What is an Orthopedic Injury?

Orthopedic injuries include any injury to the musculoskeletal system, often relating to bone and joint injuries that are the result of an accident or trauma to the body. These injuries affect a person’s muscles, joints, and nerves and can affect your daily life in a variety of ways. Some injuries can be temporary but oftentimes are permanent and can affect your everyday capabilities. 

If you or a loved one have suffered from an orthopedic injury due to another party’s negligence, you deserve to work with an attorney that can offer you their expertise and resources to ensure you receive the compensation you are owed. To speak to one of our experienced personal injury attorneys about your potential case, contact The Cochran Firm today for a free, no-obligation consultation.

Orthopedic injuries can occur in most joints of your body, but the most common orthopedic injuries that occur are:

  • Dislocations
  • Fractures
  • Breaks
  • Hernia 
  • Impingement
  • Overuse injuries
  • Sprains

If you do not see your injury, this does not mean you do not have a case. 

The older you get, the more common these injuries become. This is because as you age, your joints and bones become more fragile, due to the loss in the density of your bones. Broken hips, compression fractures, and osteoporosis are some of the more common orthopedic injuries associated with elderly patients.

Causes of Orthopedic Injuries

Many factors can attribute to orthopedic injuries, but some of the most common ones include:

  • Sprained ankle: can occur while playing sports, or engaging in high-impact activities that involve a lot of quick movements such as twists, turns, or pivots
  • ACL tear: the ACL helps provide stability, and when torn it becomes difficult to bend at the knee and leads to instability while standing. These tears can occur during activities that involve quick movements, like stopping and starting or turning
  • Meniscus tear: the meniscus helps the knee to turn and carry weight. When a person twists or turns too quickly while the foot is still and the knee is bent, the meniscus often tears. This type of tear often happens while quickly turning, starting, and stopping.
  • Plantar fasciitis: the most common cause of heel pain, this is caused by repetitive strain in the ligament that connects the toes and heel bone (plantar fascia) 
  • Rotator cuff tear: a rotator cuff tear can cause pain and stiffness when raising your arm or shoulder. These tears are usually accredited to repetitive shoulder rotations in a short period of time.
  • Tennis elbow: occurs due to overuse of the muscles in the arm, forearm, and hand. Also known as “golfers elbow”
  • Stress fracture: these fractures are the result of overuse. When a muscle gets tired and weak, they lose the ability to protect the bones from impact. In turn, the bones bear much of the impact and result in cracks and fractures.

Regardless of your age or the nature of the injury you have suffered from, you deserve to be compensated for the losses you have experienced and may continue to experience in the future. 

If you have suffered from an orthopedic injury, we can help. Contact The Cochran Firm today for a free, no-obligation consultation with one of our experienced personal injury lawyers.