orthopedic pathology (fractures) Flashcards
fracture
break/defect in bone
“broken bone”
bery common
fracture accompanied by soft tissue injury
The physical force that is required to break a bone practically always produces some soft tissue injury
Difficult to determine the extent of soft tissue injury
causes
Trauma or sudden force
Direct – a bone breaks at the point of impact
Indirect – bone breaks some distance from the force (closed chain?)
other cause
Overuse or repeated wear
Stress fracture
pathologies as acause
Pathologies
Osteoporosis,
osteopenia (?)
tumours,
local infection
or bone cysts
Can cause weakening of bone
symptoms fracture
Unnatural mobility
Muscle splinting
Visible deformity
Pain (SHARP)
Bleeding
Swelling, bruising
Decreased function
Internal organ damage
Shock
daignosis
Imaging
X-ray
CT
MRI
Ultrasound (not as common)
Physical examination:
Fracture Screen:
Four step test
Torsion test (resisted isometric contraction)
Palpation (bony prominences)
Percussion/tuning fork (based on sound pattern/pain w/ fork distal to site?)
treatment
immobilization
(cast/splint)
surgical reduction
(screws, wires, metal plates)
Meds
NSAIDS (advil, naproxen, etc)
healing
Depends on:
The amount of damage incurred
Amount of movement at fracture site
Concurrent disease
Age
Overall health status
Complications
complications (early = within first few weeks)
Soft tissue injuries (muscles, ligaments, etc)
Acute compartment syndrome (within 48 hours):
Most commonly in forearm or leg
Swelling/bleeding increases pressure within fascial compartment
Cycle of reduced circulation -> ischemia -> edema -> reduced circulation
–>Leading to necrosis and gangrene
(Medical emergency)
complications (early)
Nerve compression
Bone/soft tissue infection
fever, pain, edema, pus
Deep vein thrombosis
(Blood clot in deep vein)
Cast dermatitis (allergic reaction)
Pressure or plaster sore
(ischemia over bony prominence)
late complications (few weeks to years)
Nerve compression or entrapment
Joint stiffness
Disuse atrophy
Disuse osteoporosis
Myositis ossificans
Metal plates may cause discomfort forever
other late compications
Delayed union:
Bone does not unite within expected time frame
Via inadequate circulation, insufficient splinting, infection
non-union
Failure of bone to heal before repair process finishes
Due to large gap, bone destruction, bone loss
rebreak bone and join together surgically so they form union and heal as one structure
malunion
union occurs but not correctly (offset, at an angle etc.)
Can lead to altered biomechanics, tendinitis, bursitis, osteoarthritis
other late complicaitons
avascular necrosis:
Tissue ischemia
via impaired vascular flow
Minimum of 2 hours of anoxia required for permanent loss of bone tissue
(May be secondary to trauma or thrombosis)
note tissue hypoxia survival time
Brain <3 min
Kidney and liver 15-20 min
Skeletal muscle 60-90 min
Vascular smooth muscle 24-72 h
Hair and nails Several days
osteonecrosis (same as avascular necrosis of bone????)
avascular necrosis of bone
Occurs in bones that are poorly vascularized
scaphoid, neck of femur, talus, lunate
Ischemia occurs shortly after fracture, but necrosis may not be noticed on x-ray for weeks
bone healing stage 1 (SEVERAL WEEKS)
fracture hematoma
Blood vessels are damaged and cause a mass of blood to form around Fx (Fx hematoma)
Forms 6 to 8 hours after injury
Lack of blood flow causes nearby bone cells to die, which creates additional swelling/inflammation.
Phagocytes and Osteoclasts clean up dead/damaged tissue around Fx
This stage may last up to several weeks.
stage 2
FC callus formation (3 weeks)
Fibroblasts invade fracture site and produce collagen fibers.
Chondroblasts invade fracture site and produce fibrocartilage
= SOFT CALLUS (FC callus)
helps to bridge the broken edge of the bones.
Formation of a soft callus takes about 3 weeks
chondrocytes and collagen
The pericellular region immediately surrounding the chondrocyte contains type VI collagen
(referring to a different area of cartilage, not FC callus, but FC callus also has collagen)
stage 3 (3-4 months)
bony callus
Osteogenic cells develop into osteoblasts and produce spongy bone trabeculae
The trabeculae join living and dead bone fragments together, replacing the fibrocartilage.
This new callus is referred to as a hard callus (bony callus)
The bony callus lasts about 3 to 4 months.
stage 4
Bone remodeling is a slow process that may last 6-9 years, which is 70% of the total healing time. In the remodeling, osteoclasts (cells that break down bone tissue) resorb the trabecular bone, and osteoblasts deposit compact bone.
stage 4 …
Bone remodeling of the callus
Remaining dead portions of bone are reabsorbed by osteoclasts.
Compact bone replaces around spongy
Realignment along lines of stress (Wolff’s law)