injuries and poisoning
Overview of Sprains and Other Soft Tissue Injuries
Symptoms of Sprains and Other Soft Tissue Injuries
The most obvious symptom of soft-tissue injuries is Pain The injured part hurts, especially when people try to put weight on it or use it. The area around the injury is tender to the touch. Other symptoms include Swelling Bruising or discoloration Muscle spasms (unintended contraction of muscles) Inability to use the injured part normally Possibly loss of feeling (numbness or abnormal sensations) A part that looks distorted, bent, or out of place (which suggests that a fracture or a dislocation has also occurred) The injured part (such as an arm, a leg, a hand, a finger, or a toe) often cannot be moved normally because movement is painful and/or a structure (muscle, tendon, or ligament) is damaged. Swelling may take several hours to develop. If no swelling occurs within this time, a severe sprain is unlikely. Bruises appear when bleeding occurs under the skin. The blood comes from broken blood vessels in the injured tissues. At first, the bruise is purplish black, then slowly turns green and yellow as the blood is broken down and reabsorbed back into the body. The blood can move quite a distance from the injury, causing a large bruise or a bruise some distance from the injury. For example, a bruise on the forehead can cause a bruise to later appear under the eyes. It can take a few weeks for blood to be reabsorbed. The blood can cause temporary pain and stiffness in the surrounding structures. Because moving the injured part is so painful, some people are unwilling or unable to move it. If people (such as young children or older people) cannot speak, refusal to move a body part may be the only sign of an injury. However, some injuries do not keep people from moving the injured part. Being able to move an injured part does not mean that there is no injury. 