Soft Tissue Injuries

The soft tissues of the body are often exposed to sprains, strains and bruises. Most commonly involved are the joint capsules, ligaments, muscle and tendons. To clarify:

Joint Capsules – is a thick tissue which encases the joints. They are reinforced by ligaments. Capsules and ligaments have little elasticity so are common sites of injury.

Muscles – are fleshy tissues complied of millions of fibres which lie parallel to each other. They are contractile so are responsible for producing movement and have a rich blood supply. Injury can range from tearing a few fibres to a complete rupture

Tendons – attach the muscle to bones. They are also contractile but not as much as muscle. They usually tear at the junction of the muscle and tendon or where the tendon inserts into the bone. Tendons may also rupture completely

Ligaments – are strong bands of fibre which attach bone to bone to add strength to the joints. They can partially or completely tear from the bone or somewhere along the length of the ligament