| By :
Jason Epstein
Being a attorney and working on accident settlements, I have seen the serious upper body injuries that can occur in an auto accident. The upper body, particularly the arms, neck and head suffer the most frequent injuries in auto accidents simply from the force of the accident jerking the body forwards and backwards. When involved in a high speed car accident the force on our bones as you grip the steering wheel can cause wrist fractures, shoulder injuries and forearms fractures. The forearm is composed of two bones: the radius which spans the inner forearm and the ulna which is the outer bone in the forearm. These bones not only keep the structure of the forearm, they also connect to the elbow and wrist joints, allowing for mobility and serve as attachments for the muscles that travel into the upper region of the body. When either of these bones breaks it is debilitating and more often than not, requires surgery and extensive recovery time to heal.There are a few different forearm fractures that can affect an auto accident victim, an isolated diaphyseal fracture, a radial shaft fracture or a fracture to both the radius and ulna. An isolated diaphyseal fracture is a fracture to the ulna. This type of fracture is fairly uncommon and is typically treated with cast as the bone does not typically get out of alignment and can easily heal by immobilizing the arm. A radial shaft fracture is complicated and uncommon; as it occurs to the radius of inner forearm bone. This injury is uncommon mainly because when the forearm is injured the fracture is typically to both the radius and ulna as they are so close together. Most often a radial shaft fracture requires surgery to realign the bone into the proper position. The third type of forearm fracture is a fracture to both the ulna and radius bones, which is the most common type of forearm fracture. This injury nearly always requires surgery. Without surgery the bones will not heal properly and will be unstable and susceptible to breaks in the future. The surgery for this injury consists of screwing a metal plate into both of the bones to help it heal properly. This surgery requires two incisions- one on each side of the arm as it is impossible to reach both fractures through one incision. Symptoms of a forearm fracture are similar to any other fracture including pain in the area, swelling, and even deformity of the broken area. If you are involved in an auto accident that leads to serious injury do not wait to contact a lawyer you have a limited amount of time to file a claim. An aggressive lawyer can help figure out not only if you have a case, but help you decide on the best route towards healing.
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