Is neck pain after a car accident just a soft tissue injury?
A “soft tissue” neck injury after a car accident is not a minor injury. Soft tissue means the muscles, tendons, ligaments, nerves and discs of the neck. Finding which one is damaged is what gets the pain treated.
Neck pain is one of the most common long-term pain problems in medicine. It can lead to depression, poor sleep, and being unable to work. Your car may show very little damage, and you can still have significant whiplash. In fact, people in the car can get severe whiplash at low speeds, even in a 5 mph collision.
The term “soft tissue” often gets tossed around as if it means an insignificant injury. That could not be farther from the truth. The brain, liver, and heart are soft tissue too, and you likely would not live long with any of them damaged. Soft tissue includes
- Muscles
- Tendons
- Ligaments
- Nerves
- Discs
- Micro fractures
- Facet subluxation
- Bleeding (hemorrhage) or fluid buildup (edema) in the tissues around the facet joints
Find the right cause of the neck pain first. That is how you treat the symptoms, relieve the pain and get function back.
Related reading: whiplash with little or no car damage and what a car crash does to the body.
Frequently asked questions
How serious is soft tissue damage?
Serious enough that the word should never be read as “minor.” The brain, liver and heart are soft tissue too. In the neck, soft tissue damage can reach the muscles, tendons, ligaments, nerves and discs, and it can include micro fractures, facet subluxation, and bleeding or swelling around the facet joints. Neck pain of this kind can lead to depression, poor sleep and being unable to work.
How do you fix soft tissue damage in the neck?
The fix starts with finding out exactly which part is hurt. A strained muscle, a torn ligament, an irritated nerve, a damaged disc and an injured facet joint are different problems. Finding the true cause of the neck pain is what lets us treat the symptoms, relieve the pain and get function back.
Can a low-speed car accident cause whiplash?
Yes. Even when your car shows little damage, you can still have significant whiplash. Occupants can have severe whiplash at low speeds, even in a 5 mph collision. How the car looks after the crash does not tell you how your neck fared.
Medically reviewed by Dr. Gurpreet Singh Padda, MD, MBA, MHP — Board Certified in Anesthesiology, Pain Medicine, Interventional Pain Management, Addiction Medicine, and Obesity Medicine.
