When Can Falls in Nursing Homes Lead to Soft Tissue Injuries?

 Posted on March 21, 2023 in Personal Injury

Falls in nursing homes can be devastating, leading to a variety of injuries that can have long-term effects on elderly or disabled patients. In some cases, fall accidents may result in sprains, dislocated joints, or other soft tissue injuries. Unfortunately, these falls often take place due to the negligence of a nursing home's staff. It is important for those who have been affected by a fall to understand their options for addressing sprains and soft tissue injuries caused by nursing home negligence. 

Soft Tissue Injuries That May Affect Nursing Home Residents

The human body has multiple types of soft tissues that connect the bones in the skeletal system together, provide support for internal organs, and ensure that a person can move properly. While injuries that affect these soft tissues may not be as outwardly obvious as broken bones or bruises and lacerations, they can be very painful, and they can restrict a person's ability to move different parts of their body and perform daily functions. 

Some common soft tissue injuries that can occur in falls or other types of accidents include:

• Sprains - A sprain occurs when the ligaments that connect different bones are stretched or torn. This can cause pain, swelling, and limited mobility in the affected area. When falls occur, nursing home residents may experience sprains in the knees, ankles, wrists, shoulders, or other parts of the body. These injuries can seriously limit a person's mobility, affecting their ability to walk, feed themselves, bathe, use the bathroom, or complete other daily tasks. In some cases, surgery may be necessary to repair the damaged ligaments.

• Strains - A strain occurs when muscle fibers are pulled or torn due to an excessive amount of pressure being applied. These injuries may also involve damage to the tendons, which may be stretched or torn. Muscles in multiple areas of the body may be injured in a fall, including the back, neck, shoulders, arms, or legs. While these injuries may heal with time, surgery may be needed to repair damaged muscles or tendons, and a person's mobility may be seriously limited while they are recovering.

• Dislocated joints - A fall may result in the separation of two or more bones where they meet in a joint. This may result in the complete immobilization of the joint until the bones are moved back into the proper position. In some cases, surgery may be needed to correct a dislocation, and other surrounding tissues may also be damaged. Dislocations may occur in joints such as the shoulders, elbows, wrists, hips, knees, or ankles. While recovering from these injuries, a person may experience significant pain, swelling, and an inability to use the affected joint. In some cases, a person may never fully recover the use of the parts of the body that were affected.

These types of injuries can be especially common among elderly or disabled residents who are involved in accidents, especially if they do not have the physical strength or agility to protect themselves from falls. Soft tissue injuries can be extremely painful, and they can limit a person's ability to move about, engage in daily activities, and meet their own needs. This can diminish a person's overall quality of life and potentially lead to complications that could further harm their health or even lead to wrongful death. 

Contact Our Lombard Nursing Home Injury Lawyers

In situations where nursing home residents have suffered sprains, soft tissue injuries, or other forms of bodily harm in a fall, it is important for family members to understand what happened. If a negligent nursing home was responsible for a fall because staff members did not take the proper precautions to protect the health and safety of patients, a family may be able to take steps to pursue compensation for the harm a person has suffered. The team at Mevorah & Giglio Law Offices can provide guidance for families in these situations, and we will work to ensure that a nursing home is held liable for injuries caused by negligence. Contact our Naperville nursing home negligence attorneys at 630-932-9100 for a free consultation.

Sources:

https://orthoinfo.aaos.org/en/diseases--conditions/sprains-strains-and-other-soft-tissue-injuries/

https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/softtissue-injuries