Did You Suffer an Accident-Related Dislocation?

Of the many types of injuries that accident victims can sustain, dislocated joints are perhaps one of the most cringeworthy. This reaction makes sense when you consider what a dislocated joint involves, which is essentially the forceful separation of two connected bones. These kinds of injuries are debilitating, extremely painful, and can result in limited mobility.

How Dislocations Occur

 A dislocation happens when two bones that meet at a joint separate, usually due to a significant impact. This is why many dislocation injuries occur in accidents where the victim suffers a sudden, violent blunt force impact. This could include everything from a vehicle collision or slip and fall accident to a workplace or sporting accident. Some dislocations can even occur during childbirth. Whatever the cause, dislocated joints are extremely painful and can result in temporary immobilization or deformity of the joint. Most dislocations affect the joints at the shoulders and fingers, but can also involve the elbows, knees, and hips.

Immediate and Long-Term Symptoms 

Besides immobilization and extreme pain, dislocation injuries are also typically characterized by specific symptoms, including:

• The visible deformation of the joint;
• Numbness or tingling at the joint;
• Swelling and discoloration at the injury site; and
• Limited mobility.

Once these immediate symptoms have been treated, a patient suffering from a dislocation could also experience more long-term problems, especially when the affected area involves the shoulders, hips, wrists, and ankles. This is because these parts of the body are multifunctional, allowing the body not only to move forwards and backwards, but also side-to-side. Dislocations to the shoulders and hips are the most extreme, with shoulders responsible for the majority of hand and arm movement, and the hips required to carry a major amount of a person’s body weight. Dislocations to these joints can affect all of these movements, often for months or even years after an accident.

Treating a Dislocation Injury 

How a dislocation injury is treated will depend on the specific joint that was affected and whether the dislocation was partial or complete. Initial treatment will require rest, elevation, ice, and compression, but most injured parties will require more intensive treatment, such as repositioning the joint back into place, followed by immobilization with a splint or sling. Manual repositioning, however, is not always possible, in which case, a patient may need to undergo surgery to physically return the dislocated bone to its earlier position. This is usually the case when blood vessels, nerves, or ligaments in the area have been damaged, or when a person has suffered multiple dislocations in the past. Full recovery from a dislocation can take anywhere from a few weeks to several months.

Discuss Your Legal Rights with a Florida Personal Injury Lawyer 

Because dislocation injuries are so debilitating, accident victims who suffer from them should carefully consider their legal remedies under Florida law. If you sustained such an injury, please call the experienced Fort Lauderdale personal injury lawyers at Boone & Davis to learn more about your legal options.

Sources:

 pennmedicine.org/for-patients-and-visitors/patient-information/conditions-treated-a-to-z/dislocation

my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/17873-dislocation