2023-07-28 16:34:14
Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation is the medical specialty that corresponds to the diagnosis, evaluation, prevention and treatment of disability.
The Spanish Society for Rehabilitation and Physical Medicine (SERMEF) has focused this summer on the importance of being safe behind the wheel, with the aim of fewer accidents and, if they do occur, minimizing injuries.
Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation is the medical specialty that corresponds to the diagnosis, evaluation, prevention and treatment of disability. It is aimed at facilitating, maintaining or returning the highest degree of functional capacity and independence possible.
Dr. Cristina Valera Lage, rehabilitation physician of the Spanish Society of Rehabilitation and Physical Medicine (SERMEF), has warned that a head-on collision at 50 km/h is equivalent to falling from a third floor; a collision at 120 km/h is equivalent to falling from the 14th floor; and a 180 km/h collision is equivalent to falling from the 36th floor.
This has been revealed on the occasion of the summer months, in which thousands of people travel with their vehicles to enjoy a few days of vacation.
In this context, Dr. Valera explained that rehabilitation doctors treat the sequelae caused by traffic accidents. «The most common injuries due to traffic accidents are those associated with whiplash syndrome, injuries to the thorax and abdomen (injuries to organs and rib fractures), burns, injuries to extremities ranging from sprains to fractures or amputations, spinal cord injuries and head injuries with brain damage occurring in the most serious cases,” he said.
Speed and… more
The seriousness of the injuries is not only influenced by speed, as the SERMEF expert has asserted, but also “other factors” involved, such as not using a seat belt or helmet, distractions, the characteristics and safety systems of the vehicle. vehicle, the delay in assistance to the victims, the consumption of toxins (alcohol and drugs) or the side effects of medications that can negatively affect the ability to drive.
In addition, the own weight of the vehicles and the mechanism of the accident affect the injuries. Thus, in a frontal collision between two vehicles traveling at different speeds, a heavier one will go from, for example, 100km/h to 40km/h at the moment of impact, but the vehicle that it collides with, which is going at 80km/h, will go to – 10km/h, with which deceleration injuries will be even greater in the less heavy vehicle that suffers greater deceleration despite going at a lower speed”, he detailed.
The SERMEF expert has highlighted that, in motorcyclists, “this type of injury can be even more serious, since it is the most exposed group.” “Disability sequelae following fractures, amputations, spinal cord injuries or brain damage are frequent in motorcyclists,” she added.
injuries in detail
Finally, the specialist has highlighted that, in head injuries, “the sequelae include not only physical alterations, but also sensory, cognitive and emotional ones.”
The sequelae vary depending on the area of the brain injured and the severity of the damage. Language and speech disorders, dysphagia problems (difficulty swallowing), sensory, visual and motor disturbances can occur.
Cognitive disorders cause, for example, difficulties in planning tasks, memory and attention problems, behavior problems, and alterations in executive functions (a set of cognitive abilities necessary to control and self-regulate one’s own behavior), which can interfere with Autonomous performance of basic, instrumental and advanced activities of daily life.
Dr. Valera added that “these activities include difficulties in caring for and maintaining one’s own health (such as eating, grooming and personal hygiene, dressing), and other more complex ones, where they may have problems preparing food, communicating through means such as writing, the telephone or the computer, impairing the ability to move alone in the community, manage money, maintain or care for the home, or participate in educational activities. “All of this can cause alterations in functional capacity, interfering with reintegration into the family, social and work environment,” she concluded.
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