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Injuries happen every day and no one’s to blame. But in rare situations, you have the right to take legal steps to address your physical condition.

Personal injury lawyers deal with many different types of cases, including soft tissue injuries. When you sustain such an injury because of a third party, you may be able to seek legal counsel to demand compensation. Your injury may seem minor but could have lasting effects. On those occasions, an attorney is your best guide to repairing any consequent financial damage.

Types of Soft Tissue Injuries

There are several types of major (and minor) soft tissue injuries.

• This kind of injury primarily occurs in tendons and muscles due to instances of slip and fall, physical confrontations or getting hit by a blunt object.
• Cervical strains or sprains are also considered soft tissue injuries. These can occur if your head and neck jerk violently back and forth in quick succession. This is a common injury if you’re involved in minor car accidents.
• Other kinds of soft tissue injuries include bruises, swelling, soreness and stiffness after an
• These injuries can take three to six months to heal. In extreme situations, they can become chronic. Treatments are not only painful but can be financially draining.

If the injury was not your fault and a third party is involved, it may be necessary to take legal steps through a personal injury lawyer.

Compensations and Claims After a Soft Tissue Injury

You can claim compensation in different forms if your injury was caused by a third party. The following are a few types of claims you can file. Compensation is based on the gravity of your situation and the associated expenses and physical and mental trauma.

• Pain and Suffering

There is a broad spectrum where the condition is judged from mild to extreme. For example, if you slip and fall on the property of a third party due to the negligence of the owner, you can claim compensation. Slipping and falling can cause a mild sprain or a major bruise that takes a long time to heal. You will have to prove the severity of your suffering with evidence and medical data. Your compensation will depend on the severity of your injury and the extent of your medical expenses.

• Loss of Future Earning Capacity

If your accident leads to a physical inability to earn your living, you can claim for future earnings lost because of the accident. This claim is made when the soft tissue damage is severe. The victim has to prove though that the injury will lead to an inability to work in the future. The amount awarded is usually hefty in such cases.

• Claim to Cover Medical And Other Expenses

Irrespective of the degree of your tissue damage, you’ll have to visit a doctor and receive treatment to recover.  Be sure to keep all documents for future reference as evidence. In some cases, like a car accident, the claim includes the cost of repairing/replacing your car, as well as your medical expenses.

Soft Tissue Injury Diagnosis

These are the steps you should take after incurring a soft tissue injury.

• Immediately after your accident, consult a doctor to diagnose the severity of your condition. Certain things noted in this stage include:
  • The type of tissue damage.
  • The absence/presence of a bone injury.
  • Suspicious symptoms reported by the patient in the days following the accident.
  • Effect of the injury on the patient’s mobility and probable lasting effects.

Factors influencing the severity of the damage are also analyzed so you can take the appropriate legal steps, including:

• The magnitude of the injury and whether multiple tissues have been damaged. If there are, your mobility will be affected and it will be more difficult to recover.
• The frequency of the pain and amount of damage caused.
• The medical restrictions you need to put up with because of the damage and how it’s hampering your daily lifestyle. These play a vital role in filing your claim so should be closely monitored.

The ability to tolerate physical pain varies from person to person.  Close monitoring and diagnosing your condition on the days following the injury is crucial to filing a case.

Soft tissue damage may seem like a negligible injury but can take a long time to heal and often has severe invisible impacts including internal bleeding. If you’re a victim of such an accident because of the actions or negligence of a person or institution, you can file for compensation. You may not get relief from your pain by doing so, but the costs you have to live with because of the incident may be reduced.