Soft Tissue Injury

Soft Tissue Back Injuries & Whiplash

The body is made up of what is called hard tissue and soft tissue. The hard tissue is the bones, and basically everything else in the body can be considered soft tissue. When doctors and lawyers refer to a soft-tissue injury, they are generally referring to a back injury that is not a serious injury or a whiplash injury with regard to muscles, ligaments, nerves or tendons. These types of injuries are a major source of pain and disability. Soft tissue injuries include sprains, strains, and repetitive stress injuries such as carpel tunnel syndrome.

Whiplash Injury is a soft tissue injury where the neck and head are suddenly thrown forward and back again upon impact in a traffic accident. The impact flexes the head and neck beyond their normal range of movement.

Specific Causes of Soft Tissue Injury:

  • Direct trauma such as accidents, falls and being struck by an object
  • Indirect trauma such as repetitive motions

How the Body Heals Soft Tissue Injuries

Blood supply to muscles, ligaments, and tendons is generally what helps soft tissue injuries to refresh and heal when muscles, ligaments, or tendons have been bruised or injured. The greater the blood supply to the soft tissue, the more apt it is to recover quickly. Therefore, muscles, which have the greatest blood supply, will tend to heal more quickly than a ligament or tendon, which has much less blood supply, or very little blood supply. A tendon connects the muscle to the bone, and a ligament connects the bone to the bone. Surgery to Re-Attach Tendons & Ligaments

The largest tendon is what is commonly referred to as the Achilles heal tendon, and if that ruptures, it basically has to be re-attached by a medical professional. Also, if a ligament is torn, it generally will have to be re-attached by a medical profession.

Brachial Plexus Lesion or Injury

The Brachial Plexus is an arrangement of nerve fibers running from the spine through the neck, the armpits, and into the arm. Brachial plexus lesions are classified as traumatic. These typically result from excessive stretching and avulsion injury. Most commonly, forceps delivery or falling on the neck at an angle causes upper plexus lesions. Much less frequently, sudden upward pulling on an abducted arm (as when someone breaks a fall by grasping a tree branch) produces a lower plexus injury. This results in the sign known as clawed hand due to loss of function of a specific type of nerve and the intrinsic muscles of the hand it supplies. Signs of brachial plexus avulsion:

  • a weakness in the arm
  • diminished reflexes
  • corresponding sensory problems

Common Causes of Damages to Brachial Plexus Lesions:

  • Falling on the neck at an angle
  • High-velocity traffic or cycle accidents
  • Sudden upward pulling on an abducted arm

Carpel Tunnel Syndrome Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is a medical condition in which the median nerve is compressed at the wrist, leading to pain, numbness or the feeling of pins and needles, and muscle weakness in the forearm and hand. Symptoms of Carpel Tunnel Syndrome:

  • Burning or tingling sensation in the fingers, especially the thumb, index, and middle fingers
  • Feeling of pins and needles of a limb being “asleep”
  • Pain, weakness or numbness in the hands and wrist Specific Causes of Carpel Tunnel Syndrome:
  • Dislocation of carpal bones
  • Fractures
  • Increased hand use or activity
  • Repetitive motions at work

Hyperextension Injury

Hyperextension Injury occurs when the elbow is bent back the wrong way and over-streched, and damage occurs to the ligaments and structures of the elbow. This type of injury usually occurs in contact sports.

Musculoskeletal Injuries

Musculoskeletal Injuries are a group of workplace injuries and diseases related to the soft tissue structures of the body including bones, muscles, ligaments, tendons and discs in the spine.

Specific Causes of Musculoskeletal Injuries:

  • Awkward or static postures
  • Compression or contact stress
  • Forceful exertions
  • Manual tasks
  • Repetitive motions
  • Sustained exertion
  • Vibration
  • Working in low temperatures

Rotator Cuff Injury

Rotator Cuff Injury is damage to one or more of the four muscles in the shoulder.

Types of Rotator Cuff Injury:

  • Acute: such as from a fall
  • Chronic: something that gets progressively worse over time with activity that aggravates the muscle.

For further information see the related sections: