Leg Injury

It’s easy to take your legs for granted – until you injure them. And while mild sprains and pulled muscles often heal quickly, more serious leg injuries can cause long-term or even permanent disability.

Here’s what you need to know about different kinds of leg injuries and how to treat them.

What Are Common Causes of Leg Injuries?

What Are Common Causes of Leg Injuries?

Your legs are built to withstand a lot of force, but that doesn’t make them immune to injury. These are some of the most common ways you can suffer an injury to your legs.

Falls

Slip and fall accidents and falls from any height can cause leg injuries. The further you fall, the more likely you are to suffer a leg injury. Depending on the fall and how you land, you can break bones, hurt your joints, or do both at once.

Car Accidents

In a car accident, your arms and legs are the body parts most likely to be seriously injured. Injuries to the femur (thighbone) and patella (kneecap) are especially common. Most people think that traffic collisions primarily cause injuries like fractures, but you can also suffer dislocations, tendon and ligament tears, and deep cuts.

Sports and Overuse Injuries

Sports can be great for your physical health, but they can also result in many kinds of injuries — including injuries to your legs. 

These are some common scenarios:

  • Repeated impact from sports involving running can cause stress fractures
  • Sudden twisting motions can injure ligaments in your knee
  • Contact sports can cause sudden fractures
  • Sports involving repeated bending of the knee (like cycling) can cause joint issues

It’s also possible to get an overuse injury even if you don’t play sports. For instance, if you suddenly start walking up several flights of stairs per day, you might suffer inflammation of your tendons or another injury.

Sudden Force

The force of a fall or a car accident can cause leg injuries, but so can unexpected force from outside objects. For example, if a dresser falls and lands on your leg when you’re assembling furniture, the impact can seriously hurt your leg.

What Types of Leg Injuries Can You Sustain?

Your legs are made up of numerous tissues, including bones, muscles, tendons, and ligaments. Unfortunately, each of these tissues has the potential to be injured. Here’s a look at some of the most common types of leg injuries.

Fractures

Fractures, or broken bones, can be extremely painful and stop you from bearing any weight on your leg until they heal. 

There are many types of fractures, including the following:

  • Closed: The skin above the fracture is not broken
  • Compound (Open): The fracture breaks the skin
  • Comminuted: The bone is broken into multiple pieces
  • Displaced: The broken edges of the bone don’t line up
  • Greenstick: The break does not go completely through the bone
  • Torus (Buckle): Compression causes one end of the bone to buckle

The way a fracture is treated depends on its type and severity. A closed fracture that is not displaced may be able to be put in a cast or brace and allowed to heal on its own, whereas a comminuted fracture will often need surgery.

Sprains, Strains, and Tears

Many people confuse sprains and strains. The injuries are similar, but they affect different tissues:

  • Strain: Injury to a muscle or tendon
  • Sprain: Injury to a ligament

Tendons attach muscles to bones, and ligaments attach bones to each other. Mild strains and sprains are often partial tears that can heal on their own. Complete tears usually need surgery. A common example is an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tear, a knee injury that is frequently seen in soccer and basketball players.

Tendinitis

Tendinitis is inflammation of a tendon. It usually happens as a result of an overuse injury. You can develop tendinitis from playing sports, but it’s also a common work injury in people whose jobs require repetitive motion.

Dislocations

A dislocation happens when a bone is pulled from its usual location. For example, if you dislocate your hip, your femur (thighbone) is pulled from the socket in your hipbone. Dislocations don’t involve breaking a bone, but they are still very painful and require immediate medical intervention.

Lacerations

A laceration is a cut. Very minor lacerations on your leg can be treated at home, but serious lacerations can cause significant medical issues, such as:

  • Nerve damage
  • Infection (often due to debris in the wound)
  • Damage to muscles, tendons, or ligaments
  • Tissue death leading to amputation
  • Scarring

If you do suffer lacerations in a car accident or another incident, you should always seek medical attention. It can be difficult to tell how deep your lacerations are, especially if you are also dealing with other injuries.

How Are Leg Injuries Diagnosed?

In some cases, your doctor may be able to diagnose your leg injury with an exam. However, it often takes more advanced imaging tests to conclusively determine the nature of your injury:

X-Ray

Because an X-ray is a simple imaging test, it’s often done first. An X-ray will give your doctor a clear view of the bones in your leg, but it usually won’t show muscles, ligaments, and other structures as clearly.

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)

This is a more involved procedure that uses a large machine to take highly detailed pictures inside your body. An MRI lets your doctor closely study bones, ligaments, muscles, tendons, and other structures. Because it provides such clear visuals, it’s often used to diagnose knee injuries.

Computed Tomography (CT) Scan

CT scans aren’t used as often to diagnose leg injuries, but they are viable alternatives to MRIs. MRIs use magnets, so you can’t safely have one if you have metal implanted in your body. You also might want to avoid an MRI if you’re severely claustrophobic. CT scans are faster, too, so if your injury must be diagnosed quickly, your doctor might order one instead of an MRI.

Have You Suffered a Serious Leg Injury? Contact Our Lafayette Personal Injury Attorney For Guidance 

Sometimes, leg injuries are truly no one’s fault. However, if you’ve been injured because someone else acted carelessly, you shouldn’t be left to handle the fallout of those injuries alone. 

At Kenny Habetz Injury Law, we’re committed to seeking justice for injured people. We understand that a monetary settlement cannot heal your injury or undo the accident that caused it. However, it can help you cover medical costs, make up for lost wages, and financially support yourself through the lengthy rehabilitation process.

If you’ve been hurt because of someone else’s actions, don’t wait — get in touch with our Lafayette personal injury lawyer for a free consultation today at (337) 399-9000.