neck injuries, apply ice and/or heat to the affected area. Your doctor may prescribe muscle relaxants to allow you to sleep better. A prescribed regimen of stretching exercises can help restore range of motion.
Whiplash treatment varies based on the severity of your injury. Seek medical attention following any accident that causes your body to jerk abruptly. Symptoms of whiplash and other soft tissue injuries may not appear immediately, but cause a slow progression of pain that may indicate a serious injury.
Hire a Top Bullhead City Injury Lawyer
When property damage is minimal, insurance adjusters often argue that soft tissue injuries are fake or more minimal than you claim. If you have been injured in a car accident, contact a Bullhead City injury lawyer at Lerner and Rowe Injury Attorneys. We have the most devoted attorneys in Arizona who will listen to you with compassion and will fight full force to get you the compensation you deserve. Consultations are free, plus there is no fee unless you win! Visit our office from 8 AM to 5 PM, use our online LiveChat, or reach us 24/7 at 928-222-2222.