Leg Swelling After a Motorcycle Accident in Houston
Edema, a condition in which excess fluid becomes trapped in your body’s tissues and causes leg swelling, can occur due to several reasons. After a motorcycle accident in Houston, TX, this condition can result from injuries to the legs, heart, kidneys, or other body systems.
Regardless of its cause, leg swelling can have serious consequences. In the worst-case situation, it can end up damaging the leg so badly that doctors may need to amputate it.
Contact us at (713) 500-5000 to schedule your free consultation now, with one of our experienced lawyers at Attorney Brian White Personal Injury Lawyers.
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How Attorney Brian White Personal Injury Lawyers Can Help After a Houston Motorcycle Accident
Attorney Brian White Personal Injury Lawyers is a firm that has over 45 years of combined experience in injury law. Since its founding in 2008, the firm has helped accident victims recover millions in financial compensation.
Our Houston motorcycle accident lawyers have earned board certification as personal injury trial lawyers alongside many other awards and honors, including:
- The 2021 Clients’ Choice Award from Avvo
- Membership in the Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum
- Over 190 5-star client reviews on Google
We can help with your case by:
- Collecting evidence to strengthen your claim
- Negotiating an adequate settlement
- Bringing your case to court if negotiations fail
A motorcycle accident in Houston, Texas, can cause injuries ranging from road rash to catastrophic spinal cord injuries. Contact Attorney Brian White Personal Injury Lawyers for a free consultation to discuss your motorcycle accident injuries.
How Common Is Leg Swelling After a Motorcycle Accident?
Leg swelling is common following a motorcycle accident. The most likely body parts to get injured in such accidents are the lower extremities. About 30% of motorcycle injuries involve the legs and feet, and swelling is a common symptom of those injuries.
Your legs can also swell after injuries to other organs when an injury causes you to retain fluids. Kidney, blood vessel, or heart injuries, in particular, can cause leg swelling.
If you add together all of these injuries, well over 30% of motorcycle accident victims suffer from leg swelling after a crash.
Overview of Leg Swelling After a Motorcycle Accident
Swelling occurs in the legs when gravity pulls fluid down into them. Symptoms of leg swelling include pain and hot, red, tight skin.
Fluid builds up in the legs and causes swelling due to three main reasons, which are as follows:
Inflammation
Inflammation ensues when your body is injured. The body contracts the blood vessels to trap any microorganisms in and around the site of the injury. This limits the risk of infection but subsequently causes the injured body part to swell as fluids get trapped.
Inflammation causes leg swelling when you injure your feet and legs. Some injuries that could lead to inflammation in the legs include:
- Broken bones
- Strained muscles or tendons
- Sprained ligaments
- Torn cartilage
- Lacerations
- Bruises
- Burns
- Abrasions
- Road rash, a combination of a burn and an abrasion
These injuries usually happen when the crash causes the motorcyclist to tip the motorcycle over and slide. The leg and foot get trapped under the motorcycle and suffer injuries.
Leg swelling as a result of inflammation usually goes away as the injury heals. Abrasions and bruises will usually take a few days to a week to heal, though a shattered bone could take upward of a year to heal.
Vascular Injuries
Fluid can build up in your legs when your veins are injured. The veins pull blood out of your legs and carry it back to the heart. When they sustain an injury, the blood that’s meant to be returned to the heart ends up stuck in the legs, causing them to pool and swell with blood.
Leg injuries can also cause the development of blood clots. Veins in the legs include valves that prevent blood from flowing backward into the legs from the torso. Blood clots happen when blood pools in the legs and coagulates near those valves.
Veins in the legs can be injured when they get stretched during an accident. Surgery can also damage the veins and cause blood clots to develop, so doctors may try to reduce leg swelling after surgery with compression socks or pneumatic devices that squeeze the feet and calves and allow blood to circulate properly.
Fluid Retention
Your body can swell if you retain water, which can happen when a heart injury prevents your heart from pumping blood around your body. Kidney injuries can also cause fluid retention, as they cannot process the fluid in the body.
Complications from Leg Swelling
Leg swelling can cut off circulation below the injury. A condition called compartment syndrome happens when body cells die due to a lack of oxygen. In extreme cases, the dead flesh might require amputation.
For example, swelling in the calf might cause the tissue in your toes to die. Once your toes die, doctors need to amputate them to prevent you from developing gangrene.
Schedule a Free Consultation With Our Houston Motorcycle Accident Lawyers
Leg swelling can have effects ranging from discomfort to the loss of the leg itself. If your accident resulted from someone else’s negligence, you could seek compensation for these and other effects of leg swelling.
To discuss your injuries, schedule a free consultation with a Houston motorcycle accident attorney at Attorney Brian White Personal Injury Lawyers.
