Soft tissue injury insurance claims are difficult to get, but not impossible. While insurance companies have a propensity of making a low initial offer and typically only making one offer in soft tissue injury settlements, there have been occasions when fair and equitable awards have been made.
Because insurance firms employ computers to create an amount based on generic information that does not take you or your personal life facts into account, soft tissue damage insurance payouts are frequently on the low end.
Despite this, average insurance payouts for soft tissue injury cases, such as ankle injuries and neck and back related soft tissue sprains and strains, have averaged between $10,000 and $20,000 with competent representation.
Our attorneys have recovered $30,000, $50,000, and $200,000 for clients who have suffered soft tissue injuries.
In summary, who you hire as your lawyer matters a lot.
How do you prove soft tissue damage?
The human body is a complex system with soft tissue that is particularly fragile, such as muscle, fascia, tendons, and ligaments. Acute injuries and overuse injuries are the two most common types of soft tissue injuries.
- Acute injuries are those that occur as a result of a sudden stress to the body, such as a fall, twist, or blow. Contusions, sprains, and strains are examples.
- Overuse injuries occur over time as a result of repeated athletic or other physical activity that does not allow the body to properly heal between injuries. Tendonitis and bursitis are two common instances.
Soft tissue injuries are extremely common in car accidents. Headaches, stomach pain, and visceral pain are all symptoms of soft tissue damage. Soft tissue injuries, such as bruising, muscle strains, joint and ligament sprains, and fascia (connective tissue) injury, cause painful symptoms such as inflammation, swelling, stiffness, and discomfort.
Soft tissue injuries are more common in some types of car accidents than in others. If you were stopped and another automobile slammed into your back bumper at 30 mph, the impact would have severely flung your body forward and backward. Whiplash is caused by the force of the hit, which causes strained muscles and soft tissue injury.
Soft tissue injuries are difficult to show, despite the fact that they cause severe and debilitating symptoms. X-rays, MRIs, CT scans, and other advanced medical instruments can reveal a shattered bone, a damaged organ, a brain injury, and other obvious medical issues. Soft tissue injuries, on the other hand, are not always detected by contemporary imaging equipment; they often have inconsistent symptoms; and they respond to treatment differently. Physical treatment, for example, may entirely ease the tension, but the pain returns days later for no apparent cause.
Treatment costs for soft tissue injuries are also unpredictable. One person, for example, can be treated for whiplash with a few physical therapy sessions, rest, and massage. Another person may experience months or years of persistent symptoms, which can develop to further issues like fibromyalgia.
Another challenge with substantiating soft tissue injuries is that symptoms can often be relatively far away from the damage site. Muscle knots in the upper back, chest, and neck have been identified as an indication of soft tissue injury by certain researchers. Soft tissue injuries are frequently misdiagnosed for a variety of reasons.
Although medical science has yet to develop a comprehensive understanding of soft tissue injuries, the steps below will enable you to be proactive in your treatment and (hopefully) find an approach that works for you.
Soft tissue injuries may not appear to be as serious as a broken leg, yet they can result in thousands of dollars in medical expenditures. Because demonstrating a soft tissue injury might be difficult, your attorney may recommend deposing an expert witness to testify about the nature and degree of your injuries.
How much does soft tissue damage hurt?
When soft tissue is damaged, it usually causes immediate or delayed pain as well as swelling (excess swelling can prolong the healing process see treatment below). As a result of the stress and edema, stiffness is fairly prevalent. After 24-48 hours, bruising may appear.
In the case of moderate to severe soft tissue injuries to the muscles, tendons, and ligaments around a joint, there may be instability, particularly in weight-bearing joints such as the hip, knee, and ankle.
How long will it take to recover from a soft tissue injury?
Grade 1 soft tissue injuries take one to two weeks to heal, whereas grade 2 soft tissue injuries take three to four weeks to heal. Grade three soft tissue injuries necessitate rapid evaluation and treatment, as well as significantly prolonged healing timeframes. Recovery times are also influenced by your age, general health, and profession. If you’re unsure about the nature or extent of your injury, seek counsel from a qualified Specialist Physiotherapist.
Should I go to a hospital with a soft tissue injury?
There may be a fracture with significant trauma, and as with all serious trauma, it is best to go straight to A&E for a thorough assessment and diagnosis. A good indicator of when a soft tissue injury necessitates a comprehensive evaluation is if:
- There are neurological symptoms such as numbness or pins and needles (either at the injury site or anywhere else)
PRICE Regime for Soft Tissue Injuries
Reduce the amount of time you spend in the affected area and avoid straining at first to avoid further weakening the injured tissue.
Protect the injury from further damage if the trauma is severe. Stop doing anything that will make the injury worse. Crutches may be required to relieve the weight of a damaged knee, hip, or ankle. A sling can assist in the protection of an arm or shoulder.
Rest and stay away from activities that bring a lot of pain (for example walking, raising your arm). Even minor injuries should be given enough time to heal. Select an alternative.
Use frozen peas, ice cubes wrapped in a moist tea towel, or a sports ice pack. When awake, apply the ice pack for 1520 minutes every three to four hours.
Because very cold items might cause hypothermia or cold burns, it’s best to wrap the ice with a cloth.
Apply a strong bandage to the affected area that does not impede circulation or create pain. The bandage should be large enough to cover the entire joint.
If feasible, raise the limb above the level of your heart to help minimize swelling. When not walking or using the limb, support it with cushions or a sling to keep it upright.
There may also be a need for pain treatment. Your Specialist Physiotherapist, Pharmacist, or GP can help you decide which medication to take.
Is a soft tissue injury serious?
When you’re dealing with the aftermath of a sudden accident, it’s easy to overlook indicators of bruising and muscular stiffness. While most people equate accidents with major injuries like broken bones or blood loss, soft tissue injuries are just as devastating. If you have a major muscular strain or a torn ligament that was caused by no fault of your own, you should speak with a Florida personal injury lawyer about your case.
What is the average payout for soft tissue injury UK?
Upper-body injuries can be devastating, limiting mobility and restricting movement in other extremities.
- Serious back/spinal damage (not paralysis, but including impotence or double incontinence): £69,200 £122,350
- Serious back/spinal injury (bladder/bowl dysfunction, sex organ injuries, scarring requiring future surgery) £56,375 £67,200
- Serious back/spinal injury (disruption of the discs or vertebrae, recurrent or persistent pain, psychological harm, loss of mobility) £29,475 £53,000
- Minor (soft tissue injuries likely to heal completely) £9,500 (no lower limit).
- £8,250 – £13,650 for a moderate chest injury (single minor wound with minimal organ damage).
What is soft tissue injury in a car accident?
When the muscles, ligaments, or tendons in the body are injured, soft tissue injuries occur. They can occur as a result of misuse or as a result of a sudden shock, such as a vehicle accident. An acute injury is what it’s called. Pain, swelling, bruising, and loss of function are all possible side effects of these injuries. The range of motion of a person can be drastically reduced. Sprains, strains, contusions, and whiplash are the most frequent soft tissue injuries.
Sprains
This is a ligament stretch or tear. A ligament is a strong connective tissue band that connects the ends of two bones. The body’s joints will not be properly stabilized or supported if a ligament breaks or extends too much. Ankles, knees, and wrists are the most vulnerable parts of the body to sprains. Because of their proximity to the steering wheel and pedals, a driver’s wrists or ankles may be sprained.
Sprains are classified into three categories. When there is light stretching and some damage to the ligament fibers, it is classified as Grade 1. A partial tearing of a ligament in Grade 2 is considered moderate. When moving the injured person’s joint in different directions, they may notice atypical looseness. A Grade 3 sprain, which is the most serious, involves a total ligament tear. The joint will be rendered useless.
Strains
A strain is a muscular or tendon injury. Tendons are the connective tissue that connects muscles to bones. Strains are most commonly found in the feet, legs, and back. A strain, like a sprain, can be caused by a stretch or a partial or total tear. It’s possible to have pain, muscle spasms, weakness, edema, cramping, and inflammation.
Contusions
A bruise is known medically as a contusion. They’re produced by repetitive or direct blows. Without breaking the skin, the underlying muscle fibers and connective structures are crushed. Blood pooling around the injury causes the darkening associated with contusions. In an accident, car occupants are prone to contusions if they come into contact with the interior of the vehicle in any way.
Whiplash
Whiplash occurs when the head and neck are violently jerked back and forth. A cervical strain/sprain or hyperextension injury is the medical term for this ailment. Neck stiffness, acute neck pain, back difficulties, and cognitive deficits are common in sufferers. It can take days for symptoms to appear in some cases. Whiplash can take weeks or months to heal, depending on the severity of the injury.
What is soft tissue injury from car accident?
Soft tissue injuries such as bruising, strains, and sprains are the most prevalent types of automobile accident injuries that can result in soft tissue damage. While bruising is the easiest to spot, it can also indicate that something more serious is going on beneath the surface. Moreover, just like bruises, soft tissue damage symptoms might take time to appear, especially after a car accident. Delayed symptoms are typical with automobile accident injuries since adrenaline can conceal pain and suffering right away after a traumatic occurrence, which is why it’s crucial to get medical help even if your symptoms are minor at the moment.
Because of how the force of impact affects the neck and spine, whiplash is one of the most prevalent automobile accident injuries. The body is jolted forward and then wrenched backward when it collides with another vehicle, and while the seatbelt protects the trunk of the body from going too far forward or backward, the neck often bears the brunt of this type of impact. Whiplash can occur when your head is severely jostled during an accident.
Whiplash is a classic example of delayed symptoms, with pain and discomfort progressively increasing in the hours and days following the injury. The back-and-forth movement’s force can impose strain on not only the spinal cord, but also the surrounding muscular and soft tissues. Neck pain, stiffness in the neck and shoulders, and even edema in the affected area might result from this.
Herniated Disc
In the event of an automobile accident, the impact might cause catastrophic damage to your spine. The soft cushion tissues between the vertebrae of the spine are known as discs, and they help to absorb the impact of everyday activities. During a major event, such as a vehicle accident, those discs might move out of place, causing the vertebrae to grind against each other or pressing on a nerve.
While regular wear and tear on the body is more typically connected with herniated discs, a severe event can also cause disc herniation and necessitate medical intervention. You may be more susceptible to a herniated disc in a car accident due to your age and the amount of general wear and strain already inflicted on your spine’s discs. Herniated discs can also arise as a result of or in conjunction with a whiplash injury.
Strains and Sprains
Strains are injuries to the muscles and tissues that connect muscle to bone, whereas sprains are damage to the ligaments that connect two bones. Muscles and ligaments are both soft tissues, therefore even if the underlying injury is to the bone, damage to the surrounding soft tissues might result in a strain or sprain diagnosis. After a car accident, neck and back sprains and strains are common and should be evaluated by a spine expert as soon as feasible.
What is a grade 3 soft tissue injury?
The term’soft tissue injury’ is frequently used to describe injuries to ligaments, tendons, and muscles, as well as damage to the ‘fascia,’ or connective tissue that ties the body together. Haematoma formations (bleeding in or around the structure) or real tears are both possible injuries to these structures.
Grade 1: Usually minor, affecting up to 10% of the muscle or ligament. Recovery usually takes a few days.
Grade 2: These are moderate tears that affect between 10% and 90% of the structure and will take several weeks to mend.
Grade 3: Severe tears suggest a complete rupture of the muscle or ligament in question. Because the wounded structure is no longer pressured, this may be less painful than a grade 2. This is a more serious injury that will almost always necessitate surgery or immobilization in a cast.
The’sprained ankle’ is probably the most frequent soft tissue injury. As previously stated, they can be grade 1, 2, or 3 ligament tears around the ankle. Fortunately, the majority of ankle injuries are classified as grade 1 or 2. The ligaments on the outside (lateral) side of the ankle are usually injured.
Can you walk on soft tissue damage?
Your ankle has suffered a soft tissue injury (sprain). The healing time is about 6 weeks, but the pain and swelling can last anywhere from 3 to 6 months. You may walk on your feet as long as it is comfortable for you, however you may find it simpler to walk on crutches in the beginning. Swelling is usually worse at the end of the day, so elevating it can assist. If you’ve been given a boot to wear, it’s solely for your comfort; it won’t help you heal. Take pain relievers exactly as directed. If you are concerned that you may be unable to follow this rehabilitation plan or if you have any questions, please contact the Fracture Care Team at the numbers listed above for assistance.
How long does it take for soft tissue damage to heal?
Soft tissue injuries heal in two to three weeks for the most part. You should return to the Emergency Department if you still have considerable pain or stiffness one week after a finger injury or two or three weeks after other injuries.