Are Soft Tissue Injuries Not That Serious?
Posted Friday, February 19, 2021 by Chris Thayer
If you have recently been involved in a motor vehicle crash, there is a decent chance you may have heard the expression “soft tissue injury.” This is because insurance companies are great at recharacterizing injuries to suit their needs. Some insurance claims adjusters will call a blown disc in your back a soft tissue injury. Hernia? Minor injury soft tissue. Sprain, strain, pulled ligaments, torn tendons? Soft tissue injury.
As you can likely tell, anything that is not a fractured bone will probably get referred to as a soft tissue injury. Insurance companies know that soft tissue is a tough topic for some to understand, and recharacterizing it this way makes it seem less serious. But are soft tissue injuries really not that serious? Should an insurance company still have to pay for them? At Pivotal Law Group, our dedicated personal injury lawyers know that soft tissue injuries are some of the most common and most painful injuries we see. Here are a few reasons to take them seriously.
*Soft Tissue Takes a Long Time to Heal*Unlike a fracture, which can be placed in a cast usually, a typical soft tissue injury is not treatable with traditional immobilization techniques. The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons recommends the R.I.C.E. method when treating a soft tissue injury. This stands for
- Rest
- Ice
- Compression
- Elevation
Some soft-tissue injuries can take upwards of 10-16 weeks to heal, and some can even be permanent if the trauma is bad enough. So, do not let an insurance company make you think your injuries are minimal just because there is no fracture.
*Soft Tissue Injuries are Harder to Identify*Unlike a fracture, most soft tissue injuries can only be discovered using CT or MRI imaging. X-rays rarely show evidence of herniations, disc injuries, sprains and similar soft tissue injury. Therefore, the medical costs can get pretty high, even just from diagnostics.
*Easier to Misdiagnose*Unless you work with the right healthcare providers from the start, there is a pretty decent chance your back or neck injury will get misdiagnosed. Some physicians hate working with insurance cases, meaning they do not want to wait for the auto insurance company to pay the bill. Instead, they will either refuse to treat auto accident patients, or they will downplay the injuries so as to get the health insurance company to pay instead. Of course, the problem with this is that this hurts your chances of getting a fair settlement.
When you work with a skilled and experienced team of auto accident lawyers, we know who these healthcare providers are, so you can steer clear. Ultimately, your goal is to get better, and that is our goal too. So, call Pivotal Law Group today, and let one of our experienced attorneys guide you toward maximum compensation for your injuries. The call is free, and we never get paid unless you do.