Everyone has experienced trauma in their life. They occur in a variety of situations and for a variety of reasons. It is these issues that I want to talk about now. So trauma. What is this? When and how they arise, what they are and what assistance should be provided in the first place - read about it below.
Terminology
Initially, you need to understand the terminology that will be used in this article. Injuries are violations of not only the integrity, but also the functionality of organs and tissues that occur as a result of exposure to environmental factors. At the same time, it is also necessary to understand what traumatism is. So, this is a certain number of injuries (their totality), which are repeated under certain circumstances in the same population groups for the same period of time. It is worth noting that it is injuries that are a statistical indicator that makes it possible to get a complete picture of a particular type of injury in certain population groups. I must say that these indicators are very important. After all, they provide an opportunity to analyze the epidemiology of various types of injuries, as well as to choosethe right way to prevent.
Mechanical injury
Having understood that injuries are problems that arise as a result of environmental factors, it is also worth considering their various classifications. Initially, we will focus on mechanical injuries. In this case, a mechanical force acts on human tissues, as a result of which certain damage occurs. If we were talking about animals, a mechanical injury would be a wound from a harness, a batog, a chain (on which dogs are kept). In humans, such injuries are divided into several subspecies:
- Operational trauma. That is, obtained as a result of surgical intervention.
- Random. It can occur both through the fault of a person (for example, an injury from stepping on a rake), and independently of him (a brick falling on his head).
- Generic, i.e., received during the process of the birth of the baby.
- War trauma. That is, the one that was received during military (combat) operations.
However, this is not the only classification of mechanical injuries. They are also subdivided into:
- direct (occur in a certain place as a result of the application of a traumatic mechanical force) and indirect (appear near the place of application of the traumatic force (for example, dislocation of the shoulder joint as a result of a jump from a height);
- multiple and single;
- closed (the integrity of the skin and mucous membranes in this case is not violated; it can be bruises, sprains, tears) and open (as a result of themmucous membranes, as well as the integrity of body tissues is violated; most often these are dislocations and open fractures).
Injuries resulting from mechanical trauma
If a person is injured, it is imperative to figure out what exactly it is. So, as a result of mechanical injuries, the following damage may occur:
- Abrasions. In this case, the integrity of the epidermis is violated (the vascular or surface layer suffers, the lymphatic or blood vessels are damaged). It is also worth noting that the surface of the abrasion is always wet at first, then it is covered with a crust from clotted blood and plasma. This coarsening disappears over time, and at the site of the abrasion, special pigmentation of the skin may persist for some time (the color will be somewhat lighter than the usual skin). Abrasions heal completely in about a week or two after they are received.
- Bruising. They are formed at the site of mechanical damage as a result of rupture of blood vessels. So, blood is visible through the top layer of the skin, so the color of such an injury is visible in blue-red tones. Over time, the color palette of the bruise will change, which will indicate that it will soon disappear (from purple-blue to green-yellow). The time to complete recovery depends on many reasons and varies from person to person (factors that affect the rate of recovery: depth, size and location of damage).
- Dislocations. This is a different kind of displacement of the bones in the joints (the so-called joint injuries). Occur inmainly in the upper extremities, extremely rarely in the lower ones. May be accompanied by tissue ruptures. Eliminated by experienced doctors.
- Bone fractures. This is a violation of the integrity of the bones of the entire human skeleton. It is often accompanied by damage to nearby tissues, ruptures of blood vessels and muscles, as well as various kinds of hemorrhages. Fractures are closed (occur inside the soft tissues) and open (there is a rupture of the skin, as a result of which the broken bone communicates with the external environment).
- Wounds.
More on wounds
In this case, the integrity of the tissue, the mucous membrane is damaged. Wounds often penetrate deep-lying tissues. It is important to note that it is precisely such traumatization that can be dangerous for a person for the following reasons: bleeding may occur; infection can seep through tissue breaks; there is a risk of violating not only the integrity, but also the functionality of internal organs.
There is a classification of wounds, which are divided depending on the conditions of occurrence:
- Cut. Occur as a result of exposure to a sharp sliding object (most often a knife).
- Stab. Applied with an object that has a small cross section.
- Stab-cut.
- Ripped. Arise as a result of tissue overstretching.
- Bitten, which result from the impact of teeth on human tissues.
- Chopped. They are applied with a heavy sharp object (most often it is an ax).
- Crushed. In this casethere is not just a rupture, but also tissue crushing.
- Bruised. Appear as a result of a blow with a blunt object (or from a blow against a blunt object).
- Gunshots. Occur as a result of firearms or wounds from fragments of explosive ammunition.
- Scalped wounds are those that result in separation of an area of skin.
- Poisoned. They occur if poison gets into the wound as a result of an injury or a bite.
Other types of injury
So, injuries are damage to body tissues, as well as individual organs. In addition to mechanical, the following types are also distinguished:
- Thermal injuries. Occur due to the action on the body of high or low temperature. Injuries that can occur as a result of thermal injury: burns (caused by exposure to too high temperatures) and frostbite (in this case, the body is exposed to low temperatures). It is worth noting that it is the second type of injury that is most dangerous - frostbite. And all because they have a so-called "hidden period", when the body's signals about problems are too weak and even almost imperceptible.
- Electrical injury. In this case, lightning or a technical electric current passes through the human body. As a result, thermal energy is generated, which causes damage, most often burns.
- Chemical injuries can be obtained as a result of exposure to acids, alkalis, s alts of heavy metals, etc. Importantnote that certain chemicals can cause local damage, while others penetrate deep into the body, causing more serious harm.
- Radiation injury. It occurs as a result of the action of ionizing radiation on the body, or, more simply, radiation.
- Biological injury can be caused by various infections, viruses, bacteria, as well as poisons, toxins and allergens.
- Psychic trauma. This is a special kind of this problem. And all because it is extremely difficult to classify such an injury. It usually occurs as a result of severe experiences. Leads to various painful reactions from the vegetative and mental spheres (these can be both simple neuroses and depressive states).
Classification of injuries by severity
Different types of medical injuries are also distinguished by severity. According to this criterion, they distinguish:
- Severe injuries. In this case, the deterioration of he alth is sharp, significant. Ability to work is impaired for a period of a month or more.
- Medium injuries. Changes in the body expressed. A person is considered disabled for 10 to 30 days.
- Light injuries. Violations occurring in the body are considered minor. There is no loss of service.
- Acute injuries. Arise as a result of the action of one or another traumatic factor.
- Chronic injuries. They arise as a result of exposure to the same place on the body of the same traumatic factor.
- Microtrauma. In this case, tissue cells are injured.
Classification depending on environmental factors
There are also injuries depending on environmental factors. In this case, it is customary to talk about their following types:
- Industrial injuries. That is, those that arise in factories, factories.
- Military injury - can be received as a result of military action.
- Agricultural injuries occur in fields, barnyards, etc.
- Domestic injuries can be sustained in the home.
- Vehicle injuries are caused by vehicles.
- Sports injuries are caused by playing sports (both professional and casual).
- Childhood trauma can occur in a person who has not yet reached the age of 14.
First Aid
Immediately after such an event as an injury, the victim should be given all possible assistance as soon as possible. It will, of course, vary depending on various factors. However, it should be noted that in most cases, after any injury, it is best to seek medical help: go to the nearest medical facility. Or, if necessary, call an ambulance. After all, only a qualified specialist can cope with problems of varying severity.
What to do in this or that case
As mentioned above, trauma care will be very different. However, in any case, a person should know what actions he should take in the first place.queue.
- Sprain. You can guess that a person has this particular problem by pain. Swelling or bruising may also occur at the site of injury. On palpation, the stretch area hurts even more. In this case, a bandage should be applied to the injured area, which will restrict movement. Ice must be applied on top. The very same area of injury should be placed slightly above the level of the head (in this case, swelling and blueing can be reduced).
- The unnatural position of the limb will “tell” about the dislocation. And of course, the victim will experience quite strong pain. So, you need to fix the dislocated limb in the most comfortable position, apply ice and go to the doctor. Attention: it is strictly forbidden to set the dislocation on your own!
- For bruises, only a cold compress can be applied. Rarely, a fixation bandage may be needed.
- Fracture. To understand that a person has a fracture, you can only look at the x-ray. So if there is a suspicion of this problem, you should immediately go to the doctor. First you need to fix the limb, immobilizing it as much as possible. You can also apply ice.
- Wounds. First, they must be washed. For this, warm running water or, better, "Hydrogen Peroxide" is useful. In case of bleeding, it must be stopped. The edges of the wound can be smeared with iodine. After all this, you can apply a clean, dry bandage.
- Frostbite must be de alt with with dry heat. It is also worth remembering that you need to touch the skin as little as possible.damaged areas of the body.
- In case of burns, cool the affected part of the body under cool running water. The optimal cooling time is 15-20 minutes. If more than 20% of body parts are affected, wrap the victim in a clean sheet soaked in cool water. You need to give an anesthetic. Next, you must immediately call an ambulance.
- When an electric shock occurs, the person must first be freed from the action thereof. So, you can turn off the switch or “tear off” the victim with a board or stick. In no case should you touch a person who is still affected by the current, because both will suffer, including the rescuer! After an injury, the victim should be laid down, covered, given a warm drink. If there is no consciousness, it is necessary to give a smell of ammonia vapor. If there is no heartbeat, cardiac massage and mouth-to-mouth resuscitation will be required.
Treatment
It is important to note that the treatment of injuries can also be very diverse. It will vary depending on the damage itself. In rare cases, you can provide all possible assistance to yourself. In most cases, treatment should be prescribed exclusively by a doctor. For example, a brain injury is treated for a very long time. In this case, the costs will be very serious. With ordinary bruises, it is often not even necessary to seek medical help. And to get rid of them, no material costs are required at all.
Consequences
What are the consequences of injuries? There is also nounequivocal answer. It all depends on what kind of damage the person received. So, if there was an ordinary bruise or bruise, after a certain time there will not even be an external reminder of this. If a fracture occurs, there will be consequences. They may or may not be visible from the outside. But they will definitely stay inside. Moreover, in this case, the broken parts of the body often remind of myself. They say about it: "twists" on the weather. The most serious are the consequences of radiation injuries.
