In most cases this injury will not have been caused by a car accident however there is a significant proportion that is a direct result of motor vehicle collisions. Road traffic accidents are a major cause of traumatic injury and represent more than half of all cases handled by personal injury solicitors. If you have been injured in a car accident and you want to make a compensation claim for personal injury and loss just complete the contact form, email our offices or use the solicitors helpline. Our car accident compensation claim solicitors offer free advice without further obligation. If we deal with your claim it will be on a no win no fee basis, compensation is paid in full and you do not have to fund or finance your car accident compensation claim.
An amputation is a partial or complete loss of a limb due to a traumatic injury or removal due to tumor of the affected limb. It can be done accidentally, in a trauma, or intentionally, such as in a surgery which removes a limb. Amputation is not new and surgeries to move limbs along with artificial limbs have been done as early as 2000 years ago.
Why would you need an amputation? Amputations can be performed if there is atherosclerosis and damage to the distal leg or arm so that there is poor circulation to the affected areas. The amputation is done just above where the atherosclerosis is so that the wound will have circulation and will heal. About 30-40 percent of all amputations are done because of diabetes. Diabetes can cause recurrent foot ulcers and atherosclerosis of the leg so that it needs to be amputated. Those people who smoke are at an even greater risk of amputation, especially if the person is diabetic.
Gangrene of the leg is another reason for an amputation. This is a blackening of the leg or toes from poor circulation due to atherosclerosis. Bypass surgery can prevent some of the cases of amputation as a result of hardening of the arteries. If this is not possible, then amputation is the only real route to save the individual from infection and pain in the leg. Serious accident, such as crush injuries can cause an amputation. Tumors or cancers can be treated by amputating the affected leg.
There are several types of amputation including major and minor procedures. Minor amputations involve just the toes or part of the foot and can be done for toe gangrene from diabetes or atherosclerosis. Major amputations can be done on an entire limb. They can be above the knee or below the knee or at the level of the hip in severe cases. Arm amputations can be done above or below the elbow and are usually done secondary to injury.
The foot can be cut off by doing a cut through the ankle joint itself in a Symes amputation. Amputations can also be done through the knee joint itself or along any part of the long joints. Removal of the entire leg with amputations through the hip joint is rare but possible.
In minor amputations, the area where the limb is removed is not always sutured together and is allowed to heal secondarily. They can heal really well within about one to three months. You can walk relatively normally if you are missing some of your toes, especially if it is not the great toe. Minor toe amputations are common in foot infections and in patients with diabetes.
It is usually possible to decide where to best do a major amputation. The doctor can do an angiogram to see where the circulation stops off. The doctor can assess the color and sensation of the skin in order to decide where the amputation needs to be done. If done too low, the amputation does not heal and another amputation higher up needs to be done. The blood supply to the remaining limb is the most important factor in healing of the amputated area.
The risks of amputation go up with the height of the amputation required. Risks include breakdown of the amputation an ongoing infection at the stump. Good blood supply to the affected limb determines whether or not the amputation is going to heal.
Amputations affect people in different ways. Some people experience a sense of loss or bereavement when the limb is lost. It can take a long time in order to get used to the idea that the limb is lost. This is made worse because of phantom limb pain that makes a person feel as though the limb is still present. Phantom limb pain can be an indefinite thing. Getting a prosthetic limb can improve the sense of bereavement a person feels after limb loss.
If you have suffered physically, mentally or financially, you should consider making an accident compensation claim. For free telephone advice from specialist personal injury solicitors just call the helpline. Our lawyers will assess the strength of your claim and will advise you on your potential award of compensation without any further obligation.