Common Types of Car Accident Injuries
Broken Bones and other Apparent Injuries
A Greensboro Personal Injury Lawyer can tell you that injuries such as broken bones and lacerations (cuts) are usually readily apparent and can be easily treated through traditional medical avenues. These types of injuries are easier to diagnose and treat for medical providers because they are typically visible on an x-ray or an MRI. The treatment course for these types of injuries is also well known and has been perfected over the years. Typically, these types of injuries will be treated through an emergency room, an orthopedic physician, and/or physical therapists.
Soft Tissue Injuries
More common injuries for car wrecks are what are called “soft tissue” injuries. These are injuries where ligaments and muscles stretch. Soft tissue injuries can include whiplash and back injuries. Soft tissue injuries are difficult to diagnosis at the emergency room or at urgent care for two reasons. First, these types of injuries often do not manifest themselves until many days (and sometimes weeks) after the crash. Second, these types of injuries are rarely visible through imagining studies (e.g. x-ray or MRI). Consequently, they are often not immediately detected by medical professionals.
These injuries can result in significant amounts of pain even though the injury itself is not readily apparent on an x-ray or an MRI. The stretching of muscle and ligaments can result in extended healing time (often longer than a broken bone). To make matters worse, more traditional medical avenues such as surgery, pain killers, etc. provide very little to no relief for these types of injuries. Commonly, these injuries are treated through chiropractic care, acupuncture, yoga, exercise, and other less traditional medical avenues. Because there is no “magic” pill or surgery to heal the patient, these methods can often take months before the patient begins to see relief.
Contact our Greensboro Personal Injury Lawyers today if you or someone you know has lost a loved one as a result of someone else’s negligence.