Soft Tissue Injuries from Car Accidents

Most people are aware of the fact that car accidents can lead to severe and life-changing injuries. However, one of the most common types of injuries is less visible than others: soft tissue injuries.

Soft tissue injuries are usually very complex and tricky, as many accident victims do not realize they have one until hours, days, or weeks after the car accident. Knowing and understanding these injuries is important to ensure prompt medical treatment and prevent some of the long-term side effects and complications.

What are soft tissue injuries?

According to Medical News Today, soft tissue injuries affect the ligaments, muscles, and tendons in various parts of the body. These injuries do not usually consist of any injury to the bone, but they can affect the tissue around the bone. To give you a better understanding, we will go over what your ligaments, muscles, and tendons are below.

• Ligaments: Your ligaments are responsible for providing stability to your body. They do this by connecting bones with other bones.
• Muscles: Your muscles are tough and sturdy fibers that help you move and carry out certain functions. They do this by expanding and contracting.
• Tendons: Your tendons are very strong tissue that attaches the muscle to your bones. They are very valuable in providing muscle strength, which benefits your joints and bones.

As you can see, when you experience a soft tissue injury, you may find it challenging to move, lift items, complete your daily tasks, and carry out your everyday routine.

What are the common causes of soft tissue injuries in car accidents?

There are two main causes of soft tissue injuries in car accidents, which are:

1. Trauma: When involved in a car accident, it is common for the body to experience sudden, intense, and forceful impact. This usually happens because the two vehicles were likely traveling at normal to fast speeds, and the collision caused them to stop within seconds immediately. As a result, the body is subject to quick and forceful movements, causing it to hit various objects within the vehicle. These impacts can lead to bruises, cuts, and puncture wounds, which severely affect and damage the soft tissues within the body.
2. Stretching: When an individual experiences the force and impact of an accident, it is not uncommon for their body to be thrown around, bent in abnormal ways, and overly stretched out. Even if a person is fit and exercises often, their body is not ready for the amount of sudden twisting, turning, and bending that a car accident causes. As a result, their muscles, ligaments, and tendons could become too stretched, resulting in soft tissue injuries.

What type of soft tissue injuries usually arise from car accidents in Columbus?

Soft tissue injuries are very common after a car accident. You may not initially feel any pain or symptoms, but there is a strong chance that you have some type of tissue damage. Even if you feel completely fine, you should seek medical attention as soon as possible to identify your injuries and begin a treatment plan. The following are the six most common soft tissue injuries that occur in car accidents:

• Sprains: A sprain occurs when one of your ligaments is overly stretched or torn. The most common areas of the body that are at risk of being sprained during a car accident are the ankles, wrists, knees, elbows, and shoulders. If you have a sprain, you will likely have pain, swelling, and bruising in a certain area of your body.
• Contusions: A contusion is a severe bruise. These injuries usually occur when the body experiences some type of hard or forceful impact, causing the blood vessels to become damaged and the blood to leak out. It is very common to experience a contusion in a car crash as the body may slam into various objects within the car, such as the dashboard, the steering wheel, airbags, and more. Contusions are typically blue or purple and are very sore to the touch.
• Strains: A strain is similar to a sprain, except these injuries affect the muscles and tendons. The muscles and tendons are at serious risk of being stretched and torn in an accident. The most common areas of the body that experience strains in an accident are the back, the legs, the neck, and the shoulders. You will likely experience increased soreness, inflammation, bruising, muscle spasms, and more if you have a strain.
• Whiplash: Whiplash is a serious neck injury that occurs when the muscles, tendons, and ligaments in the neck become injured or damaged due to quick and sudden back-and-forth movements, commonly in a rear-end accident. Those diagnosed with whiplash usually have severe neck pain, stiffness, headaches, and numbness.
• Rotator cuff tears: A rotator cuff tear is a serious injury in the shoulder area. When an individual has a rotator cuff tear, their muscles and tendons have been injured, damaged, and torn within the shoulder. Intense pain and muscle weakness are the main symptoms of this type of injury.
• Pinched nerves: A pinched nerve often emerges when too much force or pressure is placed on the muscles, tendons, bones, or cartilage, compressing the nerves. These injuries are very painful, cause swelling, and can lead to permanent numbness.

What are the long-term effects of soft tissue injuries?

Since soft tissue injuries do not consist of a bone or an organ, many people downplay these injuries. However, these injuries can cause long-term and debilitating effects that impact every person’s life. Here are some of the long-lasting effects that often accompany soft tissue injuries:

• Chronic and recurring pain
• Permanent numbness
• Headaches
• Limited mobility
• Permanent nerve damage
• Loss of function
• Reduced range of motion
• Mental and psychological effects

What can I do if I suffered a soft tissue injury in a car crash?

If you suffered a soft tissue injury in a car crash, you may be entitled to compensation for your damages. However, before you can hold the responsible party accountable and receive any money for your losses, you must be able to prove that the responsible party acted negligently, resulting in your injuries. This can be very difficult as soft tissue injuries do not often show up on imaging and diagnostic tests or present symptoms right after the crash.

Hiring a Columbus car accident lawyer to assist you with the legal process is strongly recommended to increase your chances of successfully proving that the responsible party was negligent in their actions and ensure that the insurance company offers you a fair and just settlement.

At Soroka & Associates, we take pride in helping car accident victims obtain the financial recovery they need to cover their medical bills, lost income, property damage, pain and suffering, and more. Please call our office or submit our contact form to schedule a free consultation at our office in Columbus today.