Perhaps you were traveling a route you take nearly every day. Before you knew it, you were spinning, flipping or otherwise thrown around in the cabin of your vehicle with no control over your body. By the time those few seconds passed and your vehicle came to a stop, it may have registered that you were in an accident.
The next thing you realize is that you can’t get out of the wreckage. You may not necessarily be trapped, but you can’t move without intense pain in one or both of your legs. By the time emergency personnel get to you, you already know you suffered significant trauma, such as a fracture or break of at least one of your legs. That could turn out to be the least of your worries.
What is acute compartment syndrome?
When you fracture or break a bone, and bruise the muscle, swelling occurs. If that swelling goes unchecked, you could develop a life-threatening condition called compartment syndrome. The fascia surrounds the muscle compartments in your legs, which is tissue that does not stretch like your ligaments, skin and other soft tissues. The muscles, nerves and blood vessels have nowhere to go and begin to die.
Some sort of impact trauma, such as the car accident in which you suffered your leg injuries, can bring on acute compartment syndrome. If you experience the following symptoms, you need immediate medical attention:
- Numbness
- Tingling or burning in the skin
- Muscle tightness
- Unexpectedly intense pain, especially when you use your legs
You will need a surgical procedure called a fasciotomy in order to relieve the pressure and give your swelling muscle room to do so. This should stop any additional damage but will further complicate your recovery.
What happens now?
Once you are on the road to recovery, you may turn your thoughts to how you will support you and your family during this time. Between not being able to return to work, incurring medical expenses and more, you could encounter financial troubles. If another person’s negligence or recklessness led to your injuries, you may be able to pursue compensation to help with your financial losses.
With everything going on in your life, adding legal matters to your plate may cause unnecessary stress. Instead of attempting to go through this alone, you may find it beneficial to seek out a thorough review of your case in order to determine the best course of action moving forward.