Which injury results from compression causing tissue damage?

• A. Avulsion
• B. Degloving Injury
• C. Crush Injury
• D. Rhabdomyolysis

Answer: (C)

Compression that damages tissue leads to a crush injury. When a heavy object presses on a limb, the soft tissues are squeezed against bones or other structures, cutting off blood flow and causing cell death. The resulting ischemia and swelling can injure muscles and nerves, and if the pressure is sustained, compartment syndrome can develop. Rhabdomyolysis can occur as a consequence of muscle breakdown from the crush. By contrast, avulsion is tearing tissue away, and degloving is a shearing separation of skin and subcutaneous tissue; rhabdomyolysis is a systemic effect that can accompany crush injuries but is not the mechanism of tissue damage itself. So the injury produced directly by compression causing tissue damage is a crush injury.