Crush injuries occur when a hard, heavy and/or large object crushes and impacts the body in some way for any period of time.
These injuries almost always have a devastating physical effect on the sufferer. Victims could end up dealing with the repercussions for years to come, even in some of the more mild situations.
How do crush injuries occur?
Up To Date discusses the impact of crush injuries on sufferers. These injuries can occur on the limbs or the trunk or torso area. Limb crush injuries include the arms, legs, hands and feet. Crush injuries to the torso and trunk include the chest and abdomen. The head or neck could also end up crushed, but these injuries tend to be almost immediately fatal.
Crush injuries tend to have different impacts based on their location, the duration of the injury, and the force and weight behind the crushing object.
Limb vs. trunk crush injuries
For limb crush injuries, most of the biggest threats include infection. For example, crush injuries to the feet often result in gangrene or necrosis, leading to the removal of toes or even the entire foot.
On the other hand, crush injuries to the trunk tend to have a big impact on organ health. Organs can begin to fail in the event of an extended crush injury, and as more organs start to shut down or malfunction, it can cause a chain reaction of organ failure.
These injuries can cause serious scarring, loss of limbs, permanent alteration in the functions of organs, permanently failed organs and more. Overall, these impacts have life-altering effects on a victim in the aftermath.
