For minor crush injuries like fingers getting stuck in a door or a heavy object falling on the toes, the symptoms are relatively milder and the recovery time is significantly lesser than major injuries. Some symptoms could be:
- Bruises
- Lacerations
- Mild or moderate pain
For major crush injuries that occur with high impact forces or for longer time, the damages are more severe and the injuries take more time for complete recovery. In this case, there usually are serious damages below the skin, in the tissues, organs, muscles and bones. If the injury leads to cutting off of blood supply, muscle and tissue damages could be of grave nature and in extreme cases could result in paralysis.
The symptoms of major crush injuries are:
- Damaged tissues and muscles
- Severe bruising
- Extreme pain
- Chances of open wounds
- Damages to the layers of the skin
- Compartment syndrome
If left untreated, the open layers could acquire infections and deformities, and in the worst cases the infection may lead to amputation.
Compartment syndrome occurs when the injured part is deprived of blood for a long period of time. In this case, the nerves could get severely damaged and the victim might experience muscle death. The symptoms of compartment syndrome are:
- Extreme pain
- Tingling sensation of pins and needles that a limb feels when idle for long
- Paralysis of the limb
- No pulse in the affected limb
- Swollen and shiny skin