If you’ve ever had a soft tissue injury, you understand just how annoying, painful, and even debilitating it can be. Soft tissue injuries can be more than inconvenient – they can be extremely problematic, and if you don’t get the right soft tissue treatment, you can be in for years of hurt.
Thankfully, with the right kind of soft tissue treatment, your soft tissue injury can be remedied. Still, there are important questions about soft tissue injuries.
The biggest among them is this: How long does it take for a soft tissue injury to heal?
What is a soft tissue injury?
A soft tissue injury is defined as damage to the tissues inside your body. This can be your ligaments, tendons, or muscles.
The type of injury can vary in severity. On the one hand, there are common strains or pulls. These occur when a muscle, tendon, or ligament is overused or bruised via blunt force. Bruising can occur, but fortunately, these usually heal on their own, without extensive soft tissue treatment besides rest and ice.
More severe are things like sprains, which occur when your muscle ligaments are stretched beyond how they are meant to move. Sprains can be serious, and while there are numerous grades of sprains, they can require more extensive soft tissue treatment. This soft tissue treatment can take days, weeks, or even months, depending on just how serious the injury is. Common soft tissue treatments involve immobilization or soft tissue therapy. Our doctors use a technique called ART which is very effective and considered the golden standard for soft tissue care. In more severe instances like full rupture, it may require surgery.
How long does it take to recover from a soft tissue injury?
The answer to this question ultimately depends on a variety of factors, including
- The severity of the injury
- The effectiveness of the soft injury treatment
- The recovery time of a person
Small injuries, like bruises, usually go away on their own in a matter of days. However, serious sprains or tears – in which a ligament or tendon completely disconnects from the muscle or bone in question – can take months to recover from and may require surgery. In these instances, a person may always be at risk for future injuries, as a torn tendon never fully recovers. An individual in this instance must always use caution and may require regular treatment from a physical therapist or chiropractor in order to minimize their risk of future injury. Learn more about the benefits of getting soft tissue therapy and give our staff a call at 415-521-3073 if you have any questions. Book your appointment with the Bay Area’s best!
