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Concept
Traumatology
Summary
In medicine, traumatology (from Greek trauma, meaning injury or wound) is the study of wounds and injuries caused by accidents or violence to a person, and the surgical therapy and repair of the damage. Traumatology is a branch of medicine. It is often considered a subset of surgery and in countries without the specialty of trauma surgery it is most often a sub-specialty to orthopedic surgery. Traumatology may also be known as accident surgery.
Branches of traumatology include medical traumatology and psychological traumatology. Medical traumatology can be defined as the study of specializing in the treatment of wounds and injuries caused by violence or general accidents. This type of traumatology focuses on the surgical procedures and future physical therapy a patients need to repair the damage and recover properly. Psychological traumatology is a type of damage to one's mind due to a distressing event. This type of trauma can also be the result of overwhelming amounts of stress in one's life. Psychological trauma usually involves some type of physical trauma that poses as a threat to one's sense of security and survival. Psychological trauma often leaves people feeling overwhelmed, anxious, and threatened.
Trauma can also be classified as:
Acute: It results from a single stressful or dangerous situation.
Chronic: It results from repeated and prolonged exposure to highly stressful situations.
Complex: It results from exposure to multiple traumatic events.
Secondary or vicarious trauma, is another form of trauma in which a person develops trauma symptoms from close contact with someone who has experienced a traumatic event.
When it comes to types of trauma, medical and psychological traumatology go hand in hand. Types of trauma include car accidents, gunshot wounds, concussions, PTSD from incidents, etc. Medical traumas are repaired with surgeries; however, they can still cause psychological trauma and other stress factors. For example, a teenager in a car accident who broke his wrist and needed extensive surgery to save his arm may experience anxiety when driving in a car post-accident.
Official source
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