Types of Soft Tissue Injuries You can Suffer in a Slip or Fall

When you slip and fall, there are a lot of ways you can be injured. Some of them are fairly minor – you might suffer a small cut or a bruise from the impact. You can also suffer a serious injury like a traumatic brain injury or a spinal cord injury.

Soft tissue injuries are injuries to the muscles, tendons, and ligaments. These injuries can vary widely; when you suffer a soft tissue injury, you could suffer a relatively minor injury that only requires rest and a cold compress to soothe the pain or you can suffer an injury severe enough to warrant surgery. Three distinct types of soft tissue injury you could suffer are:


A strain is a tear or severe stretch to a muscle or the tendon that connects it to a nearby bone. Muscle strains are also known as muscle pulls and muscle tears.

Muscle strains can damage the blood vessels in the tendon and muscle, causing pain, bruising, and local bleeding. A muscle strain can render a muscle unusable and cause the victim to suffer weakness in the affected area.

Usually, a muscle strain only needs at-home treatment. Treatments include the RICE method (rest, ice, compression, elevation) and supporting the affected area with a bandage or splint. Sometimes, treating a strain requires physical therapy. When a muscle is torn, surgery can be necessary.


A sprain is a stretch or tear to a ligament, one of the bands of tissue that connect two or more bones in a joint. Sprain symptoms can be quite similar to strain symptoms, and include pain at the injury site, loss of use of the joint, swelling, and bruising.

Also like a strain, a sprain typically only needs home remedies like RICE to heal. When pain is severe, the limb buckles with each joint movement, or the patient cannot bear weight on the affected joint, the patient should seek medical attention.


A contusion is another word for a bruise. When an area of the body suffers a blow, the blood capillaries directly beneath the skin at that spot can be ruptured, causing blood to leak into the skin tissue and cause it to become discolored. Bruises are painful, but they are generally not severe enough to warrant medical attention. When a bruise does not go away and instead, becomes firm and grows, the patient could have a hematoma or be suffering from myositis ossificans, both of which require medical intervention.

Work with an Experienced Itasca Slip and Fall Lawyer

If you suffered a soft tissue injury in an accident that could have been prevented if another party had taken greater care to protect you from harm, you have the right to pursue monetary compensation for your related damages through a personal injury claim. To learn more about pursuing compensation this way, contact our team of experienced slip and fall lawyers at Newland & Newland, LLP today to set up your initial legal consultation with us. We serve clients in the Arlington Heights, Palatine, Rolling Meadows, Libertyville, Mundelein, Buffalo Grove, Schaumburg, Elk Grove, and Itasca areas.

(image courtesy of Nino Liverani)

  • Newland & Newland LLP, Attorneys, Arlington Heights, IL
  • Lawyer.com