Traumatic injury

Return

Index:

  1. What is a traumatic injury?
  2. What causes traumatic injury?
  3. How are traumatic injuries treated?
  4. Which specialist treats traumatic injuries?

What is a traumatic injury?

A traumatic injury is a physical injury which occurs suddenly, with a certain degree of severity. These types of injury typically require immediate medical attention and may first be dealt with in A&E, with later referral to a particular specialist if ongoing treatment is needed or rehabilitation is necessary. Major trauma has the potential to be severe, causing disability, or in extreme cases, death. Trauma is the most common cause of death in adults under 40 in the UK.

What causes traumatic injuries?

Trauma can be caused by a variety of external forces which affect the body. Some of the most common causes of traumatic injury include road traffic accidents, falls, violence, sports injuries, and penetration (e,g stab wounds, bullets). In the UK, falls are one of the most common causes of traumatic injury, as the ageing population are more likely to experience a fall. In England and Wales a fall is the most common type of major trauma, overtaking road traffic accidents as the main cause.

How are traumatic injuries treated?

In cases of major trauma, where injuries are multiple and serious in nature, the patient will typically be taken to a trauma centre, where multi-disciplinary teams including anaesthetists, orthopaedic surgeons, neurosurgeons, and emergency doctors work to quickly deal with the injuries. Surgery may be immediate, in order to reduce the possibility of disability/death.

If the traumatic injury is not life-threatening, it will most likely first be dealt with in A&E, then referred to a specialist doctor if necessary. Surgery may be necessary to treat the injury, followed by physical therapy in many cases in order to achieve rehabilitation.

Which specialist treats traumatic injuries?

The specialist treatment will depend on the injury in question. Bone fractures, for example, will be treated by an orthopaedic surgeon/traumatologist, while brain injuries will be treated by a neurosurgeon.

Articles related to Traumatic injury
Experts in Traumatic injury
Related clinics
This website uses our own and third-party Cookies to compile information with the aim of improving our services, to show you advertising related to your preferences as well analysing your browsing habits. You can change your settings HERE.
Reject
Accept all
Custom configuration | Cookies Policy | Privacy Policy