Can Soft Tissue Damage Be Permanent?

While a number of injuries can result in soft tissue damage, car accident injuries are among the most common causes.

An accident that does not cause broken bones can still be serious. Serious soft-tissue injuries frequently happen in auto accidents, including whiplash and stretched tendons in the lower back, shoulders, elbows and knees. However, soft-tissue injuries are difficult to document and prove in court.  Many soft-tissue injuries — for example, a serious strain or tendonitis — require surgical repair.

Can soft tissue damage be permanent?

Yes, soft tissue injuries may be permanent if you suffer a severe contusion on the muscles, tendons or ligaments. They may result in long-lasting effects that never properly heal. When soft tissue damage becomes catastrophic or permanent, a person’s life may change forever if they underestimate their injuries.

When Soft Tissue Injuries are Catastrophic

Severe soft tissue injuries can have permanent, and at-time catastrophic, consequences for victims.

Some indications you might have suffered severe soft tissue damage include:

• A ‘crack’ or ‘pop’ sound when the injury occurred
• Numbness or tingling at or near the site of your injury
• You cannot move your neck or back, or put any weight on limbs that were affected
• You feel severe pain at the site of injury
• The site of your injury looks funny or deformed, suggesting a complete tear of the soft tissue in the area

What impact might a soft-tissue injury have on the victim’s life?

Your entire body depends on your soft tissues for movement and blood flow. If a portion of your body is impaired by soft tissue damage, this puts a strain on the body that could affect your circulation, organs, limbs, and mobility.

The details surrounding the potential seriousness and legal implications of soft-tissue damage include:

• Bodily functions depend on soft-tissue function: Soft tissues support bones and how bones and muscles connect. In the case of contusions (internal bruising), blood pooling around an injury can sometimes lead to permanent damage to soft tissues. When bones and muscles normally supported by damaged soft tissue can no longer function, a person may not be able to use their hands, arms, legs and feet. Whiplash (in the neck and back) can be particularly disabling.
• Soft-tissue injuries can take a long time to heal (if at all): Some injuries may take months to heal. Others never will.
• Other parties can be responsible for soft tissue injuries: If another driver is responsible for an accident that leaves you with lingering problems due to a soft-tissue injury, you should not bear the cost. Similarly, a soft-tissue injury you sustain because of an unsafe floor or stairway due to building negligence should also not force you to bear the costs.

Contact Craig, Kelley and Faultless For Help

To access the best resources available to assess soft-tissue damage and determine whether a lawsuit is viable, seek the counsel of an experienced injury attorney. Contact Craig, Kelley and Faultless as soon as possible and receive a free case evaluation.