Wounds and Injuries

Wounds and injuries are physical damage to the body caused by external force, ranging from breaks in the skin to fractures, burns, and internal trauma.

Connect

Blunt trauma: Injury caused by impact or compression without an object penetrating the body. Impact can bruise or crush tissue and organs while leaving the skin intact.
Tissue (biology): A group of similar cells and their surroundings that perform a shared function. Injuries damage tissues such as skin, muscle, bone, and nervous tissue.
First aid: Immediate assistance given to an injured or ill person before professional medical care is available. Early actions such as pressure on bleeding can reduce harm before definitive treatment.
Open fracture: A fracture in which the broken bone communicates with an open wound through the skin. It combines bone breakage with contamination risk, unlike a closed fracture.
Chronic pain: Pain that persists or recurs over an extended period, often beyond normal tissue healing. Some injuries leave persistent pain even after the original damage has healed.
Penetrating trauma: Injury caused when an object passes through the skin into underlying tissues or body cavities. Penetration creates a wound track that may damage structures beyond the visible opening.
Skin: The body’s outer covering, formed chiefly by the epidermis and dermis. A break in skin marks an open wound and can expose deeper structures.
Emergency medicine: The medical specialty concerned with evaluating and treating urgent illness and injury. Serious injuries require rapid assessment and stabilization in emergency care.
Closed fracture: A fracture in which the skin remains intact over the broken bone. It contrasts with open fractures, which have a wound connecting to the fracture site.
Disability: A condition arising from impairments and barriers that can limit participation in everyday life. Severe or lasting injuries can impair activities and participation.