As mentioned in our newsletter, fall is upon us. While the season has a lot to offer in terms of enjoyment, the spoils of autumn also come with a few downfalls; literally. With the weather changing here in Northeastern Pennsylvania wet and slippery conditions are going to be ever present in the upcoming months; not just on the roads, but on sidewalks and tracked inside businesses and restaurants making it all too easy to slip, trip, or fall, and possibly injure yourself.
Of all the injuries slips, trips, or falls result in, sprains are the most common. A sprained ankle is a very common injury that most people don’t give a lot of attention to. It brings some back to their high school sports coach telling them to “walk it off.” It may have not been so serious then, but a sprained ankle, wrist, knee, spine, or other extremity has the potential to be very serious and cause lifelong suffering. There are three types, of sprains.
- Grade 1 is the type your high school coach tells you to walk off; it’s a momentary overstretching of the ligament which, if given proper healing time, will fix itself. With a grade 1 sprain there is minimal swelling.
- Grade 2 is an actual tear in the ligament, though only a small tear. This will also heal itself but leaves scar tissue on the ligament, also known as adhesions. These adhesions are permanent changes in the tissue which causes the joint of the sprained area to be unstable. With grade 2 sprains there is noticeable swelling as well as some loss in functionality of the sprained area. Holding weight can aggravate the sprain causing more pain or more instability.
- Grade 3 is the worst type of sprain and is also permanent. This is a complete tear of the ligament and results in immediate severe swelling, loss in functionality of the sprained area, and holding weight is not possible without severe pain. Most often grade 3 sprains require a surgical procedure to correct.
It’s common after a trip, slip, or fall for someone to get right back up and claim that he or she is alright due to shock and embarrassment over the situation. Once the shock and embarrassment surpasses and the pain has really had time to settle in is when that person realizes they have a more severe problem than they originally thought.
It’s always a good idea to get witnesses’ contact information after you fall, just in case. Once you have any and all witnesses’ contact information you should report your fall to the owner of whatever establishment you fell at. You should also go to the hospital after a slip, trip, or fall. You don’t know what kind of damage that fall could have done to you internally; you may think you’ll just have a nasty bruise in the morning, or a “walk it off” sprain, but as we explained it can be much more serious. If after a fall you are diagnosed with a sprain, be sure to get all the facts on what grade the sprain is so you know if this is a lifelong issue you will be dealing with.
Calling an attorney experienced in slip, trip, and fall cases immediately after you seek medical treatment for your injuries is imperative. Fall cases are more difficult to recover damages for your injuries than other types of personal injury cases. Visit our website or call one of our experienced slip, trip, and fall attorneys here at The Pisanchyn Law Firm for a free consultation and more information about slip, trip, and fall cases.
