Soft Tissue Injuries Common in Car Accidents

NC Car Accident Lawyer

The impact of a car crash can cause severe damage to the body. Hard braking, involuntarily bracing for impact, and the crash itself can jolt the body around inside the car. According to a 2002 study by the Insurance Research Council tears, sprains and strains, referred to as soft tissue injuries, are the most common type of injury reported by car accident claimants. 8 out of 10 persons injured in a car accident suffer this type of injury (Insurance Research Council, 2002). These injuries may be harder to identify than broken bones and other injuries, but they are very familiar to a car accident lawyer.

Whiplash and Other Soft Tissue Injuries Familiar to Lawyers

Soft tissue is the name given to those supporting parts of the body that are not bones. Muscles, tendons, and ligaments are considered soft tissues. The force of impact from a car crash can stretch the fibers of soft tissues to the breaking point, damaging them considerably. The result of this damage is bleeding, swelling, pain and loss of function.

Injuries to soft tissues do not show up on x-rays, so it is very difficult to immediately determine whether these areas have been damaged. Symptoms may not be felt until hours or even days after a car accident. Once symptoms do appear, however, they can be extremely painful and persistent. Inflammation, which is the body's natural response to injury, helps alert the injured person that the body part should be protected to avoid further damage, but it can cause considerable pain and even inhibit the healing process if it is not controlled. It is this pain that often prompts a call to a car accident lawyer. If you've been in a car accident, been to the emergency room and are still having pain, now may be the time to consult a car accident attorney about your injury.

The common soft tissue injury that occurs when a person is riding in a car that is hit from behind is known as whiplash. Upon impact, the head may snap forward in a recoil motion. It is easy to see why this damage can happen, when you consider that the head itself weighs up to 15 pounds, the equivalent of the average bowling ball. When the head snaps backward in this way, it can create as much as 500 lbs. of force on the neck. Whiplash can cause joint dysfunction, herniation of spinal discs, faulty movement patterns of the head and neck, and chronic pain and fatigue.

Treatment of Soft Tissue Injuries

Correct management of pain and other symptoms after the car accident can be vital for recovery from soft tissue injuries. We recommend you see your doctor immediately if your ability to move is impaired, or if the pain and swelling do not subside after a couple of days, even if you have been examined and released by hospital emergency room staff after your accident.

Treatment of soft tissue injury is largely conservative in nature and aims to return the patient to the normal range of motion he enjoyed prior to his car accident. The regimen usually involves two phases: the repair phase, which can last six weeks or more and involves encouraging the body to heal itself through very gentle therapy, and a remodeling and maturation phase, which can continue for up to 12 months and involves a progressive re-training and re-strengthening of the body to move in the proper motion without further strain. The second phase commonly involves an active physical therapy routine that may include stretching, strengthening, and aerobic conditioning of the injured areas. Non-prescription and prescription medications to relieve pain and inflammation may be administered.

Severe injuries where the tissue has completely ruptured may need surgery to sew the torn pieces back together. This grade of injury can require significant physical therapy and rehabilitation to recover the strength and function of the injured area. Continued treatment may be expensive. Consider consulting now with a car accident lawyer who can determine what benefits may be available to you.

Car Accident Case Review

Once we receive your information, we will route your inquiry to our car accident injury team. Every effort will be made to contact you within one business day. You will never be obligated to hire a car accident lawyer. For immediate help call us now, toll-free, at 1-866-780-3551.