It’s easy to understand how a traumatic event, like a fall or car accident, can cause an injury.
However, it’s far more common for these situations to cause multiple injuries on the body — or polytraumas. That’s because the impact a body sustains during a traumatic encounter can cause damage anywhere in the musculoskeletal system, from bones and cartilage to soft tissues and organs.
It’s also common for the damage caused by these events to be complex, requiring the expertise of a trauma specialist, like Dr. Eric. E. Johnson.
Dr. Johnson has devoted his career to orthopaedic surgery, and he’s known worldwide as a leader in the trauma care field. Though several things can result in polytrauma, here are the most common causes Dr. Johnson sees at his private practice in Westwood, Los Angeles, California.
As mentioned above, polytrauma occurs because of something that has a traumatic effect on the body. For most people, that’s typically because of motor vehicle accidents, including cars, motorcycles, and electric scooters.
The reasons why these accidents lead to multiple injuries are because of the rates of speed involved and the force exerted on a body during impact. And, the faster the vehicle goes, the more structural damage and force a body sustains — even with the increased safety features in vehicles.
Other leading causes of polytrauma include:
When the body experiences any of these events, it can sustain significant damage.
The phrase “traumatic injury” sounds alarming, and it can be. However, it’s also possible to sustain a traumatic injury or multiple injuries at the same time that aren’t life-threatening. You can also have a combination of life-threatening and non-life-threatening injuries simultaneously.
Types of traumatic injuries include:
Because of the complicated nature of traumatic injuries and polytrauma, it’s crucial to work with an expert like Dr. Johnson to ensure the best outcomes.
In most cases, a traumatic event that causes injuries requires emergency care. That often means a trip to a Level I medical center.
After your initial treatment, you end up connected with an experienced trauma orthopaedist who handles your ongoing care. Dr. Johnson works in this capacity with polytrauma patients from Ronald Reagan Medical Center at the University of California, Los Angeles.
Once connected with Dr. Johnson, he performs his own assessment. This often requires additional digital imaging and careful evaluation of areas that pose the highest risk, like the chest, spine, and pelvis.
When Dr. Johnson completes your health evaluation, he outlines a personalized treatment strategy moving forward. As you might imagine, this varies significantly from person-to-person, depending on the type of polytrauma and severity. However, you can rest assured that you’re in expert hands with Dr. Johnson, who monitors your recovery every step of the way.
You can also turn to Dr. Johnson for solutions if you have a past traumatic injury that didn’t heal properly.
Have you sustained one or more traumatic injuries? Contact our office in the Westwood neighborhood of Los Angeles to schedule a consultation with Eric E. Johnson, MD, today.
