Whether you drive or ride in a motor vehicle, you should always wear your seat belt. After all, seat belts save an average of 15,000 American lives every single year. Nevertheless, while it may prevent your death, your seat belt may cause you to sustain a variety of injuries.
Seat belt syndrome is the name for a collection of injuries that happen when the human body collides with a car’s safety restraints. While a seat belt may cause minor bruising in any type of accident, seat belt syndrome is more than just a bruise.
Symptoms of seat belt syndrome
If you develop seat belt syndrome after a motor vehicle accident, you may have pain in your midsection or limbs. Unfortunately, though, because seat belt syndrome refers to many injuries, you may have a serious injury with no pain at all.
Therefore, you must watch for other injury symptoms. These include the following:
- Nausea or vomiting
- Bloody stool
- Diarrhea or constipation
- Headache, confusion or dizziness
- Sepsis
- Jaundice
The importance of emergency medical care
In a car crash, your seat belt may cause you to develop an unsightly bruise that is not much of a medical concern. Still, the symptoms of seat belt syndrome may not show up immediately. Like with other illnesses, early diagnosis and treatment are critical in ensuring you recover completely from your injuries.
Following any type of accident, you should seek emergency medical care. This is true even if you think you have not suffered a serious injury. Remember, doctors in the emergency room have the expertise to know whether your seat belt injury is a bruise or something more serious.
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