Coping With an Amputation
Severe motor vehicle accidents can result in amputations, which are life-changing events. Surgical techniques have improved, and accident victims may be able to return to nearly full function with the help of prosthetics and physical and occupational therapy.
What is an Amputation?
It’s the removal or loss of a body part such as a hand, foot, finger, toe, arm, or leg. It can happen during an accident (a traumatic amputation) or as a surgical procedure to prevent greater harm to the rest of the body.
A body part not torn off the body in an accident may be so injured that its use is severely limited or has come to an end. A surgical amputation may be the best option to prevent medical issues in the rest of the body and or to prepare for a prosthetic device that would act as an artificial replacement. You may be much more able by using a modern prosthetic than refusing an amputation and keeping a severely injured limb.
A traumatic amputation, depending on what body part is involved and how quickly paramedics arrive, can be fatal. A limb that’s severely crushed, cut, or torn off the body can result in severe and potentially fatal bleeding.
What Can Lead to an Amputation?
A motor vehicle could directly strike a pedestrian, bicyclist, or motorcyclist. That force may cause a traumatic amputation or so much harm a surgical amputation would result. The harm could also come from the victim coming off that vehicle and striking another, hitting the pavement, or something solid like a curb, telephone pole, or fire hydrant.
A passenger vehicle hit with enough force might partially collapse, cutting into or battering the body part. This is more likely in high-speed accidents when a car is struck by a full-size pickup or commercial truck.
How are Amputations Performed?
The surgical approach, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine, depends on the following:
- The body part affected
- The reason for the amputation
- The extent of tissue and bone damage
When a finger is amputated, the surgery is intricate and involves the skin, nerves, and tendons. The surgeon will try maintaining the hand’s use and fine motor function. Removing an arm or leg is major surgery. The surgeon must handle and stabilize all the tissues involved, including bone, tendons, nerves, muscles, blood vessels, and skin.
The surgeon may cut through bone or detach a joint, separating bones where they meet. The operation may proceed in stages, and future surgery may be needed if there are problems with tissues breaking down, scarring, chronic pain, or other medical issues.
A surgical approach known as osseointegration may make it easier for some patients to use prosthetics. The body part is removed, and a steel implant is inserted into the leftover bone. A prosthetic is attached to the implanted steel rod. If a leg is amputated, the leg and hip bones absorb the person’s weight, not the soft tissue left behind. This allows standing and walking to feel more natural.
What are the Long-Term Side Effects of an Amputation?
Almost all people with amputations suffer phantom limb sensations and pain. The cause is poorly understood, but after amputation nerve connections in the brain and spinal cord “remember” the missing body part. They cause a compelling feeling that it’s still there or severe pain where the limb used to be.
The effects are also emotional and psychological. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is more common in patients who have amputations due to accidents than those getting the procedure because of a chronic health condition, according to Physiopedia.
Body image, or a person’s psychological image of themselves, is disrupted by limb loss. Related problems can be anxiety, sexual impairment, and or dysfunction.
Other responses can be the following:
- Denial
- Anger
- Depression
- Refusing needed help
- Hostility
- Manipulating others
- Risk-taking
- Self-neglect
- Dependence on others
- Obsessiveness
- Withdrawal
Ways to address these issues include getting psychological help and participating in group discussions with other amputees.
Talk To a Satterley & Kelley Personal Injury Attorney Today
If you’ve had an amputation due to a vehicle accident, the party responsible for it may be obligated to compensate you for all the harm you suffered, whether that’s financial, physical, or emotional. Satterley & Kelley, PLLC lawyers can protect your interests and legal rights by pursuing insurance claims or litigation against the parties causing your injuries.
Call our Louisville office at 855-385-9532 to schedule a free initial consultation so we can talk about your accident, injuries, and legal options. If it’s more convenient, complete our contact form.