Muscle strains, joint sprains, and other forms of soft tissue damage are serious injuries that can cause impairment and chronic pain.
If you or a loved one experienced a soft tissue injury from an accident you did not cause, you can work with our lawyers and file a claim to pursue compensation. Although providing evidence for soft tissue injuries can be complex, our team at Rikard & Protopapas is skilled at communicating with insurers and fighting for fair settlements in Columbia. Contact our injury attorneys in Columbia about your soft tissue damage.
What Are Common Soft Tissue Injury Examples?
The term soft tissue refers to parts of your body that are not skeletal, including your muscles, ligaments and tendons. These tissues help your body move, and damage to them can make everyday activities more difficult.
Some soft tissue injuries are acute, while others develop over time. Soft tissue injury examples range in severity from mild bruising to more serious conditions like torn ligaments.
Ligament sprains
Ligaments are a type of connective tissue that link bones together and enable movement. They can become damaged if your joints move in unnatural ways.
Minor sprains occur when ligaments stretch too much. More severe sprains can include partial or complete tearing of ligaments. Ankles, wrists, and knees are common sites for sprains.
Muscle and tendon strains
Strains include injuries to the muscles as well as the tendons that connect muscles to bones. Some strains are mild, resulting from minor overstretching of a muscle or tendon. However, there are also serious strains, including torn tendons and muscles, that may require surgery. Strains often impact large muscle groups in the legs and back.
Contusions
Contusions are bruises that arise when an injury damages the blood vessels beneath the skin. They lead to discoloration and can cause swelling, sensitivity and weakness. Large or persistent contusions may be symptomatic of underlying injuries.
Overuse injuries
Repetitive motion, poor ergonomics, and overexertion can contribute to soft tissue injuries that develop slowly over time. Overuse injuries include inflammatory conditions like tendinitis and bursitis that impact the joints. If left unaddressed, overuse injuries can become severe enough to necessitate medical treatment, including physical therapy and surgery.
What Causes Soft Tissue Damage?
Our soft tissue injury lawyer can assist you in filing a claim for a wide range of different incidents. For example, damage to the soft tissues is common after falling. Slipping on a wet surface or tripping over a cable may cause a sprained ankle. It’s also possible to sprain your wrist when attempting to break a fall.
Motor vehicle accidents often result in soft tissue damage, including contusions and sprains. Even relatively low-speed collisions can cause painful muscle strains. Accidents involving pedestrians and cyclists can also lead to serious soft tissue injuries.
In some cases, unsafe services and defective products can cause accidents that result in soft tissue injuries. Dog bites can even injure your soft tissues.
What Are the Symptoms of Soft Tissue Injuries?
Frequently, soft tissue damage manifests as pain or swelling at the injury site.
Pain may be constant or occur only when moving. Soft tissue injuries can make movement more difficult and limit your ability to walk, stand, and complete daily tasks. The stress of living with a soft tissue injury can also contribute to mental health issues.
Sprains can reduce your ability to move specific joints and cause instability.
Sometimes sprained joints struggle to bear weight. Pain and numbness can affect your joints and surrounding areas if you have a sprain. A popping sound or sensation in your joint at the time of injury may indicate a sprain.
Strains can cause muscular weakness, swelling, and tenderness. Muscle strains can lead to spasms in the affected area as well. Bruising and redness often occur when you strain a muscle. A severe strain that tears a tendon or muscle can result in a complete inability to move any associated body parts.
Delayed symptoms of soft tissue damage
Soft tissue injury symptoms may not always appear immediately. Delayed symptoms are common, especially after a sudden accident or traumatic incident.
During emergencies, a rush of adrenaline can suppress pain in the short term.
Furthermore, the inflammation and swelling that accompany many soft tissue injuries can affect your nervous system and delay the sensation of pain for days or weeks. Seeking prompt medical care and working with a soft tissue injury lawyer can help you document your delayed injury symptoms.
Whiplash is a type of neck injury that involves damage to the muscles and connective tissues. It often occurs after vehicular crashes, especially rear-end collisions. The symptoms of whiplash, which include neck pain, headaches and a reduced range of motion in the upper back and shoulders, may take several days to develop.
How Much Can You Expect from a Soft Tissue Injury Claim?
The value of your injury claim can differ greatly depending on the circumstances behind the accident and the severity of the damage. Soft tissue injury claims sometimes result in smaller settlements than injuries like broken bones, which tend to be easier to prove. Fortunately, our lawyers have experience with the complexities of demonstrating soft tissue injuries and their detrimental effects.
Soft tissue injuries that cause long-term symptoms or disabilities may lead to higher-value claims. These injuries may require costly ongoing treatments and can diminish your future earning potential.
Furthermore, your injury claim may result in a larger settlement if you did not share fault for the incident that injured you. Insurance coverage and policy maximums can also affect the outcome of your injury claim. You can discuss the range of values expected for your case with our soft tissue injury lawyer.
Consult Our Soft Tissue Injury Lawyers in Columbia Today
At Rikard & Protopapas, our team knows that soft tissue damage can be as severe and life-altering as other injuries. If you have a soft tissue injury, it can cause discomfort and impairment that affect your daily life.
Remember: medical treatment for a severe soft tissue injury can be lengthy and expensive. A soft tissue injury claim can help you receive a fair settlement and the support you need to recover. Contact our firm to talk through the details of your case with our soft tissue injury lawyer in Columbia, SC, today.