When you work around heavy objects, machinery and equipment, it is likely you will end up dealing with more potential injuries of greater potential severity than the average person. This can include the possibility of crush injuries.
In particular, crush injuries to the foot will often happen at locations with heavy machinery. But what exactly is a crush injury, and how can it affect your foot?
What causes a crush injury?
Medline Plus takes a look at crush injuries, which often occur among construction workers or at construction sites. Crush injuries happen any time a particularly heavy or large object runs over, crushes or pins any part of your body. Though crush injuries can occur anywhere, injuries to the torso and abdomen get classified as trunk crush injuries while injuries to the legs, hands, feet and arms get classified as appendage crush injuries.
Feet often suffer from crush injuries especially on construction sites, where it is not uncommon for heavy objects to fall from overhead or for large machines to end up driving over someone because the driver did not realize they lacked clearance.
What impacts the outcome?
When you suffer a crush injury to the foot, the outcome will depend on many factors including your health and how quickly you can get medical treatment. The biggest risk for extremity crush injuries involves the possibility of amputation, as gangrene and necrosis can set in quickly if the extremity does not get blood or oxygen flowing to it.
In some cases, the foot might end up damaged beyond repair and will need amputation because of that. If you do not get quick treatment, you may also have to worry about blood infections like sepsis and the complications that may follow.
