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Soft Tissue Injury Treatment in Newport & Cardiff

Soft tissue injuries can be quite common and you or someone you know is very likely to have suffered one. A variety of activities, not all of them strenuous or sporty, can lead to various soft-tissue injuries.

In this article, we’ll explain what a soft tissue injury is, and how they can be treated and managed.

What is a soft tissue injury?

A soft tissue injury is where damage has occurred to muscle, ligaments and tendons.
They can vary in severity from bruises (contusion) to tears or sprains; they can be painful often resulting in swelling or physical damage which can restrict your movement in the short term and if not treated properly can potentially lead to restrictive movement or further injuries in the future.

For many types of soft-tissue injury the common treatment is rest, ice, compression and elevation (R.I.C.E), but that may not be suitable for every type of injury and for some injuries professional advice may be required.

How to treat a soft tissue injury?

Protect the affected area

If you have injured yourself – try to restrict movement and stress to the affected area for 1 to 3 days. If you have a leg injury – this may require the use of crutches for a period of time or using a sling for the arm. This helps to minimise any further damage and prevents aggravation to the injury. Don’t forget to ice the area for approximately 10 minutes a time to help reduce any inflammation.

Compress

Depending on the injury compression using a brace or sports tape can help prevent further swelling. If there is bleeding – compression using a bandage will help prevent a further bleed from the injury.
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Elevate the injury

To reduce swelling of your injury, try to raise the area above the level of your heart.

Avoid anti-inflammatories

Anti-inflammatories (like Ibuprofen) can actually inhibit tissue repair during the initial phase of recovery. Simple pain-killers like Paracetamol should be used for pain relief where required.

Make it work

Once the initial pain has passed (after the initial few days), it may be beneficial to start some light exercise to keep the affected area moving. It’s important to do this within the limits of your pain threshold but making the joint or muscle work can promote healing and tissue repair.

Improved blood supply

Improved blood flow to the affected area helps to provide nutrients and oxygen which facilitates tissue healing.

Moving and working your joints and muscles helps to increase blood flow. It may also be worth considering alternative health treatments such as cryotherapy treatments which can further help increase the blood flow to the impacted area.

Exercising

While staying with your pain limits, controlled exercise is key to recovery. Building up strength and restoring your mobility will help speed up recovery and prevent a recurrent injury.

Stay Positive

Science shows that optimism can help promote healing – staying positive and realistic plays a key role in your recovery. Depression and fear has often shown to result in worse outcomes.

If you are struggling to stay positive, try a wellbeing course of treatments which can support you to recover from your injury.

Get a therapy plan

Speak to a professional about your injury, set goals for recovery and get a therapy plan.

We’re happy to advise on therapy plans and Cryo Wellbeing can offer a range of treatments from Cryotherapy and Sports Massage to Wellbeing coaching, all working holistically to speed up your recovery.

Cryo-Wellbeing is located just off the M4 in South Wales making it perfect for sports massage in Cardiff 

Get in-touch with us today to discuss a therapy plan.
This article is intended as general guidance and should not be relied upon as an alternative to specialist medical care. Always seek professional advice before embarking on any therapy or exercise plan.