3 Common Acute Soft Tissue Injuries

Searching for information about soft tissue injuries?  Below we discuss 3 common injuries and some treatment suggestions.  Continue reading to learn more.

Sprains
A sprain is a stretch and/or tear of a ligament, a strong band of connective tissue that connect the end of one bone with another. Ligaments stabilize and support the body’s joints. For example, ligaments in the knee connect the thighbone with the shinbone, enabling people to walk and run.

The areas of your body that are most vulnerable to sprains are your ankles, knees, and wrists. A sprained ankle can occur when your foot turns inward, placing extreme tension on the ligaments of your outer ankle. A sprained knee can be the result of a sudden twist, and a wrist sprain can occur when falling on an outstretched hand. Source: OrthoInfo

Strains
A strain is when a muscle is stretched too much and tears. It is also called a pulled muscle. A strain is a painful injury. It can be caused by an accident, overusing a muscle, or using a muscle in the wrong way. A strain may be caused by too much physical activity or effort, improperly warming up before a physical activity, poor flexibility. Source: MedlinePlus

Contusions (Bruises)
Another name for a bruise. What is a bruise ? A bruise, or contusion, is caused when blood vessels are damaged or broken as the result of a blow to the skin (be it bumping against something or hitting yourself with a hammer). The raised area of a bump or bruise results from blood leaking from these injured blood vessels into the tissues as well as from the body’s response to the injury. A purplish, flat bruise that occurs when blood leaks out into the top layers of skin is referred to as an ecchymosis.

Acute soft-tissue injuries vary in type and severity. When an acute injury occurs, initial treatment with the RICE protocol is usually very effective. RICE stands for Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevation.

• Rest. Take a break from the activity that caused the injury. Your doctor may recommend that you use crutches to avoid putting weight on your leg.
• Ice. Use cold packs for 20 minutes at a time, several times a day. Do not apply ice directly to the skin.
• Compression. To prevent additional swelling and blood loss, wear an elastic compression bandage.
• Elevation. To reduce swelling, elevate the injury higher than your heart while resting. Source: MedicineNet

We hope that this article helped you gain an understanding of soft tissue injuries. For more information if you have further questions, please contact us.

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