When someone suffers a serious injury that involves a significant amount of physical trauma, they can sometimes develop a condition known as compartment syndrome. It is often a medical emergency and can even be fatal. It is known as acute compartment syndrome when it comes after an injury like this, and it’s different than the chronic syndrome that some people have to live with.
Compartment syndrome involves an increase of pressure to a dangerous level within a person’s muscles. As that pressure increases, the blood flow to those muscles is cut off or severely reduced. This keeps the muscles from getting the oxygen that they need, which can cause damage to both muscle tissues and the surrounding nerves. Essentially, because of the swelling and pressure, the body’s own tissues are being cut off from the oxygen that they need, which can lead to the death of those tissues.
It may happen after a sudden impact
Acute compartment syndrome sometimes develops after a violent and sudden impact to the person’s body. For example, there have been NFL football players who have developed compartment syndrome after taking a hit during a football game.
Now, most people are not at risk of being so severely injured playing sports, but the same type of damage can be done in a car accident. Getting tackled in a football game is not much different than being involved in a high-speed car crash. If someone is involved in a crash when another driver drifts over the centerline or T-bones their vehicle at a red light, compartment syndrome could be just one of the injuries that they suffer.
It is very important to get prompt emergency treatment since this condition can become fatal. This treatment can be quite expensive, so those who have been hurt also need to know about their legal options to seek compensation.