Do Broken Bones Heal 100 Percent?

Accident-related broken bones rarely heal 100 percent. Lost range of motion is the most common lingering injury in these cases. Lost range of motion usually isn’t life threatening. But it usually is life altering. Everyday activities become almost impossible to perform. Infections, such as sepsis (flesh-eating bacteria) are common as well. An infection and/or lost range of motion makes a victim more vulnerable to future injuries.

Because of these permanent injuries, these victims are usually entitled to significant compensation. A Sugar Land fractures lawyer can usually obtain money for economic losses, such as medical bills, and noneconomic losses, such as pain and suffering. These cases usually settle, but they usually don’t settle quickly. Because broken bones are permanent, these victims often incur future medical expenses. If a case settles too soon, the settlement might not account for these expenses, leaving the victim financially responsible for them.

Causes

In a car crash, airbags and seat belts usually protect a victim’s head, chest, and abdomen, at least to an extent. No safety restraint system can possibly absorb all the force in a high-speed wreck.

The victim’s arms and legs are almost completely unprotected. These limbs usually strike solid objects, like the steering wheel or dashboard. The resulting impact normally shatters bones, instead of merely breaking them.

This more extensive damage forces doctors to use metal parts, such as pins and screws, when they surgically reconstruct broken bones. More on that below.

Fall and other personal injury victims are usually completely unprotected. As a result, they usually severely break multiple bones, significantly limiting their mobility. Additionally, these injury-related fractures could be life threatening in some cases.

Initial Treatment

Normally, doctors place cases on limbs to immobilize them while a broken bone heals naturally. Shattered bones don’t heal naturally. Instead, surgeons must painstakingly reconstruct them, usually over the course of multiple surgical procedures.

Later, doctors must perform additional procedures to remove those metal parts and help the victim have some semblance of mobility and use.

Follow-Up Treatment

Extended treatment means extended inactivity. So, by the time physical therapy begins, the victim’s muscles have almost completely atrophied. In other words, instead of starting from zero, physical therapists must begin behind the starting line.

Physical therapy progress in these cases is often uneven. Many victims seemingly plateau right before a major breakthrough.

A Missouri City personal injury lawyer advocates for victims in these situations. When insurance companies try to pull the financial plug, attorneys help ensure that therapy continues.

Speaking of insurance companies, adjusters often use boilerplate tables to determine the amount of compensation they’ll pay in these cases. Attorneys make it clear that not all broken bones are created equally. Some take longer to heal than others.

 Connect With a Tough-Minded Harris County Attorney

Injury victims are entitled to significant compensation. For a free consultation with an experienced personal injury attorney in Missouri City, contact the Henrietta Ezeoke Law Firm. Virtual, home, and hospital visits are available.

Source:

mountsinai.org/health-library/symptoms/limited-range-of-motion