You were in a serious car accident, and between broken legs and arms, you’ve been left immobile in the hospital. You aren’t sure how serious the injuries are other than being unable to use your extremities.
There are a few things you should know about orthopedic injuries. While broken bones do heal and are sometimes the least dangerous of injuries, they can become life-threatening, too.
Orthopedic injuries are injuries to the musculoskeletal system, which supports your entire body. These injuries can cause a number of complications and require prompt treatment. Many injuries to the bones require long-term physical therapy, while some require surgical interventions. Some common traumatic injuries include fractures, infections of the musculoskeletal system and acute fractures.
When a person suffers from orthopedic trauma, there’s a possibility for infection or non-unions or mal-unions. Infections are most likely to occur when a bone breaks the surface of the skin when it breaks. This allows bacteria to infect the wound, which can lead to the need for surgery, antibiotics or even amputation depending on the severity.
Mal- and non-unions are when the bones do not heal back together correctly. A non-union is when two fractured segments don’t reunite together when healing. Mal-unions are when the fractures heal in the incorrect position. Both of these may be prevented in some cases by seeking medical treatment to set the bones.
If you’re hurt in a crash and suffer serious injuries, you deserve to be compensated and to get the best possible care. Our website has more on what you should do if you’ve suffered major injuries.