Experienced Soft Tissue Injury Lawyer

An Invisible Injury With Debilitating Symptoms

People typically think of broken bones when they think of the physical consequences related to accidents. While broken bones can be serious and require extensive treatment and pain management, there are also other injuries that can cause a lot of pain and require a long recovery process.

Many soft tissue injuries such as back pain, neck pain, ankle sprains, muscle spasms, can be minor or heal over time, however, many others come with long-lasting effects and are permanent in nature. When these injuries become serious, individuals are left with no other choice but to change the way they live. Soft tissue damage can be catastrophic for some people and can have life-altering effects.

While soft tissue injuries affect everyone differently, and come in varying degrees of severity, regardless, it can be very difficult for the accident victims to lead a normal life. Soft tissue injuries can also be so debilitating that the injured person is no longer able to work their normal job. The pain can be so severe that the activities of daily living that the injured victim used to participate in are no longer possible to achieve whatsoever, or without help and accommodation.

There is no simple fix or cookie-cutter fix to soft tissue injuries. Healing requires both pain management and a multidisciplinary approach to rehabilitation. It is common for physiatrists, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, social workers, rheumatologists and many more to be a part of the health care professional team involved in getting an injured victim better.

Understanding Soft-tissue Injuries

Soft tissue injuries consist of damage to muscles, ligaments or tendons, but typically do not result in muscle tears, partial tears, torn ligaments, or fractures to bones. Soft-tissue injuries often result in swelling, bruising, muscle strain or sprain, and sometimes develop into chronic pain. Whiplash and other soft-tissue injuries in the neck and back are common among injured victims and early treatment and rehabilitation can help the healing process to prevent further complications.

Soft tissue injuries can result from sports injuries, tennis elbow, overuse, falls, motor vehicle accidents, and many other ways. In the event that a serious impact of some kind takes place, the affected areas of the body can be damaged by the stress of the collision, which can lead to stretching and tearing of muscles, ligaments, and tendons.

Contusion is a fancy word for a bruise. Bruising is one of the more common soft tissue injuries and can occur when a direct blow or repeated blow strikes a part of the body, crushing the underlying muscle fibers and connective tissue. Contusions can cause swelling, discoloration, and significant pain, and icing the injured area, as well as resting it, can provide some relief as an initial form of treatment. After just a few days, inflammation and swelling should start to decrease.

A sprain is when a ligament is stretched, which then requires healing. There can also be a minor tear with a sprain. Moderate sprains often require a period of bracing and may take some time before the injury is weight-bearing.

A strain, on the other hand, involves a stretched or torn muscle or tendon, such as a hamstring strain, sometimes called a pulled hamstring. When ligament, muscle, or tendon has become torn, there is a partial or complete rupture of the soft tissue. Some of these types of injuries can be extremely painful. Physical therapy will be one of the forms of initial treatment and should be helpful in addressing the pain. Physical activity and physiotherapy will help your blood flow and your range of motion should improve. With any luck, the severe pain you were feeling will begin to subside.

These types of injuries are categorized by “Grade”, which allows the doctor to give patients a simplified approach to their injury. In short, a Grade I injury typically heals on their own in a few weeks, and results in little to no joint instability. Grade II more often than, not heal on its own, but can sometimes require surgery. A Grade III results in a complete tear and requires surgery. While generally splints are used when a bone is broken, they can also be used immediately following an injury when swelling is affecting the injured area. There are also overuse injuries such as bursitis, which is the inflammation of the bursa. These injuries can also be caused by direct trauma. Other overuse injuries would be tennis elbow, as mentioned above, tendinitis, and Achilles-tendon injury. Overuse injuries generally take place over a period of time, whereas an acute injury, typically has a severe and sudden onset.

The most common reason the pain can still linger with a soft tissue injury is because of scar tissue. Many people with soft tissue injuries will describe a feeling that the area of the body is not working right, or that it is weaker, and this is usually from a buildup of scar tissue.

Experienced Representation Helps Healing And Your Case

The lawyers at Bernstein Law Group can assist you in your soft-tissue injury case and help you achieve the recovery you deserve—both from a health perspective and financially.

Call us at 905-546-1990 or email us if you have suffered a soft tissue or other injury in Hamilton, Toronto, Brantford, Burlington, Oakville, Mississauga, and the rest of Southern Ontario.