Soft Tissue Injuries In a car accident, the back and neck are typical problem spots for soft tissue injuries. Soft tissue includes the muscle, tendons and ligaments. Soft tissue injuries are the most common complaint from persons involved in car accidents, especially low impact car accidents.
The impact can force the person’s neck or back to stretch in an abnormal way, resulting in injury. The neck can whip forward and then back causing whiplash. Research shows that approximately one-half of the persons injured in a car accident suffered from whiplash.
Although soft tissue injuries are common in car accidents, they are not detectable with x-rays. It may take hours or days before an accident victim begins to experience symptoms. Once the accident victim becomes symptomatic, he or she may begin to experience constant pain.
Cat Scans, MRI and Ultrasound can be used to show soft tissue injuries. That is why it is important to keep your doctor informed of the pain that you are experiencing. If only x-rays have been performed, yet the pain is constant, perhaps a different diagnostic test such as the Cat Scan, MRI or Ultrasound can provide a more comprehensive view to validate the soft tissue injury. This is important for your insurance claim.