How Serious Are Soft Tissue Injuries?

Soft tissue injuries occur when the body’s muscles, tendons or ligaments experience a degree of trauma. Oftentimes, these injuries happen suddenly – for instance, stepping too sharply and spraining an ankle – or may occur gradually as a result of overuse.

Many people experience soft tissue injuries when they don’t let their muscles fully recover from a workout and continue the routine with increased intensity. Resulting from this pattern, the muscles used can experience trauma or strain.

Common Types of Soft Tissue Injuries

Soft tissue injuries include the following conditions:

• Sprains, especially of the ankle and wrist
• Strains, especially in the back, calf and hamstring
• Golfer/tennis elbow
• Contusions
• Tendonitis
• Bursitis

Although soft tissue injuries can occur anywhere in the body, the ankles, knees and wrists are especially vulnerable. These joints can turn inward, especially when you land sharply or twist from a fall. This sudden action places tension on the corresponding ligament, which can result in a sprain.

By contrast, a strain affects the muscles and tendons. These injuries may occur when the body’s fibrous tissue gets stretched too far or tears. Other injuries like tendonitis involve inflammation or irritation of muscles and tendons, stemming from stress or repetitive use that eventually manifests in pain.

A common factor connecting all soft tissue injuries, many can take an extended period of time to heal and may affect the body’s future performance.

How Soft Tissue Injuries Occur

Soft tissue injuries fall into two groups: Acute and overuse injuries. Like many sprains, strains and contusions, acute injuries involve sharp, sudden trauma. During physical activity or simply going about your day, you may fall on, twist or experience a sharp blow to a particular body part.

The other group consists of overuse injuries. Tendonitis, bursitis and some strains can occur when a particular activity or action is repeated over and over, but the muscles and tendon in this part of the body never have a chance to fully heal.

All soft tissue injuries vary in terms of severity, regardless of source:

• Grade 1 (Mild): These soft tissue injuries occur when the body’s fibers are damaged at the microscopic level due to over-stretching, resulting in tenderness or swelling.
• Grade 2 (Moderate):These soft tissue injuries involve a degree of tearing, which may feel like an abnormal amount of looseness in the joint and result in pain, swelling and tenderness. As a result, pressure or body weight cannot be applied to the injured joint and the individual needs to stay off it for at least a few weeks.
• Grade 3 (Severe): These soft tissue injuries involve full or complete tears, which require a significantly longer recovery time. Individuals often find they can’t use the joint or muscle area at all following the injury. Severe soft tissue injuries are characterized by instability, rupturing and a high degree of pain and swelling.

Recovering from a Soft Tissue Injury

Especially for Grade 1 soft tissue injuries, the main method of recovery is RICE: Rest, ice, compression and elevation. At the same time, you’re advised to stay off the joint or muscle as it recovers. Failing to do this can result in additional trauma, which then weakens the already-damaged tissue.

However, RICE might only be the start of healing and oftentimes, more treatment becomes necessary. The RICE method also doesn’t have a set healing time. Instead, how soft tissue injuries heal depends on multiple factors, including the individual’s age, overall health and occupation. Especially for Grade 2 and 3 injuries, recovery time may actually be longer than a broken bone.

As another factor – and one of the reasons Grade 3 injuries can end athletic careers – soft tissue injuries may permanently change the muscle, tendon or ligament. In turn, that body part may no longer function like it used to, which then affects how well an athlete performs.

This process has to do with how connective tissue heals. Prior to the break, these areas consist of elastic and non-elastic collagen fibers in a precise arrangement. In healing, the fibers never grow back the same and are replaced with denser, less-organized scar tissue. For your body, the regrowth helps bones and joints stay together, but the structure’s strength is greatly diminished.

As a result, this area is now significantly more prone to future tears and injuries, especially if the athlete jumps back into training at the same intensity and may experience a decreased range of motion. In extreme cases, individuals may develop chronic soft tissue injuries in this area due to the stress placed on the tissue. These debilitating injuries can last a lifetime, limiting what an individual can do.

When a soft tissue injury occurs, many individuals immediately feel pain and experience swelling and stiffness, although these symptoms may be delayed in some cases. Another delayed factor, bruising may follow 24 to 48 hours after the injury. The individual may also find they cannot put their weight on the area – an issue common with injuries involving the hip, knee and ankle.

After experiencing this combination of symptoms, individuals should go through the RICE steps but medical attention is often needed, especially if:

• You rest, ice and elevate but still can’t place your weight on the structure.
• The joint is extremely lax or develops an unusual shape.
• You heard or felt a pop during the injury.
• You feel pain in the surrounding bones and ligaments or experience a tingling sensation.

Physical therapy is a necessary part of soft tissue injury recovery. Our therapists can help you regain range of motion and reduce the potential for future trauma around the joint.

To learn more about our services, contact one of our locations today.