Car accidents can be extremely traumatic, frequently resulting in injuries, sometimes serious, life-changing injuries like broken bones, traumatic brain injuries, or paralysis.
Even if you make it out of a car accident seemingly unharmed, you might still have a severe injury that isn't immediately evident for several reasons.
Symptoms of soft tissue damage sometimes take a while to develop, so you should always seek medical care following a car accident.
You should also be aware of the symptoms of soft tissue injuries so you know what to look out for and seek medical treatment without delay.
Being armed with this information will help ensure that you can curb any long-lasting side effects from your car accident and pursue compensation for your injuries.
In the article below, we'll take a look at a few examples of soft tissue injuries and how you can treat them.
Want more information on how a chiropractor can treat your injuries?
Read our blog post: "The 10 Different Types of Chiropractic Therapies."
Table Of Contents
- What Are Soft Tissue Injuries?
- Home Treatments For Soft Tissue Injuries
- Soft Tissue Injuries Are Serious Too
What Are Soft Tissue Injuries?
Injuries like broken bones and lacerations are obvious immediately following your car accident.
However, injuries to your body's soft tissues, like your muscles, tendons, and ligaments, are usually less noticeable.
The violent motion your body experiences in a collision can result in a variety of injuries to these tissues, including:
Whiplash
Neck injuries, such as Whiplash, occur due to sudden movement of the head due to a vehicle being struck from the back, front, or side.
Whiplash causes a great deal of neck pain and limited range of motion in the neck, shoulders, and upper arms and can lead to numbness in the hands.
Sprains
Ligaments in the body's joints, like your elbows, knees, or ankles, can stretch or tear during an auto accident. These injuries are known as sprains.
These injuries will likely cause pain in the joints, muscle spasms, muscle weakness, swelling, and cramps.
Strains
Strains occur when your muscles or tendons are stretched or torn due to the trauma of the car accident.
Common symptoms include pain, muscle spasms, swelling, and cramping.
Contusions
Blows to the body during the accident can result in painful bruises when blood pools under the skin around an injury, known as contusions.
In some cases, contusions cause crash victims severe pain.
Home Treatments For Soft Tissue Injuries
If you can't immediately seek medical intervention and have your injuries examined and treated, there are a few things you can do for yourself at home.
There is a wide range of treatments that a doctor may typically recommend when someone has injured a muscle, tendon, or ligament.
You should begin prompt treatment immediately after the injury and continue treatment for the next 24-48 hours.
If the symptoms persist after 48 hours, injury victims should see their doctor.
The treatment is referred to as RICE and works as follows:
- Rest: Rest the injured area. Avoid moving it and try to keep weight off it. Use splints, braces, canes, or crutches when available.
- Ice: Ice the injury for 20 minutes four to eight times a day. This is especially necessary within the first 3 days. Never allow ice to touch the skin directly.
- Compression: Compression is effective for up to 1 week. Wrap the bandage tightly enough to support the area without cutting off blood flow.
- Elevation: Elevation reduces swelling and bruising by making it more difficult for blood to reach the injury. Experts say it is best to elevate the area for 2–3 hours a day.
Want more information on the best way to treat your injuries? Read our blog post: "3 Best Ways to Treat Back Pain After a Car Accident."
Soft Tissue Injuries Are Serious Too
Even though they aren't immediately apparent and might seem like minor injuries, they can cause severe damage, often take a long time to heal, and can seriously impact daily life.
Some injuries to ligaments or tendons can even require surgery, and neck or spine damage can result in permanent disability.
Soft tissue injuries shouldn't be taken lightly, and you need to receive treatment from a medical professional for these types of injuries just as you would for a broken bone or a deep laceration.
If you are in Georgia or Tennessee, we invite you to visit one of the Car Accident Clinics at the Car Wreck Doctor.
Their team of Accident Injury Chiropractors and Medical Doctors have been treating Car Accident Victims for 40 years.
If someone else's negligent driving caused your motor vehicle accident, the team at Car Wreck Doctor can also provide you with a referral to expert personal injury lawyers who can help with your soft tissue injury claim.
Filing an insurance claim against the at-fault driver without the help of an experienced car accident attorney can be very difficult to do on your own.
Your accident lawyer will sign a lien of protection with your chiropractor to make sure you do not have any out-of-pocket expenses or medical costs to pay until your accident claim is won.
Personal injury claims can take time, especially if the insurance companies cannot come to an agreement and are not offering you a fair settlement for your losses.
You deserve to receive an accident settlement that will not only cover your medical expenses but also provide you with maximum compensation for pain and suffering.
We will put you in touch with a personal injury law firm near you so you can speak with an experienced attorney about how they can best assist with your soft tissue injury case.
You do not have to live in chronic pain. If you are ready to begin the soft tissue injury recovery process and want to file a personal injury lawsuit, we can help.
If you need chiropractic care for your soft-tissue injuries and are looking for personal injury protection, click the button below for a free consultation.