When a current above mA passes through the body, it leaves marks at the points of contact with the skin. Currents above 10, mA 10 A cause serious burns that may require amputation of the affected limb. Some burns are easy to recognize because they look like the burns you can get from contact with heat.
Electrical burns often affect internal organs. Internal damage may be much more serious than the external injuries suggest. Internal burns often have serious consequences: scarring, amputation, loss of function, loss of sensation and even death.
For example, if a lot of tissue is destroyed, the large amount of waste generated can cause serious kidney or blood circulation disorders. Nerves are tissue that offers very little resistance to the passage of an electric current. When nerves are affected by an electric shock, the consequences include pain, tingling, numbness, weakness or difficulty moving a limb. These effects may clear up with time or be permanent. What are the symptoms of an electric shock?
What should I do if I or someone else has been shocked? How are electric shocks treated? Do electric shocks have any long-term effects? Written by Erica Hersh on October 30, Read this next. First Aid for Unconsciousness. Medically reviewed by Emelia Arquilla, DO. Medically reviewed by Debra Sullivan, Ph. Medically reviewed by Debra Rose Wilson, Ph.
What Is a Contusion? Medically reviewed by Angela M. An electric shock can also be severe and fatal, it may cause second or third-degree burns, damage muscles and internal tissues, and cause arrhythmia. It may also injure blood vessels, tissues, nerves and muscles, cause swelling in the throat and lungs, and may cause breathing problems.
Sometimes the victim may appear completely well but they need to be taken to the hospital for a check-up. Internal injuries may not be visible and be obvious, so it is advisable to go to the hospital or call for immediate assistance in all cases of electric shock. You can experience a violent spasm as the muscles are stimulated by the electricity. In the case of a prolonged exposure to electric current, more than 10 mA, you may experience a sustained contraction.
You might not be able to let go of the appliance or switch which can increase the duration and severity of the shock. Electric shocks can also cause muscles, ligaments, and tendons to tear. I was soon transferred to another hospital that specialized in burns later that day. For two days I felt sleepy, taking morphine for the pain while doctors told me that while most of my burned skin on my arm would fall off, other parts would need to be surgically removed, and I'd probably require skin grafts.
Either way, they told me, my skin would never look the way it did prior to the accident. Once I was back home, I tried to take good care of it as it healed, washing my skin twice a day with baby soap which soothed the wounds and applying a fresh bandage. School started, and the burned skin began to fall off. The skin that came in was much pinker than my regular pigment, and it made me self-conscious.
I wore a protective sleeve over my arm or long-sleeve shirts to hide it. When springtime came eight months later, my mom urged me to sit outside and let my pink-pigmented arm get some sunlight. The sun, plus the cocoa butter I rubbed on the skin, seemed to give me my natural color back.
In the end, I did not have to get a single skin graft. It's been several years since the accident, and though I'm healed and healthy, my right arm is still a little discolored, particularly where the current exited my body. Many people think it's just a birthmark. At the nursing home where I work as an assistant, I often run into other burn patients.
I'll ask them how they were injured, curious to hear about their experience. The burns on my arm were the only physical health issue that resulted from the electrocution. But following the accident, I had some emotional things to deal with.
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