What Is a Soft Tissue Injury?
Soft tissue injuries are quite common these days. It’s an injury to “soft” areas of the body, particularly to ligaments, cartilage, muscles and tendons. It occurs when a person undergoes a trauma such as a car accident, or an overuse injury of a particular area such as a muscle in the neck from sitting at the computer too long with poor posture. Soft tissue injuries can be responsible for swelling, pain, bruising and can cause loss of function of certain areas of the body.
There are basically two types of soft tissue injuries –
1. Acute injuries – These injuries are caused due to accidents such as slip and falls, trauma faced in a car accident, or a sudden blow to the body. For instance, sprain, strains, and contusions.
Sprains – A sprain occurs when the ligament (connective tissue) connecting one bone to another is stretched or torn. Since the primary function of ligaments is to connect the joints and stabilize them, an injury caused to the ligament may hurt the individual for a long time or require surgery such as a torn ACL in the knee.
Strains – Strains injure the muscles and tendons. Tendons comprise of fibrous cords of tissue, attaching bones to muscles. Strains can cause cramping, muscle weakness, swelling, and spasms. An example of strain is Whiplash in which muscles and tendons are stretched due to sudden jerking of head and neck backward and then forward rigorously.
Contusions – Contusions are bruises caused by force or blow to the underlying muscle fibers which normally crush small blood vessels such as capillaries or fibers of fascia or connective tissue, causing discoloration and blood pooling in the affected area.
2. Overuse injuries – An overuse injury is caused due to a certain activity repeated after frequent intervals. This causes the body to not get enough time to heal between the activity causing pain that can happen at different intervals due to recurring inflammation.
Symptoms of soft tissue injuries
When soft tissue is injured, the affected areas of the body can suffer pain and a delayed swelling may occur. Stiffness is quite common as a consequence of trauma and swelling. In the case of moderate to severe soft tissue muscle injuries, a person may experience instability particularly to weight bearing components such as knee, ankle, and hips.
Treatment
The treatment options may vary depending on the injury. If pain continues after a certain period of time, consult with a professional for a thorough diagnosis, based on which, a patient may be asked to follow a specific treatment plan to properly heal the injury.
In most cases, a chiropractor or physical therapist can help in relieving symptoms of such issues. Chiropractic treatment for soft tissue injuries generally comprises a combination of multiple techniques such as adjustments, physical therapy, massage, and acupuncture depending on what each patient needs.