| Injury | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Cat scratches on an arm, a minor traumatic puncture wound to the skin | |
| Specialty | Emergency medicine, traumatology  |
| Complications | Infection, shock, hemorrhaging, organ failure |
| Types | Traumatic, burn, toxic, overuse |
An injury is any physiological damage to living tissue[1] caused by immediate physical stress. Injuries to humans can occur intentionally or unintentionally and may be caused by blunt trauma, penetrating trauma, burning, toxic exposure, asphyxiation, or overexertion. Injuries can occur in any part of the body, and different symptoms are associated with different injuries.
Treatment of a major injury is typically carried out by a health professional and varies greatly depending on the nature of the injury. Traffic collisions are the most common cause of accidental injury and injury-related death among humans. Injuries are distinct from chronic conditions, psychological trauma, infections, or medical procedures, though injury can be a contributing factor to any of these.
Several major health organizations have established systems for the classification and description of human injuries.
- ^ Concise Oxford English Dictionary. Oxford University Press. 2002. p. 729. ISBN 0-19-860572-2.