Unlike certain injuries, soft tissue injuries are often invisible to the naked eye. They can be extremely painful and take a long time to recover from. A serious soft tissue injury can completely disrupt your life and even keep you from working. This puts you under financial strain when you should be focused on healing.

If you suffered a soft tissue injury in an accident someone else caused, you should not be responsible for your treatment and recovery costs. An Arizona personal injury attorney at Silkman Law Firm Injury & Accident Lawyer can help you pursue compensation from the person at fault for your injury. Contact us today for a free case evaluation to find out what we can do for you.

What Are Soft Tissue Injuries?

Soft tissue injuries affect muscles, ligaments, and tendons. They can be caused by work-related accidents, motor vehicle collisions, and slip and falls, among other types of accidents.

Some of the most common soft tissue injuries include:

  • Torn ligaments – Ligaments connect one bone to another and support the joints. When ligaments are overstretched or suffer direct trauma, they can tear. Torn ligaments cause pain, swelling, and weakness.
  • Tendon injury – Tendons connect bones to muscles. One of the most common tendon injuries is tendonitis, which happens when a tendon becomes inflamed. It can occur due to overexertion and repetitive motions. Tendonitis most commonly occurs in the hands, wrists, elbows, shoulders, feet, ankles, hips, and knees.
  • Strains and sprains – Strains occur when muscles or tendons are overstretched or torn, while sprains involve overstretched or torn ligaments. Although strains don’t lead to bruising, sprains often do. Falls, car collisions, and other types of accidents can cause strains and sprains, as can repetitive movements and regularly lifting heavy objects in the workplace.
  • Bursitis – The bursa is a sac of fluid that acts as a cushion and reduces friction between bones and muscles or tendons. Bursitis, or inflammation of the bursa, commonly occurs in the knees, hips, ankles, feet, elbows, and shoulders. It can be caused by trauma or overexertion.
  • Lipoma – Lipomas are doughy, fatty, benign tumors that grow beneath the skin. While lipomas are not always serious, they might have to be surgically removed if they become painful or continue to grow.
  • Myalgia – Myalgia involves aches and pains that can affect many types of soft tissue, including ligaments, tendons, and muscles. Many types of bodily trauma can cause myalgia, as can overuse and overexertion.
  • Medial collateral ligament (MCL) tear – The medial collateral ligament is located in the knee. An MCL tear can be partial or complete, leading to pain, injury, stiffness, and difficulty walking.
  • Tenosynovitis – Tenosynovitis occurs when the sheath that encases the tendons, known as the synovial membrane, becomes inflamed. In addition to causing pain, the inflamed membrane can make it more difficult to move the joints.

If you’ve been involved in an accident, you should get checked out by a medical professional right away. People with soft tissue injuries don’t always experience symptoms immediately. A physician should be able to detect and diagnose your injuries through imaging tests such as an MRI or a CT scan.