A significant soft tissue injury can impede your movement, limit what activities you can do, and lead to long-term complications like nerve damage. However, if you suffered a soft tissue injury while on the job, workers’ compensation could cover the costs of your necessary healthcare, offset your missing wages while you can’t work, and provide you with additional money if you’re left with a disability. The Pennsylvania workers’ compensation lawyers at Calhoon & Kaminsky, P.C. want to help you pursue the benefits you’re entitled to.
Our firm has spent 20 years fighting for injured workers. We have recovered more than $220 million in compensation for them. We will not stop until we have done everything we can to get you the benefits you need. Contact us today to find out if you’re entitled to workers’ compensation for soft tissue injuries or nerve damage.
What Is a Soft Tissue Injury?
The term soft tissue describes the elements of the body other than the bones, nervous system, and internal organs. Your body’s soft tissues include your skin, blood vessels, muscles, and connective tissues such as ligaments and tendons. Because these body parts are more delicate and vulnerable than your bones or organs, they are more prone to injury. While many soft tissue injuries heal quickly with minimal long-term effects, some injuries can lead to lifelong problems.
Common Causes of Soft Tissue Injuries
Some common causes of soft tissue injuries in the workplace include:
- Falls – The impact of a fall can lead to contusions, strains, sprains, and other damage.
- Twisting or overexertion – Your tendons, ligaments, and muscles are flexible in order to allow movement. However, these soft tissues can only stretch or flex until a certain point. Overexertion and sharp, twisting motions can push them beyond their limits and result in injuries. These injuries can also happen if you twist your body to catch yourself while falling.
- Blunt force trauma – The soft tissues of the body can be severely damaged if they’re struck by a vehicle, a flying object, or a piece of machinery.
- Repetitive motions – Repeating the same activity can put long-term stress on soft tissues, gradually breaking them down and making them more prone to injury.
Types of Soft Tissue Injuries
Some of the most common types of soft tissue injuries people suffer at work include:
- Contusions – A contusion is a medical term for a bruise. Most contusions do not cause long-term effects and heal quickly, though more severe injuries sometimes cause permanent harm.
- Lacerations – Cuts that tear the skin and underlying tissues are called lacerations. Minor lacerations are often treated with first aid, but more significant injuries may require additional treatment, including stitches or surgery in some instances. Lacerations can also become infected, which can lead to serious complications.
- Burns – While most first-degree burns can often be treated with first aid and cool water, second- and third-degree burns are more severe. These burns can damage your skin, muscles, and underlying connective tissues. In some cases, burns cause permanent scarring and limit your bodily functions. Additionally, infections are common after severe burns, so complications can arise.
- Strains and sprains – Tendons connect bones to muscles or other parts of the body. Ligaments connect bones. A soft tissue injury to a muscle or tendon is called a strain. Damage to a ligament is a sprain. Because strains and sprains impact parts of your body that allow you to move, these injuries can severely limit your activities after an accident.
- Bursitis – Fluid-filled sacs called bursas cushion the bones, tendons, and muscles around joints and prevent them from rubbing against each other. Blunt trauma or overexertion can inflame a bursa, causing a painful condition known as bursitis.
- Tendonitis – Blunt trauma or overexertion can cause tendons to become inflamed, leading to severe pain. Tendonitis can make it difficult to move parts of your body and participate in everyday activities.
- Road rash – Scrapes and abrasions caused by contact with a road surface are called road rash. When severe, these injuries can impact soft tissue beneath the skin. Motorcyclists, bicyclists, pedestrians, and employees who work around motor vehicles are at increased risk of road rash.
Symptoms of a Soft Tissue Injury
Some common symptoms of soft tissue injuries include:
- Pain or swelling
- Visible bruising
- Muscle spasms or cramps
- Muscle weakness
- Reduced range of motion
- Having trouble putting weight on the injured body part
- A knot or lump
- Joint instability
Can I File a Workers’ Compensation Claim for a Soft Tissue Injury?
If you sustain a soft tissue injury at work or while engaged in a work-related activity, you have grounds for a workers’ compensation claim. Nearly all Pennsylvania employers must pay for workers’ compensation insurance, which covers all medical care a worker needs because of a work-related injury or illness. It also provides wage-replacement benefits for employees who miss work or must work in a reduced capacity because of their injury, as well as disability benefits to workers who develop long-term impairments. The soft tissue injury compensation you receive will depend on the circumstances surrounding your case and the severity of your injury.
While these benefits should be provided to any covered worker who needs them, applying for them is often complicated. Also, employers and insurers will deny claims whenever possible. That’s why you should consider working with an experienced workers’ comp lawyer as you pursue your benefits. Your attorney can help you prepare and file your claim. They can also represent you throughout the appeals process if your claim is initially denied. If you’re hurt and missing work because of a soft tissue injury you suffered on the job, your claim is too important to leave to chance.
Did You Suffer a Soft Tissue Injury at Your Workplace? Contact Our Experienced Workers’ Compensation Lawyers Today
The effects of a soft tissue injury at work can go far beyond your ability to earn a living. The workers’ compensation lawyers at Calhoon & Kaminsky, P.C. want to help you get the benefits you need to treat your injuries and make ends meet during a difficult time. Call us today or visit our contact page for a free consultation.
