A soft injury is the easiest type of injury to overlook when you are involved in a car accident. Because they do not involve bones or organs, soft tissue injuries are often dismissed as minor and simply treated with age and time. Unfortunately, these injuries can be more serious than they initially appear and can lead to chronic headache.
What is a soft tissue injury?
A soft tissue injury is any injury or damage to muscles, ligaments and tendons. Estimates indicate that as many as eighty percent of people in car accidents suffer minor injuries. Sometimes these injuries are not detected immediately because they do not show up on X-rays, and often do not become serious until some time after the accident occurs.
One of the most common soft tissue injuries to occur in a car accident is whiplash. Usually caused by a rear-end collision, whiplash is caused by a rapid tossing of the head forward and then backward. Severe soft tissue damage can occur, including strains or tears to the ligaments and tendons of the neck, or even the discs between the vertebrae that can neck
Other soft tissue injuries include bruises or contusions, as well as strains, sprains or tears of muscles or ligaments.
What Causes Soft Tissue Injuries?
Soft tissue can be easily torn or constricted in the case of a coach, when the body automatically tightens or twists in an attempt to avoid injury, or when the force of collisions causes irritation. A dramatic or high-speed collision is not necessary to cause soft tissue damage – in fact, many soft tissue injuries are the result of collisions that occur at less than ten miles per hour.
Because low-impact accidents involve accidents causing minimal damage to vehicles, it is easy to ignore the resulting injuries. And since injuries are soft, they are particularly easily mistaken, the matter is compounded. After a car accident, depending on the severity, a doctor must be evaluated to determine the possibility of injury.
What are some symptoms of soft tissue injuries?
Symptoms of soft tissue injuries can manifest some time after the car accident occurs-sometimes for several days or several weeks . Even if you are treated and released by paramedics or an emergency, keep an eye out. for unusual discomfort or pain. Indications for awareness include:
• Head
• neck pain
• Sore muscles or nerves in the back
• Tingling or numbness in the extremities
• Dizziness or nausea
If you experience any of these, or any discomfort or pain after a car accident, see your doctor immediately to determine if the symptoms were due to a soft tissue injury suffered in the accident. If they are, consulting with an attorney will help determine the best way to pursue compensation for your injuries.
