Treatment of Soft Tissue Injuries
- Rest – try to immobilize the area with a splint or at least do not extensively use the affected part of the body
- Ice – cold packs or even ice wrapped in a clot can be used to reduce and control the inflammation.
- Compression -bandaging an area can help but it should be loosely wrapped to allow for expansion if there is ongoing swelling.
How long for a soft tissue injury to heal?
Soft tissue injuries can take up to four to six weeks before they heal and go away. Grade 1 soft tissue problems have a quick recovery time, usually just two weeks or so. Grade 2 will require three weeks for full healing while grade 3 takes much longer due to their severity as well as your age (older people usually need more attention).
What you can do with a soft tissue injury?
Your doctor may also recommend that you do the following while you recover:
- Apply an ice pack to the site of your injury for 20 minutes at a time.
- Compress the site of your injury with an ace wrap.
- Elevate the site of your injury above heart level.
- Rest and avoid working or doing any other physical activities until you recover.
How to treat your soft tissue injury?
What should I do after the first three days?
- Protection. Avoid any activities that increase pain and protect the area from further damage. ...
- Elevation. Keep the affected area supported and higher than the joint above it. ...
- Compression. Some people find a compression bandage or support helpful in the early stages of a soft-tissue injury.
- Load. ...
What is soft tissue damage and how is it treated?
Treatment depends on the type of soft tissue injury. In general, the best initial treatment for a soft tissue injury is RICE, which stands for rest, ice, compression, and elevation. An addition of an anti-inflammatory medication is often recommended. However, some soft tissue injuries require surgery.
What is the fastest way to heal soft tissue?
Common Acute Soft-Tissue InjuriesRest. Take a break from the activity that caused the injury. ... Ice. Use cold packs for 20 minutes at a time, several times a day. ... Compression. To prevent additional swelling and blood loss, wear an elastic compression bandage.Elevation.
How long does it take a soft tissue injury to heal?
How long will it take to heal? Most soft tissue injuries heal without any problems in about six weeks. However, it may take a few months for your symptoms to settle – these can include pain or discomfort, stiffness, decreased strength, and swelling.
Will soft tissue damage heal on its own?
These injuries typically heal on their own within a few weeks. A Grade II injury results in some joint instability. While many injuries can heal on their own, the most severe ones involving tears may require surgery. A Grade III, the worst soft tissue injury, results in a complete tear that will require surgery.
What are the signs of soft tissue injury?
Common Symptoms of Soft Tissue InjuriesA lump or knot at the site of the injury.Inability to bear weight.Joint instability.Limited range of motion.Muscle cramping or spasms.Muscle weakness.Pain.Swelling.More items...
What are the 4 types of soft tissue?
Types of soft tissueTypes of soft tissue. There are different types of soft tissue found in the body.Fat. Fat is a soft tissue made up of fat cells (adipocytes) that are packed tightly together. ... Fibrous tissue. Fibrous tissue is. ... Muscle. ... Synovial tissue. ... Blood vessels. ... Lymph vessels. ... Nerves.
Are soft tissue injuries serious?
While injured individuals typically associate injuries like broken bones or blood loss with accidents, soft tissue injuries are also serious injuries.
How do you test for soft tissue damage?
Here are some common tools treatment providers can use to diagnose soft tissue injuries:Qualified Analysis of Symptoms. ... MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) ... X-Ray (Radiography) ... CAT (Computerized Axial Tomography) or CT (Computed Tomography) Scan. ... Conclusion.
What type of doctor treats soft tissue injuries?
If you have symptoms of a soft tissue injury, like a muscle strain or sprain, meet with a skilled orthopedic doctor at Dignity Health to receive proper diagnosis and treatment.
Why are soft tissue injuries so painful?
After an injury your body works hard to repair, recover and renew the affected area. The process starts with inflammation which often causes: pain in and around the area. swelling.
Can an xray show soft tissue damage?
An X-ray won't show subtle bone injuries, soft tissue injuries or inflammation. However, even if your doctor suspects a soft tissue injury like a tendon tear, an X-ray might be ordered to rule out a fracture.
What is the best vitamin for tissue repair?
Vitamin C helps your body make collagen, which helps maintain the integrity of your bones, muscles, skin, and tendons ( 9 , 19 ). Vitamin C is also important for wound healing ( 9 , 20 ). Therefore, getting enough vitamin C in your diet is a great way to help your body rebuild tissue after an injury.
Can you walk on soft tissue damage?
You have sustained a soft tissue injury (sprain) to your ankle. This can take approximately 6 weeks to heal, although pain and swelling can be ongoing for 3 to 6 months. You may walk on the foot as comfort allows although you may find it easier to walk with crutches in the early stages.
How to treat soft tissue injury?
Tips For Treating Soft Tissue Injuries 1 Contact your Physical Therapist immediately if you sustain a soft tissue injury. 2 Use the RICE (rest, ice, compression, elevation) principle when a soft tissue injury occurs. 3 Gentle, controlled motions will begin to restore the normal status of the injured tissue. 4 Healing of soft tissue takes months and not weeks. 5 Returning to full activity that uses the injured tissue should commence when there is no pain at rest and minimal pain during the activity.
How long does it take for soft tissue to heal?
Healing of soft tissue takes months and not weeks. Returning to full activity that uses the injured tissue should commence when there is no pain at rest and minimal pain during the activity.
How to control inflammation in a sprain?
This will help stimulate healing of the injured tissue. The best way to begin to control inflammation is by using ice. Ice is a great analgesic and removes the heat from tissue, slowing down the effects of the enzyme reaction.
What happens when one or more of these tissues are injured?
If one or more of these tissues are injured, the following sequence of events naturally begins within the injured tissue to prevent further injury and initiate the healing process: 1. The body begins protecting itself to prevent further injury.
How to restore normal motion?
The use of specific manual therapy techniques will help to restore normal motion and an exercise program will be implemented to restore the muscles ability to respond and move the body. The natural healing process reproduces collagen fibers and “lays” them down to “patch” the injury site.
Is soft tissue injury common?
Soft tissue injuries are pretty common. In fact, most of the injuries that out-patient, orthopaedic Physical Therapists treat are associated with soft tissue injuries. The good news is that the patient will usually enjoy full recovery.
What is the treatment for acute soft tissue injury?
When an acute soft tissue injury occurs, the initial treatment that’s applied corresponds to the RICE protocol: rest, ice, compression, and elevation.
What are the types of soft tissue injuries?
Acute soft tissue injuries. These types of injuries are caused by sudden trauma, such as a fall or blow. Sprains, strains, and bruises belong to this category.
What is soft tissue overuse?
They manifest when someone does a physical activity so often that their body doesn’t have enough time to heal. Tendonitis and bursitis are the most common soft tissue injuries in this category.
What is the term for inflammation of the tendon?
Tendonitis. This soft tissue injury is inflammation or irritation of the tendon. Typically, it occurs due to a series of repeated efforts that affect the tendon. Typical symptoms of tendonitis are swelling and pain that worsens with activity.
What is the role of tendons in soft tissue?
In addition, ligaments are similar in structure to tendons. However, their job is to bind and stabilize the components that form a joint. Soft tissue injuries are classified into two categories: acute ...
What is the difference between soft tissue and tendons?
Soft tissue injuries occur in the soft parts of the musculoskeletal system. This system consists of tendons, ligaments, and muscles. Muscles are comprised of an assembly of fibers, which can shorten, shrink, and stretch due to their elasticity. On the other hand, tendons are the parts of muscles that join the muscle and bone.
How to treat bursitis?
Experts recommend rest, anti-inflammatory drugs, and exercises to improve flexibility to treat tendonitis. If the swelling persists, it can cause significant damage to the tendon, which may require surgical treatment. You can relieve bursitis by changing your activities.
What is soft tissue injury?
Soft tissue injuries refer to damage to any of these structures that can lead to pain, swelling, discomfort or a lack of mobility. These injuries can have a variety of causes with different intensities. Soft tissue injuries are categorised into two types based on their severity and the way in which the injury came about.
What is the least severe type of soft tissue injury?
Soft injuries may be categorised as Grade 1, Grade 2 or Grade 3 based on their severity. Grade 1: This is the least severe type of soft tissue injury and is caused when the tissue fibres get overstretched. Grade 1 injuries usually affect only a small portion of the soft tissue fibre allowing for a faster and easier recovery over the course ...
What happens if you stress a soft tissue?
If you continue to stress a soft tissue without giving it recovery time after the action, it could lead to tendinitis or bursitis. Tendinitis – Tendinitis is an inflammation of the tendons. It is caused by multiple accumulated stresses that keep building up and eventually damage the tendon over a period of time.
What is grade 2 swollen?
Grade 2: A Grade 2 injury is slightly more severe. It involves a partial tear of the soft tissue fibres , although the tissue still remains intact. The swelling, tenderness and pain are more pronounced and the healing time can be cobnsiderably longer than a Grade 1 injury.
How to treat bursitis?
Alternatively, they may give the patient a corticosteroid injection to reduce the swelling and pain.
How to heal a tear in the tendons?
Most injuries involving the muscles, ligaments and tendons heal with time. Specific strengthening and stretching exercises can help strengthen these soft tissues and prevent further injury. More serious injuries, such as a complete tear of a structure, may require surgical intervention.
How long does it take for a grade 2 to heal?
It could take anywhere from about 6 weeks to a couple of months for a Grade 2 injury to heal. Grade 3: A Grade 3 injury is the most serious. It involves a total rupture of the soft tissue.
What is the best treatment for soft tissue injury?
In general, the best initial treatment for a soft tissue injury is RICE, which stands for rest, ice, compression, and elevation. An addition of an anti-inflammatory medication is often recommended. However, some soft tissue injuries require surgery. (3)
What is soft tissue injury?
Final Word. Soft tissue injuries refer to injuries of the tendons, ligaments, and muscles throughout the body. Common soft tissue injuries usually occur from a sprain, strain, blow resulting in a contusion, or overuse of a particular part of the body. (1) Soft tissue injuries can cause pain, swelling, bruising, and loss of function in some cases.
What is acute injury?
Acute injuries are the result of acute trauma. Sprains, strains, and contusions all fall under the category of acute injuries. Overuse injuries happen gradually over time and are caused by repetitive use of a specific area of the body. As a result, the body fails to have time to heal, causing inflammation in that specific area.
What are the most common soft tissue injuries?
The three most common acute soft tissue injuries are sprains, strains, and contusions. (2) A sprain/strain is a tear and/or stretch of a ligament/tendon often caused by a sudden twisting force. This results in pain, edema, inflammation, and oftentimes bruising. Advertisements.
What are the different types of soft tissue injuries?
Types of Soft Tissue Injuries. There are various types of soft tissue injuries, which include contusions, sprains, strains, tendonitis, bursitis, and stress injuries. Soft tissue injuries can be further broken down into two categories: Acute injuries are the result of acute trauma.
How long does it take for a soft tissue injury to heal?
Depending on where and how severe your soft tissue injury is, it could take weeks to months for a soft tissue injury to heal. (4) And if you are not following the proper instructions for your healing, the pain could last even longer than that.
What is a grade 2 sprain?
Grade 2 or moderate sprains are caused by a partial tear to the ligament, resulting in abnormal laxity. Grade 3 or severe sprains are caused by a complete tear in a ligament, causing instability to the joint. On the other hand, a strain is an injury to a muscle and/or tendon that can be caused by stretching, force, or overuse.
Evaluating A Soft Tissue Injury
Soft Tissue and Healing
- These injuries commonly occur in the tendon, ligament and muscle (skeletal) tissues. In most cases, all of these are able to regenerate and heal. The rate of healing is based on the amount of blood flow. Among these tissues, skeletal muscle has the greatest supply of blood. Tendons and ligaments are categorized as hypo-vascularized, and they have limited blood flow. If one or mor…
Initial Treatment of Soft Tissue Injuries
- If you suffer a sprain or strain, it is important to control the inflammatory process. This will help stimulate healing of the injured tissue. The best way to begin to control inflammation is by using ice. Ice is a great analgesic and removes the heat from tissue, slowing down the effects of the enzyme reaction. The inflammatory process can inhibit...
Treatment For Long-Term Recovery
- While the injured tissue will heal without any treatment, Physical Therapy treatment will speed up the process and improve long-term rehabilitation. We recommend “active rest” instead of total immobility as the best plan for soft tissue rehabilitation. Gentle, controlled motion and exercises can help stimulate the healing process without causing more damage. The Physical Therapist w…
Types of Soft-Tissue Injuries Based on Severity
Types of Soft-Tissue Injuries Based on Cause
- Soft tissue injuries can be broken down into two broad categories depending on the cause – acute injuries and long term or overuse injuries.
How to Treat Soft-Tissue Injuries
- The RICE procedure is the standard first-aid treatment for almost all types of soft tissue injuries. The RICE procedure involves Resting, Icing, Compressing and Elevating the injured soft tissue for the first 48 to 72 hours. These four steps help to alleviate pain and swelling and prevent further damage to the injured area. The rest of the treatmen...
When Should You See A Doctor?
- It is always advisable to get a thorough check-up after any kind of injury, regardless of how minor it may seem. Some injuries may be more complicated than the visible symptoms indicate. A doctor is in the best position to recommend the right treatment after analysing the results of various diagnostic tests. You should also revisit a doctor if symptoms persist and show no impr…