The Controversy Behind The Term “Soft Tissue Injury”
Perhaps one of the most commonly used terms that is used to downplay injuries from the insurance defense side in the area of personal injury law, is the term “Soft Tissue Injury.” Just hearing the term gives you a feeling that it is not serious right? Let’s explore soft tissue injuries and find out why they are wrong.
What is a “Soft Tissue Injury”?
For the most part, a soft tissue injury, is an injury not involving a fracture. Soft tissue injuries include, disc injuries to the spinal column (herniations and bulges), torn ligaments which would include, (rotator cuff tears, meniscal tears, anterior cruciate ligament tears-ACL, Collateral ligament injuries, posterior cruciate ligament tears, SLAP tears etc.. and less serious injuries including bruising, minor sprains/strains.
How are soft tissue injuries treated and diagnosed?
Soft tissue injuries are typically treated conservatively by doctors and if you are not getting better, they may send you for diagnostic testing such as a MRI. Over time, doctors may recommend epidural injections and perhaps even surgery. Surgeries could include arthroscopy and spinal decompression surgery.
SOFT TISSUE INJURIES CAN BE VERY SERIOUS
Soft tissue injuries can be very serious, let us look at two examples:
One person is involved in a car accident, where as a pedestrian, their foot gets run over by a car causing a fracture to their pinky toe. The injured party’s fracture heals and they make a complete recovery.
VS.
The second person is rear ended by a tractor trailer causing their head and neck to violently jerk forward and back. The injured party is diagnosed with multiple disc herniations of the cervical spine and after over a year of extensive treatment their physical condition does not improve. This person ends up undergoing major spinal surgery but does not recover and is never able to go back to work.
