traumatic injuries

Traumatic injuries cause tissue damage. Incidental rupture of the auxiliary and primary blood vessels supplying these tissues causes internal bleeding at the injury site. Blood supplies normally carry nutrients and oxygen to the tissues and remove waste materials along with metabolic byproducts from the tissues. However, with damage, the delicate piping systems of the vessels rupture into the smallest capillaries, arterioles, or venus vessels, or even the largest vessels, causing profuse bleeding.

This bleeding is what causes the swelling at the site of the person’s injury. The lesion is enclosed within the skin, which creates an increase in blood pressure and fluids within the body at the injured site. When the trauma site fills and expands with bleeding, it plugs the traumatic site. This can depress or cut off circulation. This occurs by increasing the internal body pressure at the site at or above the person’s normal blood pressure. This pressure is what naturally stops bleeding at the site.

The heart pumps blood to the tissues through the arteries. About 99% of all blood pumped out of the heart is returned by the venous return system. Being a closed plumbing system, the arterial pressure within the capillary bed forces blood back to the heart by the pressure in the closed venous system. The generally low pressure on the right side of the heart allows the naturally decreased pressures to direct blood from the venous systems back to the heart. This, in turn, allows the blood to be recirculated and pumped back to the heart again and again. The rest of the blood plasma is returned by the lymphatics.

In addition to the cardiac, arterial, and venous systems, there is a system of passive lymphatic ducts that carry tissue fluids back to the heart. This lymphatic system acts as a cleansing sewer system allowing excess fluid to drain from capillary beds and injured sites, through the venous system, and then to the heart. Lymphatic vessels, like veins, have one-way valves that act like pumps. Passive pumps called lymph nodes are located behind joints or at pressure sites from physical movement. They are much like a hose with a bulb and valve attached to another hose. When the bulb is squeezed, the system pumps fluid in only one direction: toward the heart. When a joint is flexed and extended, the bulb naturally compresses and pumps moving fluids from the limb toward the heart. This naturally removes blood, fluids, and possible infection from the injury site. This reduces pressure at the site after the bleeding stops to allow for new circulation and healing.

Elevation of a traumatic point is applied by measuring from the floor directly vertical to the heart and then measuring from the floor directly vertical to the injury site. This means that the point of injury must be elevated approximately 12 to 16 inches above the position of the heart at any time and from any position, i.e. sit in chair with foot on ottoman if foot is the injury site. it is not elevated. Floor distance from foot should be less than heart to floor by 16″ or more. Lying on a sofa with your foot high on the back of the sofa at head level is elevation of a traumatic site, lowering pain and eliminating fluids for healing.