Personal Injury Medical Terms (Part 2)
We’ve previously blogged about some common personal injury medical terms that you might encounter if you ever go through the personal injury lawsuit process. And while the terms we covered are important, the more we thought about it, the more we thought that the list was incomplete. So we’ve come up with a second list of personal injury medical terms you might want to know. And though the lists of terms we’ve come up with will be helpful, you should never hesitate to ask your attorney for a more in-depth explanation when you need help understanding anything associated with your personal injury lawsuit.
Traumatic Brain Injury. A trauma (injury) that affects the brain. Traumatic brain injuries typically arise as the result of sudden head movement. For example, a motorcycle operator who is not wearing a helmet can suffer traumatic brain injury after striking a fixed object and getting thrown from the vehicle. Traumatic brain injuries can be serious, resulting in anything from temporary loss of consciousness, to confusion, memory loss, and even permanent cognitive disability.
Fracture. A fracture is a broken bone. Bones break, or fracture, when they can no longer withstand the forces applied to them. Fractures can be either complete or partial, and can result from seemingly minor injuries. Some fractures can require hospitalization and surgery, though most do not.
Spinal Column. The spinal column is the medical name for your backbone. It’s a collection of bones, called vertebrae, that are stacked on top of one another and connected by various soft tissues. The vertebrae bones have holes in the center, allowing the spinal cord to pass through them.
Dismemberment. Someone who loses a body part suffers dismemberment. A severed foot, amputated arm, or even the loss of an eye, are all considered types of dismemberment injuries. In some situations, a person who suffers dismemberment can have the body part successfully reattached, while in other situations a reattachment is not possible. Even those who are able to have a dismembered part reattached can still suffer long-term or permanent loss of function, and can require extensive ongoing physical treatment, or multiple surgeries.
Fusion. When a person suffers a bone fracture, physicians sometimes fuse the broken pieces together using various tools or techniques. For example, if a person suffers a severe leg fracture, surgeons might use metal plates or screws to hold the bones in place as they heal.
Paralysis. A person who suffers paralysis loses the ability to voluntarily control one or more parts of the body. When paralysis only affects a single muscle, muscle group, or body part it’s often referred to as palsy. Paralysis can be temporary or permanent. It results from damage to the nervous system, and can be caused by strokes, slip-and-fall accidents, car crashes, or medical conditions such as Parkinson’s disease.