Injury

physiological wound caused by an external source

Injury means a harm or hurt.

Wound closed with sutures

Usually an injury is when the body or a part of the body is damaged by something outside of the body. Another word for injury to a body is trauma.

Injury can be by:

  • Environmental – Burns from heat or injury from cold
  • Penetrating injury – when a sharp object like a knife pierces the body
  • Blunt injury – when something hits the body (like punching someone or falling from a tree)
  • Chemical – being hurt by chemicals like burns from acid

Injury can be accidental or intentional. In an intentional injury a person tries to hurt another. (Intentional injury is also called non-accidental injury). Accidental injury is without meaning to hurt someone. A traffic collision for example may injure someone accidentally.

Classification