Whiplash Attorneys
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Soft Tissue Injury: A connective tissue disorder
What are soft tissues?
Soft tissues are muscles, ligaments and tendons that hold bones, organs and other structures in their place. Examples of soft tissues are: muscles, fat, and blood vessels. Soft tissue injury is a commonly used term for a disorder in the connective tissues that maintain the framework of our body.
What causes connective tissue injuries?
Connective tissue injury is caused by:
- Auto accidents
- Work accidents
- Falls
- Work accidents
- And other abrupt movements that over extend the tissues causing sprains, strains and tears.
What are the types of injuries?
- Ligament tears
- Damage to the tendons
- Bulging spinal discs
How do I prove I have a soft tissue injury?
Most soft tissue injuries will not appear on x-rays. MRIs may or may not document acute injury. In general, clinical diagnosis must be made considering the symptoms reported and the signs found by a doctor after an exam.
Whiplash
Whiplash is the popular term for neck sprains. It is the most common type of soft tissue injury. Although many different things can cause whiplash, it is most commonly linked with rear-end collisions. Whiplash occurs when the neck is abruptly thrown forwards and backwards rapidly.
Nearly one-fifth of all people who are involved in rear-end collisions suffer from whiplash.
Whiplash affects more women than men because women’s necks tend to be longer and less muscular.
Symptoms
The most common symptoms of whiplash are:
- Pain in the back and neck
- Aches in the back and neck
- Tingling sensations in the arms and legs
- Pain in the shoulders
- Headache
Symptoms can occur immediately after the event, but it can often take anywhere between 24 and 36 hours for them to appear.
Quebec Task Force Grades of Disorder
The Quebec Task Force published their description of the four different levels of severity of whiplash. These levels are commonly accepted worldwide.
- Grade 1: The patient complains of neck pain, stiffness, and/or tenderness. A doctor is unable to note any physical signs.
- Grade 2: The patient complains of neck pain. A doctor is able to find limited range of motion as well as point tenderness in the neck.
- Grade 3: The patient complains of neck pain. The patient has a decreased range of motion. In addition, there are neurological signs such as decreased deep tendon reflexes, weakness, and sensory deficits.
- Grade 4: The patient complains of neck pain. There is evidence of fractures, dislocation, or injury to the spinal cord.
Consequences
There are both short-term and long-term consequences to whiplash. In most cases, whiplash only produces mild pain for a few days, though whiplash can become a severe disability when there is restricted head movement or injury to the cervical spine. Though it happens only rarely, the pain from whiplash can last for years.
We Can Help!
Here at Goren, Goren & Harris, P.C., we are experienced in handling the tough legal aspects of soft tissue and connective tissue injuries. We understand that your pain is real, though it perhaps cannot be detected through common hospital tests. We will do everything in our power to assure that your legal rights are protected. Our Detroit neck injury lawyers are committed to helping you receive the monetary compensation you deserve. We are a contingency fee law firm – we only get paid if you get paid. We have an incentive to get you top dollar. Winning our clients money has kept us in business for over four decades and has gotten us such honors as listings in Marquis’ “Who’s Who in American Law” and Martindale-Hubbell’;s listing of preeminent law firms. Let us help you. Contact us today.