Rest, ice, compression, and elevation is pretty standard advice for minor injuries, but it isn’t always the best route to take. It can be difficult to tell the difference between a major and minor soft tissue injury, and failing to get an accurate diagnosis and proper care can have a host of long-term consequences.
Chronic Pain
One of the biggest problems people experience with improperly healed injuries is chronic pain or inflammation. This may take the form of “bad weather aches,” joints that tend to swell during physical activity, or even pain severe enough to impact daily activities. Unfortunately, chronic pain isn’t always easy to treat. It’s better to have an injury evaluated and properly treated than to try to treat the resulting pain and swelling.
“Pins and Needles”
Paresthesia is another consequence of poorly-healed injuries. This occurs when nerve signals are disrupted by pressure on or damage to nerves. The resulting tingling, prickling, and weakness can, depending on their severity, dramatically impact a sufferer’s quality of life.
Cosmetic Damage
Disfigurement may also result from improperly treated injuries. Even if an injury doesn’t leave a scar, chronic inflammation, movement compensation, and badly-healed soft tissue injuries can be cosmetically undesirable. Prompt and proper treatment can reduce the likelihood of disfigurement later on.
Lost Range of Motion
Loss of function is one of the most common, and most serious, consequences of improper healing. Injury sufferers may find that they’ve lost some of their range of motion or even strength, which can be particularly problematic for athletes. Find places that specialize in surgical and non-surgical treatment for sports injuries, trauma, and repetitive motion injuries like arthritis. By getting Boise orthopaedic care, you can help treat your injuries and pain the right way.
Monetary Expense
Lastly, ongoing expenses often occur as a result of chronic pain and poorly-healed injuries. It often costs much less to have an injury properly evaluated and treated than to attempt to cope with long-term side effects as they crop up. Some untreated injuries may even diminish the sufferer’s ability to work, leading to further monetary hardship.
It might be tempting to try to “walk off” a seemingly minor injury, but even a small injury can turn into a huge problem if it’s left untreated. Don’t allow a little injury to turn into chronic pain, tingling, or disfiguring inflammation. The right treatment can go a long way toward proper healing and a pain-free life.
