Acute Soft Tissue Injury Advice Sheet

This leaflet contains advice (for the first 48 hours) following an acute soft tissue injury. Patient Information Leaflet produced by the Physiotherapy Service Specialist Services Unit (Cambridgeshire)
Providing a lifetime of care

Cambridgeshire Community Services NHS Trust: providing services across Cambridgeshire, Peterborough, Luton and Suffolk

What is soft tissue? Soft tissue is an expression commonly used to refer to the softer aspects of the outer body, not including bones and joints. Muscles and tendons are examples. How will I know how severe the soft tissue injury is, and what do I need to do next? Often, when people have injured themselves (eg they have twisted an ankle or fallen on an arm), they are worried that they might have broken a bone. In many of these accidents they have just injured their soft tissues, and the injury will heal on its own after taking suitable care and precautions (see below). If you think you have a simple soft tissue injury but are worried, please ask your general practitioner (GP) for advice. You can also call the NHS Direct nurses for advice. What can I do to prevent further injury? Protect the area: With all injuries, it is important to prevent further injury occurring. Exactly what you need to do depends on the area that has been damaged. Protective supports can include crutches, a sling, braces, sprints and taping. Some of these might be applied by a first-aider (or by yourself); others will need to be applied by your doctor or in hospital.

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How long should I use these protective supports? If you have sought advice from a healthcare professional, they will give you instructions about how and for how long to use any support. How long depends on the severity of injury and in what activities you wish to partake. It is, however, important that you do not use a support indefinitely without seeking professional advice.

As a guide For mild injury: For moderate injury: For severe injury: use a protective support for up to 3 days. use a protective support for 35 days use a protective support for more than 5 days.

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Why is it important to rest the injured area? It is important to rest the injured area during the early phase of healing - this prevents the area being stressed. When you first start moving the area again, avoid excessively stressing the healing tissue.

As a guide For mild injury: rest the area for up to 24 hours

For moderate injury: rest the area for 35 days For severe injury: rest the area for one week

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When is the application of ice useful? The application of cold immediately following injury can minimise any swelling, which usually also helps prevent pain. The easiest way is to use some crushed ice, a bag of frozen peas, or an ice compress. Whatever you use, do wrap it in a damp towel before applying it to the skin. Unwrapped ice can lead to an ice burn, which can be painful. Hold the ice in place for 10 minutes and repeat this every two hours until the swelling and/or heat from the injury has gone away. When should I raise the injured area? Elevating the injured area (eg leg) above the level of the heart can help minimise swelling and should be applied as soon as possible after the injury. Do ensure that the elevated area is adequately supported; for this reason it might be easier to lie down (using cushions or pillows). If you can keep a limb elevated, you do not have to apply compression at the same time.

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When can I return to sport or strenuous activity. You can usually return to sport or strenuous activity when the injured area remains pain-free during normal day-to-day activities. If you have sought advice from a health professional, they can usually estimate how long this will take depending on the type and severity of injury. As a rough guide, it can take several weeks for soft tissue to heal adequately. It is normal to feel some discomfort when you first return to sport, but this should not last long. If you are worried, seek advice from your general practitioner or physiotherapist.

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For further information about this service contact: For Huntingdon and Cambridge City and South areas If you are unsure about any of the advice in this leaflet or if you require further advice from a Chartered Physiotherapist, please contact your local self referral service on: Huntingdon - 8.15am - 12.15pm

01480 434980
Cambridge City and South Cambridgeshire - 1pm - 5pm

01223 446999
For East Cambs and Fenland area Self referral is not currently available, please contact your local Physiotherapy Department if you are unsure about any of the advice: Physiotherapy Department, Princess of Wales Hospital, Lynn Road, Ely, Cambs, CB6 1DN - Tel: 01353 652046 Physiotherapy Department, Doddington Hospital, Benwick Road, Doddington, Cambs, PE15 0UG - Tel: 01354 644213 Physiotherapy Department, North Cambs Hospital, The Park, Wisbech, Cambs, PE13 3AB - Tel: 01945 488062 For Peterborough area Self referral is not currently available, please contact your local MSK Physiotherapy Department if you are unsure about any of the advice: City Health Clinic, Wellington Street, Peterborough, PE1 5DU Tel: 01733 466671
Cambridgeshire Community Services NHS Trust Tel: 01480 355184/308216 Email: ccscommunications@ccs.nhs.uk Website: www.cambscommunityservices.nhs.uk Code: AS/PD/LFT/0271 - V1.4 (Oct 2012) Date of Production: November 2010 Date of Review: November 2013

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If you have any concerns about this service or suggestions for improvements, contact our Patient Advice and Liaison Service on Freephone 0800 013 2511 or email: ccs-tr.pals@nhs.net For free, confidential health advice and information 24 hours a day, 365 days a year contact NHS Direct on 0845 46 47 or via www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk If you need this information in a different format such as in large print or on audio tape, or in a different language please contact Cambridgeshire Community Services NHS Trust Communications Team on 01480 308216 or via email at: ccscommunications@ccs.nhs.uk Polish: Jeeli potrzebujesz tych informacji w innym formacie, jak na przykad w duej czcionce, w formacie audio lub w innym jzyku, prosimy o kontakt z Cambridgeshire Community Services NHS Trust (Publiczny Zesp Opieki Zdrowotnej i rodowiskowej) pod numerem telefonu: 01480 308216 lub email na adres: ccscommunications@ccs.nhs.uk Portuguese: Se precisar desta informao em formato diferente, tal como impresso em letra grande, cassete udio ou noutra lngua, por favor contacte o Cambridgeshire Community Services NHS Trust (Trust NHS dos Servios Comunitrios de Cambridgeshire), atravs do telefone 01480 308216, ou envie um e-mail para: ccscommunications@ccs.nhs.uk Russian: , , , 01480 308216 no ccscommunications@ccs.nhs.uk Cantonese: Cambridgeshire Community Services NHS Trust01480 308216 ccscommunications@ccs.nhs.uk Bengali

Turkish: Eer bu bilgininin kendi dilinizde evirisini (ya da daha byk harflerle basksn veya kasete kaytl halini) isterseniz, ltfen Cambridge Blgesi Kamu Hizmetleri Ulusal Salk Hizmeti Birimini (Cambridgeshire Community Services NHS Trust) 01480 308216 nolu telefon numarasndan arayn veya ccscommunications@ccs.nhs.uk adresine e-mail gnderin.