Soft Tissue Injuries
Soft tissue injuries include bumps and bruises (contusions) and small tears of muscles (minor strains) or of ligaments and tendons near joints (minor sprains).
Contusions, mild strains, and mild sprains produce mild to moderate pain and swelling. The swelling can become discolored, turning purple after a day and becoming yellow or brown days later. The person usually can continue using the body part. People with more severe symptoms, such as pain, deformity, or an inability to walk or use an injured part may have a mild strain or sprain. However, they may also have a complete separation of bones that were attached within a joint (dislocation), partial separation of bones that were attached within a joint (subluxation), fracture (see Section 5, Chapter 62), or other severe injury. People with severe symptoms usually need professional medical care to determine the nature of the injury.
First-Aid Treatment
 See the figure Commonly Used Splints.
Contusions, mild strains, and mild sprains can be treated at home with rest, ice, compression, and elevation (RICE) (see Section 5, Chapter 75), which speeds recovery and decreases pain and swelling. If a fracture, severe strain, severe sprain, subluxation (partial dislocation), or dislocation is a possibility, a splint should be applied until professional help is available.
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