The Basics of Soft Tissue Injuries
Injuries to soft tissue are often difficult to diagnose and treat. Trauma to the body’s muscles, tendons, and ligaments are often very painful and can take extremely long periods of time to heal. Sometimes the injuries are permanent. These types of injuries are often caused by motor vehicle accidents. The spine and joints are very typical sites for soft tissue injuries.
As with other types of injuries, recovery times vary by patient and due to the specific details of the injury. Some soft tissue injuries can heal completely while others will leave a lasting negative impact on a person’s quality of life. Your ability to do your specific work, to earn your livelihood, could be affected because of a soft tissue injury that leaves you with lasting and chronic pain.
Late Manifestation of Injuries
Because soft tissue damage can take so long to present itself, insurance claims can be very complex. Soft tissue damage can involve the spinal cord too. Don’t let ICBC convince you that an injury will present itself immediately or not at all. There are many ways whiplash injuries, for example, can manifest themselves and have an effect on nerves, discs, and tearing or stretching of the ligaments.
Although ICBC may tell you that you have limited pain and suffering damages, British Columbia courts have nonetheless awarded in excess of $100,000 for chronic long-term pain and limitations that resulted from significant soft tissue injuries.