When a Lakeville chiropractor of ours refers to soft tissue, they’re talking about the tissue that connects and supports your bones and joints. It’s vulnerable to injury, especially when you perform certain tasks or physical activities. You could also injure your soft tissue unexpectedly, such as during a car accident. However, no matter how you acquire a soft tissue injury, a chiropractor in Lakeville, MN, at Enlighten Chiropractic is here to help. However, you should know the signs so you know when to seek help.
Pain
With a soft tissue injury, you might experience pain or discomfort. It tends to worsen whenever you move the body part. If you try to “push” yourself and work through the pain, you may notice the pain worsens.
Bruising
Bruising is a sign you had trauma to the area. It occurs when you have tiny broken blood vessels in the region.
When you visit a chiropractor in Lakeville, MN, it’s one of the main criteria used to diagnose the problem.
Swelling
Our Lakeville chiropractor, either of them, wants you to know that swelling is your body’s natural defense against healing an injury. It’s an accumulation of white blood cells and fluid. Despite it serving a purpose, the swelling can increase your pain and discomfort. And it’s a common sign of a soft tissue injury.
Instability or Weakness
Often, ligaments serve the purpose of providing support to the area. For instance, you have four ligaments in your knee. Two of those ligaments, the lateral collateral ligament (MCL) and lateral collateral ligament (LCL), support the knee.
When you have a ligament tear, it weakens that body part because it has less support. Therefore, if you have a tear in your MCL or LCL, you might notice knee weakness or instability.
Tenderness
Often, if you apply any pressure to the injured area, you’ll experience pain or a sore feeling because the body part becomes tender to the touch.
Numbness
During your appointment with a chiropractor in Lakeville, MN, your practitioner will ask you about your symptoms and pay careful attention if you note numbness. If you have numbness in a body part, it means that something is pressing on a nerve, or there’s nerve damage.
Specifically, a soft tissue injury can lead to numbness because some tissue shields the nerves from damage. An injury may lead to your soft tissue being unable to protect the nerves, leading to numbness.
Tingling
Tingling is another symptom you should alert your chiropractor over. This soft tissue injury sign occurs from something coming in contact with a nerve or damaging it as well. Therefore, when the soft tissue can’t protect the nerves, tingling could occur.
Muscle Spasms
Muscle spasms could also arise if you have a soft tissue injury. A spasm will happen involuntarily and be uncomfortable.
Seeing a Chiropractor for a Soft Tissue Injury
If you have signs of a soft tissue injury, either after an accident, slip and fall, or another personal injury, contact a Lakeville chiropractor today. We identify the problem and provide a treatment approach customized to your particular needs.
Part of your treatment may include exercise therapy. This consists of a practitioner guiding you through stretches that move a particular body part slowly. They increase in difficulty as you heal.
Additionally, we may recommend lifestyle changes to aid in the recovery process, like guidance on when you can resume your usual daily activities, including sports.
At Enlighten Chiropractic, serving Lakeville, MN, and the general vicinity, we understand accidents happen and know some people work themselves too hard. Both can result in an injury. However, we want people to recognize the signs and know chiropractic care can facilitate recovery.
Book an appointment with Enlighten Chiropractic today to improve your recovery by calling 952-232-1935 or using our form.