Many car accidents are fairly minor, with everybody walking away from the wreck more or less intact.
However, wrecks that involve larger vehicles, like commercial trucks, can easily lead to devastating injuries for the occupants of smaller vehicles. Amputations, for example, can happen because of crush injuries and more after a serious wreck.
If that’s not hard enough for victims to endure, many of those with post-accident amputations will end up suffering from something called “phantom limb” syndrome. This is particularly associated with victims who suffer traumatic amputations of a lower limb.
Pain management for victims of phantom limb syndrome
Phantom limb syndrome is basically what it sounds like: The victim of an often-traumatic amputation continues to perceive their leg or other missing body part as if it were still there – painfully so.
Doctors already estimate that limb loss is one of the most painful injuries that someone can suffer, largely due to the amount of body tissue involved. Pain is complicated because there are both injuries to soft tissues and bone, and nerve damage is considerable. Unfortunately, even after the body heals as much as it can, the brain can continue receiving those erroneous signals that say the limb is still there and still in pain.
It’s estimated that roughly 10% of amputees will continue to suffer pain long after their stumps have healed. This can affect not only their quality of life overall, but their chances to regain more mobility through the use of prosthetics.
It’s impossible to overstate how difficult it can be for someone who is the victim of a truck accident or another kind of serious motor vehicle accident to recover from an amputation. They have to adjust to a whole new way of living – and they may be going through a great deal of pain and suffering while they do it. If you or your loved one are in this situation, find out more about your legal options.
