What is degloving in Illinois? Degloving soft tissue injuries fall under the “catastrophic injury” category in Illinois because they can result in major infection, tissue death, blood loss, sepsis, and even death, especially without early treatment. Our skilled Chicago personal injury lawyers break down the specifics of the degloving injury: what it is, how it happens, how to treat it, and whether or not you can sue for this injury.
Our Chicago degloving injury lawyers understand the legal challenges of degloving soft tissue injuries, and we have what it takes to ensure you receive appropriate financial compensation. Call 312-321-1111 to schedule a free consultation.
What is a Degloving Injury?
A degloving injury, also called an avulsion injury, is an injury that involves your skin and your muscles detaching from each other. The phrase “degloving” is used here to describe the phenomenon that happens when these injuries occur. Think of peeling a glove off your hand — a degloving injury describes the peeling of skin to expose muscle or even bone.
Degloving injuries or avulsed skin can be incredibly painful and cause severe injuries to several parts of the body. Affected tissues may need a skin graft to recover, depending on the severity of the injury. Traumatic injuries like these often pose diagnostic and therapeutic challenges in order to ensure the best healing.
What Does Degloving Mean in Medical Terms?
In medical terms, degloving refers to a severe soft tissue injury where skin is forcibly separated from the structures under it. This can occur as an open degloving injury, where the skin is torn away and the area is exposed, or as a closed internal degloving injury, where the skin stays intact but is detached underneath, creating a pocket that can fill with blood or fluid. Degloving is considered a serious form of trauma that often requires urgent intervention to prevent tissue death, infection, and loss of function.
Doctors use skin flap injury patterns to describe how a section of skin and its underlying layers stay partly attached. The configuration and extent of damage, along with clinical findings and imaging modalities, help doctors determine whether to use techniques like vacuum-assisted closure, radical debridement, or compression bandages to promote healing and preserve function.
Body Parts That Most Commonly Suffer Severe Degloving Injuries in Illinois
Any body part can experience a degloving injury, as our entire bodies are covered in skin. However, some of the most common areas for degloving or avulsed skin include:
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Hands;
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Feet;
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Legs;
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Arms;
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Face.
These are areas that are more exposed to severe injuries, particularly the upper and lower extremities, due to high use. Treatment options for degloving injuries will depend on the area in which they occur, as well as the type of degloving injury sustained.
Scalp Degloving
Scalp degloving is a severe form where the skin and subcutaneous tissue are forcibly separated from the underlying muscle and fascia. These traumatic injuries are often caused by motor vehicle collisions and are considered open degloving injuries due to the exposed soft tissue and blood vessels. Treatment methods for scalp degloving injuries frequently require plastic surgery with skin grafts or reconstruction to restore coverage and preserve blood supply. For more serious or total degloving injuries, negative pressure wound therapy may be used to support healing.
Degloved Face / Facial Degloving
A degloved face occurs when high-energy traumatic degloving injuries strip the skin from underlying structures such as connective tissue, underlying muscle, and deep fascia. These degloving injuries can result in massive blood loss and cause extensive soft tissue injuries, sometimes with associated injuries like fractures. Management often involves staged reconstructive surgery, guided by clinical assessment and magnetic resonance imaging or computed tomography. Early treatment and advanced wound management techniques are critical to preserve function and minimize long-term disfigurement.
Degloved Hand / Hand Degloving
A degloved hand is a severe degloving injury where the skin and tissue are forcefully separated from the underlying muscle, fascia, and connective tissue of the hand. Degloving injuries involving the hand are often caused by motor vehicle collisions or high-force crush events and can result in exposed blood vessels, tendons, and bone. Management of degloving injuries may involve plastic surgery or reconstruction, along with negative pressure wound therapy to support healing.
Degloved Finger / Finger Degloving
A degloved finger is a localized degloving injury in which the skin and tissue are torn away from the fascia, muscle, and sometimes bone or tendon. These degloving injuries often occur from ring avulsion. Management may require surgery to preserve function. Early surgical treatment of degloving injuries is critical to reduce the risk of tissue death and permanent disability.
Degloved Arm / Arm Degloving
A degloved arm is a severe form of soft tissue degloving, often caused by motor vehicle collisions, industrial equipment entanglement, or heavy crush incidents. These traumatic degloving injuries can involve extensive soft tissue and blood loss and exposure of deeper underlying structures. Management of degloving injuries may require reconstructive surgery, with early treatment being critical to limb preservation and recovery.
Degloved Foot
A degloved foot is a high-energy traumatic degloving injury often linked to collisions, industrial incidents, or heavy crush trauma. Damage can include loss of soft tissue, blood loss, and concomitant injuries such as fractures. Management may involve radical debridement, orthopaedic surgery, or flap thinning, followed by physical therapy to restore mobility.
Degloved Penis
A degloved penis occurs when the skin and sometimes underlying tissue are forcibly stripped away from the shaft, glans, or other underlying structures. Common causes include getting skin or clothing caught and pulled into heavy machinery, animal attacks, and in rare cases, surgery errors or intentional harm. The underlying mechanism is the separation of the penile skin from the dartos and Buck’s fascia, which can expose erectile tissue, blood vessels, and nerves. The injury is a surgical emergency due to risks of infection, severe bleeding, and loss of function.
Internal Degloving Injury
An internal degloving injury happens when skin is torn loose from the tissue underneath but stays intact on the outside. This separation creates a pocket where blood and fluid can build up, often after a hard blow or crush injury. It is sometimes called a closed degloving injury or Morel-Lavallée lesion.
Consult a Chicago internal injury lawyer to learn more.
Common Types of Degloving Injuries in Illinois
There are two main types of degloving injuries: open and closed. Severe degloving injuries can come in both types; these descriptors are simply used to describe their clinical presentation.
It can be much harder to diagnose closed, internal degloving injuries because they are basically “invisible.” Whereas open degloving injuries are immediately visible.
Open Degloving Injury
As the name suggests, an open degloving injury is when the degloved skin is on the top layers of the epidermis, revealing the underlying muscle (and sometimes bone) to open air. These types of degloving injuries can come from events such as traffic accidents, malfunctions of industrial or farm equipment, or other incidents that pose harm to the skin surface. This is why the hands, feet, and face can be the most common areas for degloving injuries, particularly open degloving injuries.
Closed Degloving Injury or Morel-Lavallée Lesion
A closed degloving injury occurs when the upper skin is separated from the subcutaneous tissue. This can leave a space under the skin, between the soft tissue, called a Morel-Lavallée lesion. This space can fill up with blood, fat, and other fluids, which can cause specific anatomical injuries. The clinical presentation of closed degloving injuries can be no more than a bruise, which is why many people with closed degloving injuries can have delayed diagnosis. An MRI is often needed to diagnose this kind of soft tissue degloving.
Types of Closed Internal Degloving Injuries Our Cook County Legal Team Commonly Handles
Morel-Lavallée Lesion: Shearing injury that separates skin and subcutaneous tissue from underlying fascia, often in the hip, thigh, or pelvic region.
Closed Degloving of the Scalp: Separation of the scalp’s soft tissue layers from the skull, usually from high-impact blunt trauma.
Closed Degloving of the Foot: Shearing trauma to the dorsal or plantar soft tissues, often from motor vehicle or machinery accidents.
Closed Degloving of the Hand or Fingers: Internal separation of skin from deeper tissues without an open wound, typically from crush or twisting injuries.
Closed Deloving Around the Knee: Separation between skin/subcutaneous fat and fascia due to high-energy trauma, common in sports or vehicle collisions. Contact a Chicago knee injury lawyer for a free consultation to learn more.
Closed Degloving of the Trunk: Often occurs in severe blunt force trauma, especially near the flank or lower back.
Gluteal Closed Degloving: Shearing force over the buttock region, sometimes seen in falls or motorcycle crashes.
Treatment Options for Degloving Soft Tissue Injuries
As mentioned, the treatment options available for a degloving injury depend on the severity of the injury and where the injury has occurred. For example, patients who have blood supply issues, such as hemophiliacs, may experience more complications from surgeries or skin grafts.
In most cases, open degloving injuries are treated with plastic surgery using a skin graft. This is when skin is taken from another part of the body, usually the lower extremities, and applied to the wound bed. Any skin flaps or avulsed skin will be removed prior to this, in order to prevent necrosis. In some cases, your body can reject a skin graft, which can complicate things for the patient and the plastic surgery team.
Closed degloving injuries are typically treated with a drainage of any fluids from a built-up Morel-Lavallée lesion. Then, skin viability will be monitored, and any underlying tissue that has started to necrotize will be removed with a necrotic tissue debridement.
Differential Diagnosis
What is a differential diagnosis? For degloving injuries, differential diagnosis is the process of distinguing the patient’s wounds from other medical problems with similar symptoms, such as severe abrasions, burns, or deep lacerations.
Our Chicago misdiagnosis attorneys often see case reports where a failure to perform a thorough assessment during the initial evaluation results in a late presentation and worsened outcome.
Certain injuries, like Morel-Lavallée lesions, may be mistaken for simple bruising, making a rare differential diagnosis a crucial step of conducting careful assessments.
Doctors use computed tomography (CT scans), magnetic resonance imaging (MRIs), and other advanced imaging modalities to document image findings, assess injury patterns, and confirm the clinical presentation. Clinical and diagnostic research and evidence-based guidelines recommend recognizing therapeutic challenges of degloving, especially in cases of subtotal degloving or such lesions with time-consuming recovery.
In some case reports, percutaneous management and other conservative treatments have been used successfully for most patients, but accurate diagnosis remains critical to selecting the right approach for the treatment of degloving injuries.
Orthopaedic Surgery
Degloving injuries frequently require orthopaedic surgery when there are broken bones, acetabular fractures, pelvic trauma, or damage to the hip bone, shoulder blades, or lower spine. A Chicago orthopedic injury attorney can help injured patients seek compensation when such injuries are caused by negligence.
In the operating room, surgeons may perform microvascular surgery, open surgery, or surgical drainage to address complications such as skin necrosis, lymphatic fluid accumulation, and skin hypermobility.
Morel-Lavallée lesions around the hip bone, a lower extremity degloving injury with exposed tendon, or injuries of the hand resulting in joint instability may require hand salvage procedures when trauma results in loss of function in three fingers or more. Stabilization with skeletal fixation is often needed for unstable fractures, and pressure reaction injuries require immediate attention to avoid other life-threatening injuries. For such patients, treatment frequently results in needing multiple surgeries and certain secondary procedures to restore partially attached degloved tissue using the most appropriate surgical options.
Skin Flap Coverage and Full-Thickness Graft
For extensive degloved skin injuries, skin flap coverage or a full-thickness graft may be required to achieve a good-quality skin cover and restore function, particularly in the lower limb or around the greater trochanter.
Reconstruction options include a latissimus dorsi muscle flap, latissimus dorsi perforator flap, anterolateral thigh flap, abdominal flap, or compartmented abdominal flap, selected based on the wound’s pathophysiology, the condition of the overlying skin, and structural needs.
In some cases, surgeons apply degloved cryopreserved skin or a dermal regeneration template, using an abdominal pocket to maintain vascularity during healing. Doctors monitor the patient’s skin temperature and skin color after the procedure to assess flap perfusion. While early reconstruction using a multidisciplinary approach can significantly improve outcomes, injuries complicated by Morel-Lavallée lesions with fluid collection or lymph fluid buildup may require percutaneous aspiration before reconstruction. Ultrasound and other image findings guide surgeons’ planning processes.
In highly specialized repairs, particularly in complex limb trauma, tech hand techniques ensure precise flap contouring and functional restoration. Conservative management may be appropriate for select patients where surgical risks outweigh benefits.
How Does Degloving Injury Happen Most Often in Illinois?
Degloving injuries are caused by trauma to the skin. Direct trauma to the outside of the skin, through traffic accidents, heavy machinery malfunctions, dog attacks, and even amusement park accidents in Cook County, can cause open degloving injuries. Meanwhile, closed degloving soft tissue injuries can be caused by overexertion in sports or during other intense movements. Avulsed tissue, or a Morel-Lavallée lesion, can cause the injured body part to experience soft tissue loss, swelling, and even dead tissue, called necrosis.
The treatment of a degloving injury will depend on clinical presentation, severity, and viability of the skin tissue.
Industrial Workplace Incidents
Industrial workplace incidents are a leading cause of degloving injuries in Illinois, often occurring when a worker’s hand, arm, or foot becomes trapped in moving machinery, conveyor systems, or heavy press equipment. These traumatic injuries can lead to extensive damage, devitalized tissue, and in some cases, life-threatening injuries requiring urgent care. Our Chicago worker injury lawyers can help with cases involving operative intervention, vac therapy, and other complex management needs, ensuring trauma patients receive both proper treatment and fair compensation.
Traffic Accidents
Traffic accidents are a common cause of degloving injuries. Victims can suffer degloving injuries, associated injuries like pelvic and acetabular fractures, and complications such as blood loss or tissue death. Chicago car wreck lawyers can assist in pursuing claims that cover advanced treatments like serial debridement and long-term physical therapy to restore function.
Pedestrians Hit By Motor Vehicles
Pedestrians hit by motor vehicles face an increased risk of degloving injuries due to the crushing and shearing forces involved. These degloving injuries can cause extensive damage, open fractures, and concomitant injuries requiring urgent hospital care. Chicago pedestrian injury lawyers can help victims recover compensation for medical procedures such as vacuum-assisted closure and scar revision needed for recovery.
Construction Site Falls and Equipment Incidents
Construction site falls and equipment incidents can lead to degloving injuries when workers are caught in heavy machinery, struck by falling objects, or dragged across rough surfaces. These traumatic degloving injuries may involve complex skin repair. A Chicago construction injury lawyer can assist in securing compensation for treatments such as debridement, flap coverage, and ongoing rehabilitation to restore mobility and function.
CTA Train and Bus Accidents
CTA train and bus accidents can cause degloving injuries when passengers or pedestrians are trapped in doors, dragged, or struck by the vehicle. These extensive degloving injuries may result in blood loss and the need for complex skin repair or vacuum-assisted closure. CTA injury lawyers and Chicago bus accident lawyers can help victims obtain compensation for medical care, including debridement, compression bandages, long-term physical therapy, and more.
Dog Attacks
Dog attacks can lead to degloving injuries when the animal’s teeth and pulling force tear away skin and soft tissue. These traumatic injuries may cause major damage, infection, and require treatments such as debridement, grafts, or vac therapy. Chicago dog bite lawyers can help victims pursue compensation for medical expenses, reconstructive needs, and long-term rehabilitation.
Surgical Errors and Medical Malpractice
Surgical errors can cause degloving injuries when improper technique, excessive traction, or mishandling of tissue during an operation results in skin and soft tissue separation. These rare degloving injuries may lead to tissue death and the need for multiple surgeries. Chicago surgery mistake lawyers can help patients seek compensation for additional procedures, prolonged recovery, and lasting damage. We also handle claims related to missed closed degloving injuries.
Degloving Injury Leading to Necrotizing Fasciitis or Compartment Syndrome
In very serious cases of degloving injuries involving necrosis, amputation may be the only treatment option. If necrotized or dead tissue isn’t removed quickly and completely, it can cause complete loss of limb, limb trauma, or life-threatening conditions like gangrene. Most of these require surgical treatment to reverse.
Patients can develop compartment syndrome, which can cause permanent muscle and nerve damage without early treatment. A Chicago compartment syndrome lawyer can help seek compensation when such injuries result from negligence.
Long-term side effects from successful skin grafts can include increased or decreased sensitivity to the area, hair loss in the area, scarring on the overlying skin, and interference with underlying tissue and limb movement.
Other possible outcomes include blood loss, delayed healing, poor graft take, and missed closed injuries that complicate recovery. In extreme cases, uncontrolled damage or life-threatening injuries may lead to amputation, requiring the guidance of a Chicago amputation lawyer to address the long-term medical and financial impact. Additional issues may include secondary procedures and chronic pain that affects mobility and quality of life.
Can You Die From Degloving Injuries?
While degloving injuries themselves are not often life-threatening, the complications from these injuries, as well as complications from surgery and recovery, put people with a degloving injury at a much higher risk for infections, hemorrhaging, and trauma shock. Soft tissue injuries can be especially complicated, as internal healing can be unpredictable. These complications from degloving can all present life-threatening risks if not treated quickly and properly.
Can You Sue for a Degloving Injury in Illinois?
Yes, you can sue for degloving injuries in Illinois, as long as such injuries were caused by another person’s negligence. Our legal team can help victims sue a Chicago hospital or doctor if a delayed diagnosis causes severe injuries.
Damages that you may receive for a degloving injury will depend on the severity of both the physical and emotional injuries. Emotional distress from losing a limb, physical pain and suffering, loss of consortium, and loss of quality of life can be filed for under non-economic damages. Other damages, such as medical bills, lost wages, loss of earning capacity, physical therapy bills, and mental health counseling bills, can be recovered via economic damages if your case is successful. If you were injured at your workplace, then these damages may be paid out to you by workers’ compensation.
Degloved skin can be incredibly painful, as can all other soft tissue injuries. While these injuries can be traumatic, recovery is possible. Trauma patients have several resources at their disposal to help improve their recovery process as they heal, including legal action.
How an Illinois Degloving Injury Lawyer Can Help
If you have suffered a degloving injury due to someone else’s negligence, you may have grounds to take legal action. Degloving soft tissue injuries are just one of many catastrophic injuries that can cause years of physical, emotional, and financial distress. You deserve to be fully compensated, especially if someone else caused your injury. Call Chicago personal injury lawyers at 312-321-1111 to schedule a free consultation today.