Soft Tissue Injuries
Soft tissue is everything other than bone. A soft tissue injury is the result of a sprain, strain or bruise to a muscle tendon or ligament. The majority of claims from automobile accidents and injury complaints from athletes relate to soft-tissue problems. Whiplash is a common soft-tissue injury often treated by chiropractic. Recovery from a soft-tissue injury is greatly improved with proper treatment received immediately after the injury.
Research indicates that the best way to recover from a soft-tissue injury is to remain active, exercise and keep up with your normal activities. Chiropractic care allows an injured person to carry on with his or her life by reducing pain and improving motion and function through tissue mobilization. This enhances and encourages the healing process.
While Chiropractors are best known for spine care, the field of chiropractic has developed to incorporate other avenues of health care. Injury and pain in the extremities has become an integral part of chiropractic treatment because of chiropractic's focus on whole-body health. Manipulation of various parts of the musculoskeletal structure to treat the nervous system and target specific pathologies in the extremities is part of chiropractic's expanding areas of attention.
This is particularly true due to chiropractic's growing involvement in sports medicine and injuries, particularly in the activities of hockey, soccer, baseball and weightlifting. But the experience and expertise extends beyond the playing field or arena. Bursitis, tendonitis, rotator cuff tears, subacromial impingement, shoulder instability and labral tears are all potential targets for treatment by a Chiropractor.
Neurosurgeons will often suggest chiropractic care following surgery for rehabilitation therapy. Once a patient achieves soft tissue mobilization, pain improves, range of motion improves and function improves. Post-operative tissue mobilization has become a common procedure.
Chiropractors routinely see many knee injuries, including anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) sprains and tears as well as medial collateral ligament sprains and tears. Meniscus tears and articular cartilage damage are not uncommon and are potentially subject to chiropractic rehabilitation.
Tissue mobilization is used to treat acute strains and sprains as well as chronic overuse conditions such as tennis elbow, carpal tunnel syndrome, runners knee, even low back pain. These tend to occur as the result of a poorly healed sprain or strain or from repeated minor trauma such as tennis elbow in an office worker who spends the weekend hammering nails. The repeated small traumas cause micro damage to the tissue which can be present with pain, swelling, tingling, numbness, burning or weakness. Continued use perpetuates the cycle of insult and injury, increasing the damage incrementally.
The Chiropractor's office is often the first stop for a patient so that a diagnostic work-up can be completed. This can include a description and full history of the complaint or injury as well as a thorough clinical examination. This first visit may be followed up with x-rays, MRI, CT scans, spect scans, nerve studies (EMG and/or nerve conduction velocity studies)—whatever might be indicated from the examination.
Subsequent recommendations may include conservative care, or a combination of pain management and conservative care, or, possibly, recommending the patient for a neurosurgical or orthopaedic consultation.