How Serious is Soft Tissue Damage from a Car Accident?

Human anatomy is both incredibly strong and extremely delicate at the same time. It is comprised of various distinct components that are all able to perform a vast array of complicated operations. One of the reasons a person’s body has the capacity to do this is its soft tissues. Soft tissue can be found in the muscles, ligaments, tendons, and fascia. Injuries that impact the body’s soft tissues can be divided into two distinct groups: acute injuries, and overuse injuries.
An injury that is classified as an overuse injury is most likely to occur as the result of repeated, vigorous activity or any challenging physical exercise that is performed with enough frequency that the damaged tissues do not have enough time amid injuries to properly mend. Popular overuse injuries are ailments such as bursitis and tendonitis.
Acute soft tissue damage is the kind of trauma that is usually seen in those who were injured in a traffic collision. This is due to the fact that the damage to the soft tissue injuries is brought on by a sudden, singular physically traumatic event. Probably the most typical trauma accident victims receive to their soft tissue in the aftermath of a car crash is whiplash. There are many other kinds of damage to the soft tissue could potentially develop as the result of being hurt in a vehicle collision.
A few descriptions of the soft tissue trauma that could occur following a car accident.

Strains and Sprains to the Back

A back strain is the total tearing of a muscle or a tendon that attaches bone to muscle.
A back sprain takes place when the ligaments in someone’s back are extended well beyond their natural limit or are completely torn. Ligaments, or connective tissues, are the strong groups of fibrous tissues, located in the interior of the joints, that attach one bone to another.

Torn Ligaments/Connective Tissues

If entire soft tissue clusters in the main joints are hyperextended or torn, they sustain a trauma commonly referred to as a sprain. Soft tissue damages of this nature are divided into three distinct categories based on the intensity of the harm inflicted. The three categories are:

• Mild/Group 1 (sprain): Very little stretching and insignificant damage to the bundle of fibers inside the ligament
• Moderate/Group 2 (sprain): The connective tissue shows some tearing. If the main joint  is moved in certain ways it displays abnormal slack
• Severe/Group 3 (worse sprain): Being placed in this category indicates a complete tear through the connective tissue. Ultimately, this tearing will render the joint useless so it will need a chance to properly heal

Contusions

What most people would call a bruise is, in precise medical jargon, a contusion, as is any other wound that causes damage to both the surface of the skin (without breaking it) and beneath it where the soft tissues are. Contusions emerge when damaged blood vessels start to leak blood and it collects in the surrounding tissues. This pooling of the blood becomes visible in the form of definite purple, blue, and black colored sections on the outer layer of skin. Wounds such as this are deemed to be relatively small provided the wounded party does not suffer from a clotting disorder in their blood. Hospitalization is almost always required if there is bruising to the lungs or brain.

Whiplash/Hyperextension of the Neck

The most commonly occurring soft tissue traumas that victims end up with after a vehicle collision is whiplash. Occurring most frequently as the effect of a being struck from behind, the accepted nomenclature when citing “a range of injuries to the neck caused by a sudden compression and extension of the ligaments of the spine,” is whiplash.
Anytime a person has been medically assessed as having whiplash, it tells you that the connective tissue in their cervical spine has been hyperextended (extended past its natural range of movement) or else torn completely. Small discs that are in between each vertebra may also be lacerated, leaving you with what medical professionals call a herniated disc.

What Do I Do if I Think I Have Whiplash?

If you are in Utah and you have been hurt in a vehicle collision that has caused you to endure uncomfortable whiplash which will take extra time to heal, then act in your own best interests and contact a qualified personal injury attorney as soon as possible. In the meantime:

You Need Prompt Medical Attention

The injuries that we get from car accidents sometimes take hours or days before they are serious enough to make us aware that something definitely isn’t right. It is crucial to your claim that you receive prompt medical care immediately following the accident.  even if you feel fine and not as though you have suffered any injuries. Many injuries that include injury to the soft tissues, like whiplash, won’t be instantly apparent.
When presented with a complete list of facts regarding how your accident happened (what manner and extent of distress you are in, and where you are noticing the pain) your doctor will be able to get a clearer idea of what has happened to you and will decide if a diagnosis of ‘whiplash’ is appropriate in your situation.
To achieve the best possible outcome for your injury claim for damages, the first assessment concerning your physical well-being following your car accident must be given by a qualified healthcare provider. This signifies that you should refrain from offering any comments pertaining to the way that you feel at the scene of the accident. Once you are accurately assessed by a physician, ensure that you file and record any documentation that the hospital gives to you and make contact with your Utah personal injury attorney right away.

Document Your Medical Expenses

This is the most judicious actions you will be able to do to help your claim along and to give your car accident attorney a helping hand. Be certain you keep a folder which will hold every single scrap of medical documentation that you have been given throughout the duration of your medical treatment. It would be wise to also have copies made of every piece of paperwork and store a second copy of the entire file with your auto accident attorney on the off-chance that any original document needs replacing.
Make sure you maintain a record of every instance where you had to call out of work because of a doctor appointment, physical therapy, or pain that prevented you from working. Log every mile you had to drive to perform any chore even remotely related to your injury, any prescription costs, therapy costs, and additional expenses you have acquired in hiring home care nurses or essential medical devices.
If you or somebody that you love has sustained an injury that affects your soft tissue because of the recklessness or negligence of another driver, it is imperative that you promptly seek professional medical care. You will also need to get in touch with an experienced personal injury attorney from Siegfried & Jensen.
Our diligent car accident attorneys strive to make sure you are compensated for the full dollar amount of all of the damages that you sustained in the crash. If you feel like you might benefit from a no-cost, no-obligation consultation with one of our compassionate and persistent personal injury attorneys, please get in touch with us immediately by calling 801-845-9000.