Injuries you should not overlook and requires immediate treatment

Injuries are worse than they look

Injury also known as physical trauma is damage to your body caused by an external force.

It is a general term that refers to harm caused by accidents, falls, hits, weapons, and more. In the U.S., millions of people injure themselves every year. These injuries range from minor to life-threatening.

Strains are by far the most common of all sports-related injuries simply because we use so many muscles and tendons when we exercise or play. 

INJURIES THAT REQUIRES IMMEDIATE TREATMENT

High pressure injection injury

High pressure injection injury

It is a high pressure injection injury. They come from a high powered, hydraulic pump or pressure washer. On the surface they look like a tiny wound but you can tell from the bleaching that the tissue destruction underneath the site is likely severe. These injuries are especially devastating when they are on the hand or foot. They require extensive debridement and a long time to heal if they ever do. These can rapidly turn into this after debridement.

Lightning or high voltage injuries

Lightning or high voltage injuries

Another example that comes to mind are lightning or high voltage injuries. Externally, all you may see is a rash that looks like a fern on the skin. They are called Lichtenberg Figures. While they are often beautiful, they can herald a much more serious injury involving the electrical system (neurological) of the body. This is especially a problem if it involves the heart.

The natural pacemaker of the heart is especially sensitive to electrical shock. A victim of lightning strike may look perfectly healthy with no external sign of trauma whatsoever except they are dead.

I decided to add one more to the list. Maybe more will come from your comments that I can elaborate upon.

Puncture Wounds

Puncture Wounds

No big deal. Just a couple puncture wounds on the hand from a pet house cat. The problem is that cats (like most mammals) have a virtual bacterial cocktail in their mouths. One particular organism around their teeth can transform this relatively innocuous injury into a serious infection, abscesses or sepsis. That organism is called Pasteurella multocida. By the time we see these in the ER they no longer look like tiny punctures. They usually look more like this:

Even that doesn’t look all that serious but at this point it may still require surgery and IV antibiotics. I would say that most dog bites do not become infected if cleaned and managed appropriately. Human bites often do. Cat bites virtually ALWAYS do.

Dislocation/Fall injury

A lot of people overlook dislocation and fall injury as nothing but the truth is most at times it's something and can cause serious damage to the affected part.

This type of injury when it happens might lead to swelling of the affected part; many at times this swelling is caused by internal bleeding or blood clotting and as such needs doctors attention.

It might seem minor but it can lead to death and to avoid this scenario, I advise you always treat your injuries.

Don't just overlook injuries by saying it is a minor thing. Always treat your injuries and in most cases go to the clinic for more adequate and proper treatment.

Stay healthy in 2022!