If you work with or near heavy equipment, you may be at risk of a crushing accident. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, these accidents caused 93 worker fatalities in the U.S. in 2020 alone. Many other employees across the country sustained life-altering injuries due to crushing that year.
Crushing may cause a variety of catastrophic injuries, ranging from broken bones and lacerations to spinal cord damage and organ failure. Regrettably, a crush-related kidney injury may have delayed symptoms, causing you not to realize you have suffered an injury until hours or even days after a workplace accident.
How can crushing accidents damage the kidneys?
Your kidneys play a vital role in your overall health, as they help to remove toxins and excess fluids from your body. While your spine, rib cage and torso muscles are good at protecting your kidneys from external trauma, they are likely to be no match for heavy equipment.
During a crushing accident, your kidneys may compress. Likewise, fragments from broken bones may penetrate ]these important organs. Either way, if your kidneys sustain damage, you may have crush-related acute kidney trauma.
Why may symptoms be slow to appear?
If a crushing accident breaks bones or destroys muscles, you are likely to notice immediately. After all, these parts of your body have thousands of nerve endings that allow you to experience pain. Your kidneys may be a different story, though. In fact, due to their limited number of pain receptors, damaged kidneys may come with little or no pain.
Ultimately, going to the hospital for an evaluation is the most effective way to know whether you have suffered kidney damage during a crushing accident.