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Vehicle accidents, work injuries, and slips and falls can all cause soft tissue injuries. These injuries are not always visible to the naked eye, but they can cause substantial pain and suffering for a victim.
Many soft tissue injuries may require long recovery periods. When someone else is at fault for the accident and your resulting injuries, filing a lawsuit may be your only option to recover compensation for your expenses.
While other injuries may be more evident at the scene of the incident, soft tissue injuries may not present symptoms until hours or days after the accident. Soft tissues support and connect the structures like bones and organs.
After an accident with soft tissue injuries, many victims have questions about what to do next. Contacting a Charleston injury lawyer is critical for filing your case promptly. Contact auto accident and personal injury attorney Trey Harrell in Charleston immediately to start your soft tissue injury claim.
Types of Soft Tissue Injuries
Soft tissues include tendons, ligaments, and muscles. Tendons attach muscles to the bones. Ligaments are bands of connective tissue that connect the bones. Muscles surround the joints and allow you to move by relaxing and contracting. Trauma to any of these areas can lead to serious soft tissue injuries.
There are several primary types of soft tissue injuries. These include:
- Whiplash: Whiplash occurs when the body is thrown forward and backward quickly, commonly in rear-end accidents.
- Herniated discs: A herniated disc results from damage to the shock absorber discs between each vertebra in a person’s backbone.
- Pinched nerves: A pinched nerve is formally diagnosed as cervical radiculopathy when a nerve in the neck is irritated or compressed as it branches away from the spinal cord.
- Stress fractures: A diagnosis of a stress fracture involves tiny breaks in the bones caused by trauma or overuse. This is particularly likely to happen to the bones on the foot and the lower leg.
- Tendonitis: Tendonitis refers to small stresses that cause a tendon to swell, and contusions are most frequently known as bruises.
- Sprains: Sprains can be caused by extreme rolling or twisting of the ankle. Many sprains occur due to the ligaments in the knees, wrists, or ankles.
- Strains: A strain is due to tendon or muscle damage caused by extreme stretching or trauma. Severe muscle or tendon tears may require surgery.
Many symptoms and signs of pain overlap, and so it can be hard to tell which of these injuries you’re dealing with after an accident, which is why it’s so important to get medical attention right away. Continue to follow up with all appointments and treatments recommended by your doctor.
While a vehicle is designed to absorb crash impact energy, the same is not true for the human body. Getting attention for a soft tissue injury is crucial if you believe you have damages and need support in pursuing compensation.
Causes of Soft Tissue Injuries
Twisting, blows, or sudden jolts like those common in a vehicle accident can all tear or strain tendons, ligaments, or muscles.
Some of the most common accidents that cause soft tissue injuries include dog bites, playground accidents, motor vehicle accidents, slip-and-falls, being slammed into an object or structure, or being hit by debris or objects.
While there are multiple possible causes of soft tissue pain, many injuries are caused by the impact of a vehicle accident. This can include car, bike, pedestrian, truck, or motorcycle accidents. The force of a car crash is hard for the body to absorb, which is why plenty of people have soft tissue pain from these incidents.
At the scene, those symptoms may not be noticeable. In the hours or days following the wreck, however, persistent pain may indicate a deeper soft tissue injury.
Soft Tissue Injury Treatments
The most common symptom of soft tissue injury is swelling of the joint area and immediate pain. Stiffness from soft tissue injuries can also cause immobility, particularly in the back or the neck.
For minor sprains and strains, the treatment protocol is RICE: rest, ice, compression, and elevation. More serious injuries, however, should all be evaluated by a doctor to determine whether physical therapy, medication, or surgery is required.
If you experience pain in any surrounding bony structures, cracking or popping sounds, unusual deformities or shapes, or inability to put weight on an affected joint, you need to share this information with your doctor immediately.
What is a Reasonable Soft Tissue Injury Settlement Amount?
Many different factors influence your ability to recover damages for a soft tissue injury. It is crucial to have the right lawyer to assist you with this process.
In many cases, the insurance company and other parties involved in the accident will minimize the impact of your soft tissue injury. It is crucial to have someone who can help explain how extremely painful, or even debilitating, this injury is for you. You may be entitled to compensation for things like lost wages, pain and suffering, medical bills, and property damage.
The average settlement depends on numerous factors. Herniated disc injuries, for example, can reach the hundreds of thousands, whereas a typical whiplash injury is usually between $2,500 and $10,000. Ankle sprains may cost as much as $20,000. Multiple soft tissue injuries that affect someone from the same accident will raise the cost of treating them. Contact a knowledgeable personal injury lawyer to help you with your claim.
Get Support from a Charleston Soft Tissue Injury Lawyer
To protect your right to the maximum available in soft tissue injury settlements, you need a lawyer familiar with these cases. Trey Harrell has years of experience with legal claims and will help guide you through the settlement or trial procedure.
Make finding a Charleston soft tissue injury lawyer a top priority after you get hurt. Contact us at Trey Harrell Auto Accident and Personal Injury Attorney in Charleston if someone else is responsible for your soft tissue injuries.
