Following any type of car accident, you may not be sure whether you are injured enough to seek medical care. After all, some injury symptoms do not show up immediately.
This is often the case with traumatic brain injuries. But it can also be true with other types of internal injuries, as the inside of your body has few pain receptors. Here are three internal injuries you may sustain in a car crash:
- Internal bleeding
Both rapid deceleration and blunt-force trauma can cause internal bleeding. This condition happens when a vein or artery tears in a car accident. Possibly occurring anywhere in your body, internal bleeding is dangerous for a couple of reasons. First, a lack of blood may deprive your brain of essential oxygen. Furthermore, accumulated blood may put too much pressure on your vital systems for them to perform effectively.
- A ruptured spleen
Your spleen filters outdated blood cells from your bloodstream. If your spleen ruptures, though, you may bleed to death. Accordingly, if you have pain in your upper left abdomen following a car accident, you must seek emergency medical treatment immediately.
- Punctured lungs
Because you need your lungs to breathe in fresh oxygen and exhale carbon dioxide, you cannot live without functioning ones. Though a healthy rib cage protects your lungs from damage, a broken rib may puncture one or both of them. Regrettably, colliding with your car’s steering wheel, seat belt or airbag may cause you to break a rib.
After a car accident, you simply cannot leave your health to chance. While having a physician examine you is always a good idea, you must also watch for possible internal injuries. Put simply, understanding the common types of internal damage car accidents tend to cause may save your life.
