Sprains, Strains and Automobiles – A Story of Car Accidents, Soft Tissue Injuries & Insurance Claims

Many times when someone is injured in a car accident they are diagnosed with having a “soft tissue injury”.  A soft tissue injury is an injury involving muscles, ligaments or tendons.  Sprains and strains typically fall into the soft tissue category.  Whiplash, probably the most common injury suffered from a car accident, is a soft tissue injury.

One of the biggest problems with soft tissue injuries is they tend to get lumped together as all being the same, when in fact there are many different kinds and degrees.  The reason that strains and sprains typically all get judged the same is because they are difficult to objectively evaluate.  Take a broken leg for example.  When someone breaks their leg, it is usually pretty clear that a bone within the leg is broken.  We know this because we can see the broken bone on an x-ray, and in extreme cases we can see the bone without an x-ray.  On the other hand, a soft tissue injury such as a neck strain presents more of a problem because you cannot see a neck strain on an x-ray or MRI.

Because of this, auto insurance companies often times do not take soft tissue injuries such as neck strains and back sprains seriously.  This attitude can be extremely frustrating, especially if you happen to be one of the people plagued with lower back pain that was caused in a car accident and still bothers you after years of physical therapy, spinal injections and massage therapy.  Physical therapy and chiropractic treatment are probably the most common treatments for soft tissue injuries; however, depending on the nature and location of your injury, there may be other options available.  Other types of treatment often seen in patients dealing with more serious soft tissue neck or back injuries are pain injections and/or radiofrequency treatments.

If you have been injured in a car accident, there is a good chance you are suffering from some type of soft tissue injury.  If so, be ready for a battle with the insurance company handling your claim.