A soft tissue injury (STI) is damage to muscles, ligaments and tendons throughout the body. Common soft tissue injuries usually occur from sprains, tension, one blow that causes contusions or excessive use of certain body parts. Soft tissue injury can cause pain, swelling, bruising and loss of function.
Video Soft tissue injury
Signs and symptoms
Sprain
Sprain is a type of acute injury that occurs due to stretching or tearing of the ligaments. Depending on the severity of the sprain, motion in the joint may be compromised due to the help of the ligaments in stability and joint support. Sprains are usually seen in vulnerable areas such as wrists, knees and ankles. They can occur from movements such as falling on the outstretched hand or twisting the ankle or leg.
Weight of sprains can be classified:
- Class 1: Only a portion of the fibers in the ligaments are torn, and the injured site is sufficiently painful and swollen. The functions in the joints will not be affected for the most part.
- Class 2: Many ligament fibers are torn, and the pain and swelling are moderate. Composite functionality is compromised.
- Class 3: The soft tissue is completely torn, and the functionality and strength of the joints are completely disrupted. In most cases, surgery is needed to repair the damage.
Strain
Strain is a type of acute injury that occurs in muscles or tendons. Similar to sprains, can vary in severity, ranging from muscle or tendon stretch to complete tendon rupture of the muscle. Some of the most common places that occur are in the legs, back foot (hamstring), or back.
Bruises
A bruise is a skin discoloration, resulting from the underlying muscle fibers and the connective tissue that is destroyed. This can happen in various ways such as a direct blow to the skin, or a decrease taken against a hard surface. Skin discoloration occurs when the blood begins to pool around the wound.
Tendinitis
Tendinitis is a type of excessive injury to the tendon, which shows signs of inflammation of the tendon around the joint. Tendinitis is the most common cause of shoulder pain. Tendinitis occurs when there is repetitive stress on the subacromial bursa, which causes the bones to make contact with the tendon and irritate them.
Maps Soft tissue injury
Diagnosis
Classification
Acute injuries
Any kind of injury that occurs on the body through sudden trauma, such as falling, twisting or blow to the body. Some examples of this type of injury are sprains, strains and contusions.
Excessive injuries
Excessive injury occurs when certain activities are repeated frequently and the body does not have enough time to recover between events. Examples include bursitis and tendinitis.
The frequently injured network
With each example. The brackets indicate the location in the body
- Ligament Anterior cruciate ligament (knee), medial collateral ligament (knee), ulnar collateral ligament (wrist/hand), interspinosa ligament (vertebrae)
- Muscle
- Biceps brachii (upper arm), rectus femoris (thigh), abdominus transverse (abdomen)
- Tendons
- Patella tendon (knee), calacaneal/Achilles tendon (lower leg/foot), biceps tendon (shoulder/elbow)
- Nerves
- Brachial plexus (shoulder), ulnar nerve (elbow/hand), peroneal nerve (ankle/foot), cranial nerve I-XII (head)
- Bone
- Femur (feet), humerus (arm), rib (torso), metatarsal I-VI (feet), metacarpals I-VI (hand)
- Cartilage
- Menisci (knee), intervertebral disc (spine), acetabulum (hip)
Management
RICE method: ( Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation)
The RICE method is an effective procedure used in the early treatment of soft tissue injury.
- Rest: It is recommended that the patient rest from the activity causing the injury to give the injury time to heal.
- Ice: Injuries should be on and off in 20-minute intervals, avoid direct ice contact with skin.
- Compression: Splitting the injury will solidify it, and prevent further bleeding or swelling from occurring.
- Elevation: Raising an injury over the heart at rest will help reduce the swelling.
No HARM Protocol: (Heat, Alcohol, Return-Injury, Massage)
This method should not be used within the first 48-72 hours after the injury to speed up the recovery process.
- Heat: Applying heat to the wound area can cause blood flow and swelling to increase.
- Alcohol: Alcohol can inhibit the ability to sense if the injury worsens, and increases blood flow and swelling.
- Re-injury: Avoid any activity that can aggravate the injury and cause further damage.
- Massage: Massaging an injured area can increase blood flow and swelling, and ultimately do more damage if done too early.
Treatment
If severe pain continues after the first 24 hours, it is recommended that an individual consult with a professional who can make a diagnosis and implement a treatment plan so that patients can return to their daily activities. To make a complete diagnosis, a professional can use neural conduction studies to localize nerve dysfunction (eg carpal tunnel syndrome), assess severity, and help with prognosis. Electrodiagnosis also helps to distinguish between myopathy and neuropathy.
Ultimately, the best method of soft-tissue imaging is magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), although it is expensive and carries a high false positive rate.
References
Source
- Flegel, Melinda J. (2004). First-aid exercise: Coach's guide to prevent and respond to injuries . Hong Kong, Japan: Human Kinetics.
- Lindsay, R., Watson, G., Hickmont, D., Broadfoot, A., & amp; Bruynel, L. (1994). Treat yourself sprains and bruises . New Zealand: Spinal Publications.
- Lovering, R.M. (2008). "Physical therapy and related interventions". In P.M. Tiidus (ed.), Skeletal muscle damage and repair (pp. 219-230). United States: Human Kinetics.
- Prentice, William E. "Tissue Response to Injury", Principles of Athletic Training: Competency-Based Approach . 14th ed. New York: McGraw Hill Companies, 2011. 260-277.
- Subotnick, Steven (1991). Sports Injuries and Exercises: Conventional, Homeopathic, and Alternative Treatment . California, United States: North Atlantic Book.
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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