Common Seatbelt Injuries and How We Treat Them

Every time you get behind the wheel of your car and drive on the roads around Miami, you are at risk of a car accident. It’s just the nature of driving on busy, congested highways and streets. But getting in a car accident is always the furthest thing from your mind as you’re focused on getting where you need to go safely. And part of that safety is ensuring that you and your passengers are wearing your seatbelts. 

But unfortunately, no matter how safe you are, accidents happen, and when they do, your seatbelt can still cause injuries. Here at Impact Medical Miami, we treat seatbelt injuries all the time. So, you may find yourself wondering what are the most common seatbelt injuries and how exactly do we treat them? Well, that’s what we’re going to dive into and discuss today. 

Why Your Seatbelt Can Cause Injury? 

The entire idea around your seat belt is to keep you restrained in the event of a collision or accident. Literally to prevent you from flying out of your seat and causing further injury that could’ve been prevented. After all, when you’re in a collision, your car is going to come to a quick and sudden stop, while your body will still be moving at the speed you were driving unless your seat belt stops you as it’s designed to do. 

But that tightening of your seat belt that occurs in the event of an accident can still cause injuries to your body. There may be injuries to both your lower and upper body from an accident between the lap belt and shoulder belt. It’s when your seatbelt does what it’s meant to do and keeps you from moving forward when your car comes to a sudden stop, so you don’t crush your chest into the steering wheel or, worse, end up through the windshield. 

Common Injuries from Seatbelts

There are quite a few significant and common injuries we regularly treat at Impact Medical Miami caused by seatbelts. One of the most serious ones is abdominal injuries that can happen if you’re only wearing your lap belt and not a shoulder harness. 

Bruised Ribs

These are common injuries when the seatbelt constricts on your chest to keep you from causing further damage in a sudden stop or collision. 

Lacerations And Abrasions on Your Chest Or Sternum

While you may not feel this injury immediately after your accident, the pressure from the seatbelt and accident can cause lacerations and abrasions on your chest or sternum. This is why you want to be sure to get a thorough evaluation from a seatbelt injury specialist at Impact Medical. 

Shoulder Pain

This can be caused by the seatbelt tightening your shoulder during the accident. It can even cause soft tissue injuries like tearing your tendons and muscle fibers that cause an incredible amount of pain and discomfort if they go untreated.

How We Treat Seatbelt Injuries

If you’ve been involved in a car accident, you want to be sure to work with emergency personnel on the scene. And if no one came to your scene, it’s essential to be seen by seatbelt injury experts like the staff here at Impact Medical Miami. This way, you’re getting a complete picture of your injury as well as a comprehensive recovery plan that will address every injury that may have occurred during your accident. 

Some of the ways that we help treat your seatbelt injuries: 

• We can identify the root cause of your injury. And that be sure not just to treat your symptoms but address their underlying cause. 
• We can ensure that your body is properly aligned to maximize your recovery process. 
• We create a customized recovery plan that won’t cause complications or side effects. 

Stop Living with Seatbelt Injury Pain

If you think that you’re suffering from seatbelt injury pain from an accident, we invite you to reach out to our Impact Medical team in Miami. Our staff is always here to help you optimize your recovery and provide you with expert, friendly medical care. 

Your road to wellness starts here… So, give us a call today at (786)-789-3171.