Injury Vocabulary

Bodily Injury

A cut, abrasion, bruise, burn, or disfigurement; physical pain, illness, impairment of the function of a bodily member, organ, or mental faculty; or any other injury to the body, no matter how temporary.

Burn

First degree burns: Minor burns of the first layer of skin.
Second degree burns: Superficial partial-thickness burns injuring the first and second layer of skin.
Third degree burns: Serious burns injuring all the skin layers and tissue under the skin.

Concussion

Injury resulting from a sudden or violent shock to the head. May cause temporary loss of consciousness.

Contusion

Bruising and swelling of the tissues.

Disc Injury

Injury to the supporting discs (cushions) located between each spinal bone. Discs that are ruptured or cracked may cause extraordinary pressure resulting in back pain.

Fracture

A break, rupture, or crack, especially in bone or cartilage.
Comminuted fracture: A fracture in which the bone is broken into several parts.
Complicated fracture: A fracture of the bone combined with the lesion of some artery, nervous trunk, or joint.
Compound fracture: A fracture in which there is an open wound from the surface down to the fracture.
Simple fracture: A fracture in which the bone only is ruptured. It does not communicate with the surface by an open wound.

Hematoma

Blood clot that collects in or around tissue.

Paraplegia

Complete paralysis of the lower half of the body including both legs, usually caused by damage to the spinal cord.

Quadriplegia

Complete paralysis of the body from the neck down, usually caused by damage to the spinal cord.

Scars may occur when the dermis, the layer of skin immediately below the outer layer, suffers tissue damage. Such tissue damage may be caused by burns and other wounds.

Soft Tissue Injury

Injury to the ligaments, tendons and fibers of the body that connect the skeletal bones.

Spinal Cord, Spinal Column and Soft Tissue Injuries

Complete: Nerve damage obstructing all signals between the brain and body.
Incomplete: Nerve damage obstructing some of the signals between the brain and body.

Vertebral Fracture – If your vertebrae are compromised (broken or fractured) and you fail to adequately protect the spinal cord you may suffer from a spinal cord injury. For instance, in an automobile accident, your spinal cord may be compressed or even severed, resulting in varying degrees of incapacitation. The location of the injury along the spinal cord usually dictates the severity of your disability. The spinal column consists of four sections, the Cervical, Thoracic, Lumbar, and Sacral, which run from top to bottom respectively. Generally, the higher the injury is located along the spinal cord, the more severe the consequences. For example, damage to the spinal cord in either the Cervical or Thoracic regions usually results in some form of paralysis, while damage to the lower spinal cord, in either their Lumbar or Sacral regions, may cause numbness and / or loss of bowel / bladder control.

Paralysis is the inability to control the muscles that move the body. There are several levels of severity associated with paralysis, including paraplegia and quadriplegia. The paraplegic has lost the partial or complete ability to move the legs while the quadriplegic is partially or completely unable to move both the legs and arms.

Stroke and spinal cord injury are the major causes of paralysis. The extent of the paralysis depends on the severity of the stroke or the location of the spinal cord injury. Paralysis can be permanent or temporary. Although scientists are making progress, the prognosis for reversing long-term paralysis is currently bleak.

Whiplash, also called cervical acceleration / deceleration trauma, or soft tissue injury is caused by a sudden and violent movement of the neck. Such movement can cause damage to vertebrae and cervical tissue found in the neck. Whiplash is typically categorized as a soft tissue injury as the muscles and ligaments of the neck are strained and swell, often resulting in pain and stiffness in the neck, headache, nausea, numbness and loss of balance. It can take up to 24 to 36 hours after an accident for these symptoms to manifest themselves.

Traumatic Brain Injury

Skull Fracture - The skull overlying the brain may break or fracture when the force applied against it is greater than the strength of the bone itself. The severity of the skull fracture depends on several factors including the victim's overall health, age, and type of impact.

Types of Traumatic Brain Injuries:
1. Diffuse Axonal Injury - The sudden impact of the body colliding with another object (such as a car or baseball bat) may cause the very delicate tissue in the brain to shear or tear apart. Unfortunately, modern medical devices (x-ray, CT scan, MRI) often do not detect torn brain tissue. As a result, the injured patient may be given a clean bill of health when in fact there has been significant brain damage.

2. Hemorrhage - Bruising, like tearing, is caused by impact to the skull. The impact forces the soft tissue of the brain into the much harder skull. The collision between the tissue and the skull may rupture blood vessels allowing blood to escape into areas of the brain unsuitable for such blood. The unconfined blood places additional pressure on the brain tissue. This pressure may cause parts of the brain to stop functioning. As the brain is responsible for operating the most basic bodily functions (such as breathing), it can be quite perilous for any part of the brain to shut down.

While swelling associated with bleeding or bruising in most other body parts is not typically considered life threatening, swelling of the brain can be. When swelling occurs in other parts of the body, the tissue surrounding the injured area expands to relieve the pressure. The brain however is surrounded by the hard bone of the skull and therefore cannot expand to accommodate the swelling occurring inside. When the brain swells, the pressure inside the skull increases along with the likelihood of severe consequences as a result thereof.

3. Anoxic Brain Injuries - Anoxic brain injury occurs when the brain is deprived its oxygen intake for some significant amount of time. Such deprivation may occur as a result of drowning, choking, strangulation, or other respiratory difficulties. The cells within the brain require oxygen (and therefore blood) to function. Lack of oxygen for a significant period causes the brain cells to die.

Coma and vegetative state, words used interchangeably by laypeople, are distinguishable conditions. The patient in a comatose state cannot react to the outside world. The classic coma typically lasts less than one month, after which the patient either dies, regains consciousness, or hovers somewhere in between a full coma and complete consciousness. This "in between" condition is commonly called the vegetative state; the patient is semi-conscious but generally unaware of his surroundings. Typically, the more severe the brain injury is, the longer the period of impaired consciousness.