The trauma of a crash can damage your body in subtle ways. It’s not always possible to detect the extent of muscle and joint injuries immediately following a serious accident. It may take a few days or weeks before the signs of stiffness, decreased mobility, and pain that does not fade over time signal to you that something is wrong. As soft-tissue injuries, joint and muscle damage often cannot be seen on a routine x-ray, so it might require intensive diagnostic screening to determine the extent of your injuries.
Joint InjuriesJoint injuries are always considered serious events. The presence of bone and cartilage naturally limits the flow of blood to many joints, so when an injury occurs there is minimal ability for the body to repair itself. When natural recovery is even possible, joint injuries are notorious for healing very, very slowly. Surgery is often required, followed by an extended period of physical therapy — but there is usually little chance for a complete recovery of mobility and freedom from pain. In the most severe cases, replacement joints may need to be implanted.
Muscle and Ligament TearsMuscles and ligaments bond to bone in order to provide leverage action across a joint when the body moves, or connect bones together to maintain skeletal integrity. A sudden injury during a Wisconsin motorcycle accident can cause the muscle fibers to tear away from the bone. The loss of muscle support means that the joint will no longer flex properly, or that the bones are no longer properly connected.
Torn muscles can be excruciatingly painful and debilitating. Swelling (“effusion”) and instability of the nearby joint is expected. Muscles usually have access to a rich blood supply, but ligaments generally do not — therefore, as you would expect, muscle sprains will often naturally heal well, but torn ligaments will not. Surgery is often the recommended course for ligament injuries.
Avulsion FracturesAn avulsion fracture is a bone injury at a place where a tendon or ligament attaches to the bone. When an avulsion fracture occurs, the tendon or ligament pulls away from the bone, and some of the bone remains attached to the muscle fibers, pulled out of alignment with the rest of the bone. Avulsion fractures are more common among younger people; adults have stronger bones that are much less likely than muscle to split in this way.
In the majority of cases, these fractures will heal with simple care such as icing the site and exercises to stretch the tendon or ligament. Treatment is similar to a muscle sprain. Surgery may be required if the bone fragments have been displaced too far from the main bone to fuse naturally.
The Process of RecoveryIf you have suffered a torn ligament or joint injury following a motorcycle accident in WIsconsin that was not your fault, you may be facing steep medical bills, an extended period of lost income, lasting pain, and psychological stress.
The lawyers at Hupy and Abraham want to help you get full and fair compensation for your injuries and damages. Contact us today at (800) 800-5678 for your free, no-obligation consultation. We would like to send you a FREE copy of our book, The Ultimate Guide for Motorcycle Accident Victims, just for taking the time to call.