Ice Skeletal Injuries or Warm Them?
In acute or recent injuries, cold compression is recommended. Ice mitigates the swelling and reduces the pain. It is most effective when used in the first 48 hours after the injury. On the other hand, warmth increases blood pressure and the overall skin temperature; therefore, it is not effective for acute or recent injuries. Warm compression is mostly used for chronic muscular and joints pains.
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Buckle Fracture
Torus fracture is another name for this type of fracture. When you study more about it you may feel it is not really a fracture as we know it should be. There is no real disruption in bone continuity. It usually happen at the end of long bones in young children specifically around the wrist (distal part of radius) or ankle (distal part of tibia). The bone suffers an axial load, compressing bone trabeculae in the region. In bone radiography of the area only a bulge or a buckle is seen confirming the diagnosis. A few weeks immobilization in a splint or cast can be enough for a successful treatment.
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Calcium Deposit in the Body Can Be Extremely Painful.
This is true. Calcium can accumulate in tendons all over the body and specially around the shoulder. There are some speculations but still nobody knows the exact reason. Diabetes is the most common risk factor. The pain is more severe than any other pathology causing a pain in shoulder (sometimes more than a fracture). The good news is that it heals by itself. But you have to be patient. It may take a few months to recover. And if you are not that patient, a cortisol injection inside the calcium deposit site will greatly help. Sometimes there is a need for a calcium removal surgery.
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How Do Doctors Detect Fractures in Bone Radiographs?
It was always a riddle for me to understand how doctors detect fractures in bone radiographs. It may not be so easy in the beginning. One has to be familiar with bone anatomy. If not, one may misdiagnose a growth cartilage or even a joint as a broken bone. As you gradually get used to the bone anatomy and radiographs in different age groups it becomes easier for you to detect a fracture. There are two important points to remember in this regard: the first is that you need at least two perpendicular radiographic views. They are usually called AP (antero-posterior) and LAT (lateral) views. With only one view, you may miss the diagnosis. The second point is that you look along the cortical line and wherever you notice a disruption in the continuity in the bone cortex, this will be the fracture.
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How Many Bones Are in the Wrist
Guess how many bones there are in the wrist! The wrist is one of the miracles of creation. There are eight small bones in the wrist, building up a joint with the five bones of the hand and the end of two bones of the forearm. They are arranged in two horizontal rows each with four bones in it. The delicate connection of these bones with each other, supported by their shape and strengthened by ligaments around them, makes the most intricate movements of wrist possible during different kinds of sports and daily chores. For anyone that is interested here are the names of the eight bones: Scaphoid, Lunate, Triquetrum, Pisiform, Trapezium, Trapezoid, Capitate, Hamate. There are various mnemonics to help people remember these. One that I like is: Sam Likes To Push The Toy Car Hard.
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Displacement Vs. Dislocation
"Dislocation" and "Displacement" are two different terms in Orthopedics. Medical lexicon is not always like the everyday talk. In both of these words it seems like a part of bone is displaced from its proper position. But in the orthopedics jargon there is a great difference between the two. "Displacement" is used for a broken bones when the parts are not in their positions any more. In a bone fracture, broken part can be displaced or non-displaced. On the other hand "Dislocation" is used in joint injury. Two bones always come into contact and build up a joint, whether a hinge type, ball and socket, or any other type. When the two bones in a joint lose contact, due to a trauma, it is called dislocation.
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Mallet Finger
If you play basketball or volleyball, you may have heard of this. This usually happens when a ball hits the tip of a finger, bending or overextending it with force. Then you will have a bent finger at its farthest joint and will be unable to straighten it. After a physical examination, the doctor sends you for an x-ray. There may be a small bone fracture at the end joint or a ripped tendon. The x-ray distinguishes between these two. Management is usually with a splint keeping the joint in extension for a while. The splint has to be worn uninterrupted, day and night for eight to twelve weeks. Sometimes an operation may be needed. Treatment should begin soon, otherwise recovery becomes more complicated. No treatment will result in a permanent deformity.
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Tennis Elbow
Are you a tennis player? This pain is felt on the outer side of elbow and it happens in but not limited to tennis players. Any kind of exercise or activity that imposes repeated exertion on the extensor muscles may result in tennis elbow. In this pathology the tendon insertion connecting muscles to the bone on the lateral side of the elbow becomes inflamed and painful. The pain can be continuous or felt during exertion and activity. Elbow x-ray is done for diagnosis. Like any other injury due to repeated exertion and trauma it is wise to avoid the movements and activities causing pain. Icepack, rest. and anti-inflammatory drugs help. Using a tennis elbow brace during activity and exercise blocks the transfer of strain to the spot of pain and can be helpful. Sometimes there may be a need for cortisol injection and can be really helpful.
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When Is a Fracture Called Open?
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Whenever a fracture finds access to the outside environment, it is called an open fracture. It can be through a wound or a severe bruise. The x-ray may look the same as a close fracture. It is a clinical diagnosis. It is important to distinguish an open fracture. Open fracture is more complicated. It needs more attention. The bone comes into contact with open air. It can be contaminated and is more prone to infection. Open fractures are the result of high energy trauma. The management strategy is usually different and the expected time for recovery is prolonged.
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Have You Ever Had a Cast?
It is a terrible experience... I know. When you put your leg or arm in a cast, you get back home with a paper of advises and cautionary points. These are points to prevent adverse outcomes. They ask you to return if you encounter some signs or symptoms. It is important to keep your casted limb at the level of your heart especially in the first few days of casting and pay special attention to the circulation of fingertips and toe tips by checking the color of the pulp and nail beds and return to the emergency in the case of sever pain or swelling in the cast.
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