Soft tissue injuries are among the most common issues worldwide. There are many different types of injuries that can be considered soft tissue injuries. Essentially, any type of sprain, strain, or contusion is a soft tissue injury. Additionally, tendonitis, bursitis, stress injuries, and other injuries to ligaments, tendons, and muscles are considered soft tissue injuries.
Because of the many different types of soft tissue injuries there are, not all of them are as major or painful as others. Additionally, because of the many different types of soft tissue injuries, they are not all treated the same way. Treatment will depend on what part of your body is injured and how severe it is.
In some cases, the goal of treatment is simply to ease the pain and discomfort it causes because most soft tissue injuries heal on their own. However, serious injuries will require more invasive treatment to repair the damage.
As we said before, not all soft tissue injuries require immediate treatment. Instead, your doctor may recommend a wait-and-see approach to see how the injury progresses. If it does not start to heal on its own, they will recommend that you begin one or more treatments.
If you opt for the wait-and-see approach, your doctor will likely recommend taking over-the-counter pain medications. These medications, such as Ibuprofen and Advil, ease the symptoms of pain and discomfort while also helping with any swelling and inflammation involved with your injury. Over-the-counter medications are useful for every type of soft tissue injury.
Some soft tissue injuries require corticosteroids, such as prednisone and budesonide. These drugs help with swelling and inflammation. Sprains, bursitis, tendonitis, and other soft tissue injuries cause a great deal of swelling, which then causes pain and discomfort and slows down the body’s natural healing process. Corticosteroids can control the swelling so that the body can heal.
Before proceeding to invasive treatments, rest, ice, compression, and elevation are common home treatments for soft tissue injuries.
Physical therapy is also a common treatment option for soft tissue injuries. Physical therapists are medical professionals who can teach you exercises and stretches and perform treatments to help with pain, swelling, and inflammation. These stretches, exercises, and treatments will also help to heal the injured body part. Physical therapy is helpful on its own or following surgery.
Depending on how severe your soft tissue injury is and what part of your body has been affected, you may need to have it surgically repaired. For example, if you have sprained your ankle badly enough to permanently damage the ligaments and tendons around it, you will need surgery.
You will also need surgery for major knee injuries and any torn muscles, tendons, or ligaments. Complete tears typically do not heal on their own, or there is a chance they will not heal properly.
Soft tissue injuries can happen for many reasons, but they often result from physical activity, wear and tear, or overuse. Therefore, if you are an athlete or have a physical job, you should be on the lookout for soft tissue injuries. You should also watch out for forms of tendonitis and bursitis, which are more slowly progressing than soft tissue injuries that result from an accident.
While your injury may not need immediate treatment, it is important to be aware if you have one. That way, you can start home remedies, such as over-the-counter medications and RICE.