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How Soft Tissue Injuries Occur in Rear-End Collisions in North Carolina

February 25, 2025

Soft tissue injuries are common in personal injury cases, particularly those involving car accidents, slips and falls, and workplace incidents. These injuries affect the muscles, ligaments, and tendons, often leading to pain, swelling, and limited mobility. While medical imaging, such as X-rays and MRIs, can sometimes help document these injuries, proving the severity and impact of soft tissue damage in a personal injury case remains challenging.

Here, our Charlotte personal injury lawyers at Dewey, Ramsay & Hunt, P.A. explain the complexities of soft tissue injury claims in North Carolina and strategies to strengthen your case.

Soft Tissue Injuries Occur in Rear-End Collisions

What Are Soft Tissue Injuries?

Soft tissue injuries involve damage to the body’s connective tissues and may include:

  • Sprains – Stretching or tearing of ligaments.
  • Strains – Damage to muscles or tendons.
  • Contusions – Bruising of the soft tissues.
  • Whiplash – Neck strain commonly resulting from rear-end car accidents.

While X-rays can sometimes reveal changes associated with soft tissue injuries—such as subluxation (misalignment of the spine) indicative of sprains and strains—these injuries often require further diagnostic tools, like MRIs, to confirm the extent of the damage.

Challenges in Proving Soft Tissue Injuries

Even with imaging technology, soft tissue injuries can still be difficult to prove due to their nature and how insurance companies evaluate these claims.

Some key challenges include:

  • Skepticism Toward Subjective Symptoms

While X-rays and MRIs can provide supporting evidence, many soft tissue injuries are still primarily diagnosed based on patient-reported pain and range of motion limitations. Insurance companies may argue that these symptoms are exaggerated or unrelated to the accident.

  • Delayed Onset of Symptoms

Many soft tissue injuries do not cause immediate pain, making connecting them directly to an accident harder. Insurance adjusters often challenge the timing of these symptoms, claiming they could have resulted from another cause.

  • Disputes Over the Severity of the Injury

Even when MRIs confirm soft tissue damage, insurers frequently downplay the seriousness of the injury, arguing that conservative treatments like physical therapy should suffice and that victims are overstating their long-term effects.

Strategies to Strengthen Your Soft Tissue Injury Claim

If you’ve suffered a soft tissue injury in North Carolina, you can take several steps to improve your chances of securing fair compensation.

They include:

  • Seek Immediate & Ongoing Treatment

Consistently following a treatment plan with chiropractors, physical therapists, or other medical providers not only aids recovery but also establishes a documented medical history connecting the injury to the accident.

  • Obtaining Medical Imaging & Expert Evaluations

If necessary, request an MRI or additional imaging to support your claim, especially if X-rays alone do not fully capture the injury’s extent. A medical expert or chiropractor can help explain how the imaging findings correlate with your pain and limitations.

  • Maintain Detailed Records

Keep copies of medical reports, X-rays, MRIs, treatment plans, and bills to demonstrate the injury’s impact. The more documentation you have, the stronger your case.

  • Track Your Pain & Limitations

Maintain a pain journal detailing how the injury affects your daily life, work, and mobility. This can be crucial in conveying the long-term consequences of your injury.

Consult Our North Carolina Personal Injury Attorneys for Help

Proving soft tissue injuries in a North Carolina personal injury case can be challenging, but it is not impossible. At Dewey, Ramsay & Hunt, P.A., our Charlotte personal injury attorneys understand the complexities of these cases and are committed to fighting for the compensation you deserve. If you’ve suffered a soft tissue injury due to someone else’s negligence, contact us today to schedule a free consultation by calling 704-377-3737 or online.

We provide unique legal services tailored to each client’s needs and do not get paid unless you do.

Your Injury, Our Fight. How can we help you take a stand?

Because every case is different, the description of awards and issues previously managed by our law firm does not guarantee a similar outcome in current or future cases.

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