Slip and fall accidents can happen to anyone in Pennsylvania. If you have been injured, you may be left with contusions.
What are contusion injuries?
A contusion injury is also known as a bruise. A slip and fall accident can lead to contusions developing on your body. These injuries occur when blood vessels break under the surface of the skin. They show up as black and blue bruises.
Some contusion injuries are painful and swollen. They can also affect the muscles and even bones. There are different levels of severity for these injuries as well. First-degree is the least serious and clear up on their own in a few days without treatment. Second-degree are more serious, resulting in pain and swelling. There is no loss of movement in the affected area unless a joint is affected.
Third-degree contusions are the most severe. They can leave significant swelling and dark bruises.
What are the more serious types of contusion injuries?
The more serious types of these injuries are muscle and bone contusions. When a muscle is bruised, it means the contusion is deeper than merely in the skin, which makes it more painful. Often, a person who suffers this injury from impact from a car accident or a slip and fall might feel as though they have a sprain or strain. However, these types of contusions can heal without treatment. In worse muscle contusion injuries, a hematoma might develop and medical treatment might be necessary.
Bone contusions are very painful and often feel like a fracture. If bone tissue is affected, it can result in a complication known as osteochondritis dissecans, which is characterized by part of the bone separating from the rest of that bone.
Older people are often more susceptible to these types of injuries, but anyone who suffers a slip and fall can develop them. If you have suffered injuries after a slip and fall accident, it’s important to hold the liable party responsible.