You've been in a car accident. You're shaken, a little sore, but otherwise feeling OK. Until the next day, that is. Often people suffer injuries in motor-vehicle accidents which don't show their true severity until many hours, or even a day or two have passed. These injuries are most often soft-tissue injuries.A soft tissue injury happens to ligaments, tendons and fibers that connect your skeletal bones. Your bones themselves are not hurt, but the tissue surrounding and connecting them are. A bruise (also called a contusion) is a common soft-tissue injury. Muscle strains and sprains are other examples of soft-tissue injury. The most common soft-tissue injury people suffer in an auto accident is whiplash. This is caused by the sudden acceleration and deceleration that occurs when a car strikes another car, or solid object. Occupants of a car involved in a rear-end collision are most likely to suffer whiplash. Even your seatbelt can't prevent the "whipping" action as your head first moves rapidly forward then back. The speed you are traveling before the accident or the amount of damage to your car may not equal the intensity of a neck injury. Speeds as low as 15 miles per hour can produce enough energy to cause whiplash, whether or not you wear a seat belt.Symptoms of whiplash include neck pain, swelling, tenderness at the back of your neck,difficulty moving your neck around, headache, and, in more severe cases, pain shooting from your neck into either shoulder or arm. It is important to seek medical attention as soon as possible. Whiplash involves your muscles, tendons and spinal cord. It can lead to chronic, life-long pain if untreated. Also, should you need to prove your injury in court, medical documentation will be needed.Another common car accident related soft-tissue injury is lower back pain. Again, you may not immediately experience pain in your lower back after an accident. This is, in part, from the adrenaline your body releases into your blood stream during an emergency, and because the injured tissue has not finished swelling yet. Symptoms may vary from muscle ache to a shooting or stabbing pain, stiffness, or being unable to stand straight. Again, seek medical attention.X-ray's and MRI's (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) will sometimes show soft tissue injuries. Sometimes, however, soft-tissue injuries are difficult to prove because there is no absolute way to document the presence of your injury. Not all soft-tissue injuries will show up on a scan. This doesn't make the pain less real though. Proof of a soft tissue injury is usually made with medical files that record your history of pain, test results, and expert testimony.If you suffer soft-tissue injuries from a motor vehicle accident that was caused by another party, you may be eligible to seek compensation for the damages you have endured. Liable parties may be required to compensate victims for medical expenses, loss of income or earning potential, and pain and suffering. It is important that you have medical care that documents your injuries, and that you document your expenses, lost time at work, etc.If you have suffered a soft-tissue injury as a result of an automotive accident, you may wish to consult a lawyer to learn if you may be eligible for compensation.