Soft tissue injury management

The term ‘soft tissue injury’ is used to describe injuries 
to the ligaments, tendons and muscles in the body, 
rather than the harder bones. 

Examples of soft tissue injuries include:

• Sprains – caused by disruption to the fibres of the ligaments that reinforce the joints.
• Strains/muscle contusions – disruptions to the muscle/tendon fibres.
• Bruises – disruption to the small blood vessels causing discolouration and swelling.

These injuries are very common and may be caused by an accident (such as a trip or fall), or a sudden change or increase in an activity which can overload the tissues and cause them to become inflamed (such as spending all day in the garden or starting running after a long break).

These injuries often cause pain, swelling, bruising and weakness of the muscle.

What can you do to help?

It is important to follow any advice given by your doctor or physiotherapist regarding your injury.

As well as resting, try to continue to move regularly and complete any exercises you have been given to encourage healing and prevent further complications.

If you are able to take simple pain relief this may help initially, however, if you are not sure whether you can take them, please speak to either a pharmacist or your GP.

A healthy lifestyle will help with healing and prevent further complications. This includes eating a balanced diet, keeping hydrated, reducing your alcohol intake, and stopping smoking with support from the smoking cessation team. 

View the soft tissue injury early management patient information leaflet (opens in new window).