What are Soft Tissue Injuries? How to Prevent & Treat
Soft Tissue Injuries often occur due to everyday activities, sports, and exercises. Common soft injuries include contusions, tendonitis, strains, bursitis, and sprains.
Read on to discover more about soft tissue injuries.
Soft Tissue Injuries Overview
Soft tissue injuries refer to injuries that often occur to the soft body tissues, including bruises, muscle contusions, sprains, and more. These injuries are categorized into overuse and acute injuries.
Overuse soft tissue injuries often occur over time due to the repetition of an activity. Common soft tissue injuries that occur due to overuse include bursitis and tendonitis.
Acute soft tissue injuries often occur due to a sudden trauma like a blow, twist, or fall. Common acute soft tissue injuries include contusions, sprains, and strains.
Types of Soft Tissue Injuries
Soft tissue injuries vary in severity and type. Here are common soft tissue injuries.
Contusion
A contusion, also known as a bruise, typically occurs due to a sudden trauma like a blow, fall, or kick. It usually results in discoloration and swelling due to bleeding in the tissues.
Sprain
A sprain is a tear or stretch on your ligament. Since ligaments support your joints and muscles, a sprain will hinder movement and daily activities. For instance, a sprain on your knee will restrict movement. Sprains are classified into grade 1, grade 2, and grade 3. Grade 1 sprains are less severe and usually damage some fibers. Grade 2 sprains lead to partial tearing of your ligaments, while grade 3 sprains cause a complete tear.
Strains
Strains often affect the tendon or muscle. Like sprains, strains also vary due to severity. Common symptoms of strains include muscle spasms, swelling, cramping, pain, and weakness.
Tendinitis
Tendinitis is a common overuse soft tissue injury that usually irritates a tendon or its covering. Common symptoms include pain and swelling that worsen with activity.
Bursitis
Bursitis usually causes inflammation on a bursa, a small jelly-like sac between soft tissues and bones to reduce friction.
How to Prevent Soft Tissue Injuries
Soft Tissue Injuries often occur due to a sudden increase in the intensity, frequency, and duration of an activity. The best way of preventing soft tissue injuries is through proper conditioning and training. Here are practical tips for preventing soft tissue injuries.
- Use proper equipment like shoes and clothes
- Create a balanced fitness program that targets strengthening, cardiovascular exercises, and flexibility
- Warm-up properly before every exercise or activity
- Drink enough water to keep dehydration at bay
- Always stretch slowly and carefully
- Incorporate enough rest to prevent fatigue and pain
How to Treat Soft Tissue Injuries
Often, soft tissue injuries can heal without special treatment. However, you can always follow these simple steps to speed up the recovery.
- Get ample rest to prevent further damage and speed up recovery
- Apply ice on the injured area for around 5 to 10 minutes. Remember to place a damp cloth on your skin to prevent skin damage
- Take painkillers
- Elevate the injured part
Reliable Soft Tissue Injury Treatment is Available at La Clínica
Whether your soft tissue injury is due to overuse or acute, you can contact us right away for a complimentary injury screening. At La Clínica, we understand that your loved ones count on you and strive to provide great multidisciplinary care for all your injury care needs.