Week 11 MSK Flashcards
(105 cards)
Types of joint disorders
Infection (septic arthritis)
Inflammatory (reactive arthritis)
Crystal arthropathy (Gout, pseudo gout)
Degenerative (OA)
Septic arthritis
- Bacterial infection of joint
- Synovium inflamed with fibrin exudation and neutrophil polymorphs
- Medical emergency
Clinical features: Sudden onset, fever, swollen, hot joint, loss of function, mostly hips or knees, usually one joint
Causes: Staph. aureus, neisseria gonorrhoea, haemophilus influenzae (children)
- If have loss of cartilage can cause secondary OA
- Pott’s disease: TB from spine
Risk factors: steroids, biologics, RA, joint prosthesis, IV drug abuse, sexually active
Investigations:
Bloods - FBC, CRP
Blood culture
Joint aspirate - for microbiology culture
Treatment
IV antibiotics
Drainage
Types of SA
Lyme disease (due to borrelia burgdoferi)
Brucellosis
Sphyilitc arthritis
Crystal arthropathy - Gout
Includes Gout and pseudogout
Gout:
- Inflammatroy arthritis due to excess levels of uric acid
- Urate cystals deposited in joint (tophi)
Acute gout: deposition stimualtes acute inflammatory reaction
Chronic gout: tophi formation
Clinical features: Acute onset (<24 hours), swelling, erythema, tenderness of involved joint, big toe
Investigations:
- Synovium fluid aspirate: negatively birefringent
needle shaped crystals on polarised microscope
- Urate levels
X-ray
Primary - hyperuricaemia due to genetic predisposition e.g. Lesch Nyhan syndrome
Secondary - high uric acid due to myeloproliferative disorder, thiazides, chronic renal disease
Risk factors: obesity, age, alcohol, diabetes, HTN, diuretics
Management
Short term:
NSAIDs
Cholchicine (inhibits IL-1, chemotactic factor. Statins should be stopped)
Corticosteroids
Long-term:
Lifestyle factors (though not enough)
Urate lowering therapy:
Allopurinol (xanthine oxidase inhibitor - reduces production of uric acid)
Risks: SJS/TEN, hepatitis, vasculitis
Rasburicase (recombiant uric oxidase - metabolises urc acid in blood)
- effective but risk of anaphylaxis with repeated doses

Crystal arthropathy - pseudo gout
Deposition of calcium pyrophosphate
Synvoium (pseudo gout)
Cartilage (chondrocalcinosis)
Clinical features: Acute onset (<24 hours), swelling, erythema of joint
Acute (acute inflammatory arthritis) or Chronic (mimics OA or RA)
Primary or secondary (hyperparathyroidism and haemochromatosis)
Investigations
Aspiration: positively birefringent rhomboid shaped crystals
X-ray
Serum calcium and parathyroid hormone
Management
NSAIDs
Colchicine
Intra-articular joint corticosteroids
Joint aspiration (reduce pain and swelling)

Reactive arthritis
Defintion: Sterile, inflammatory arthritis that occurs after infections, usually GI or genitourinary
- Salmonella, Shigella, Chlamydia trachomatis
Clinical features: Onset days/weeks post infection, asymmetrical lower limb arthritis
Assoc. symptoms:
Classic triad (not needed for diagnosis): conjunctivitis, non-gonococcal urethritis, post infectious arthritis (can’t see, pee or climb a tree)
Risk factors:
Male, HLA-B27, previous GI or chlamydial infection
Signs:
- Dactylitis (swollen digits)
- Enthesitis (inflammation of entheses - where tendons insert into bone)
- Keratoderma blenorrhagica (“blenno: mucousy, “rrhagia” discharge) - yellow, waxy lesion usually on palms, soles
Complications
- Aortic regurgitation, aortitis
Management
- Usually self-limiiting (can last up to 6 mnths)
- NSAIDs
- Intra-articular steroids

Enteropathic (IBD) arthritis
Form of reactive synovitis that’s assoc with IBD
Asymmetrical lower limb arthritis. enthesitis
Treatment
- Treat bowel disease
- NSAIDs
Definition, Presentation, Risk factors, Investigations, Treatment of OA vs RA
Definition: Degnerative joint disease characterised by loss of articular cartilage
Commonest form of arthritis
Risk factors: female, age (more common in elderly), obesity
Primary: Wear and tear
Secondary: Trauma, avascular necrosis, other arthropathies e.g. RA, Paget’s disease, haemachromotosis
Pathophysiology:
Loss of balance between cartilage production and breakdown causing loss of articular cartilage and:
- irregular cartilage surface
- articulation of bone on bone causing thickening of subarticular bone (eburnation)
- ostephytes forms - due to bone trying to repair itself producing cartilagenous outgrowths which calcifiy
- loss of joint space leading to deformity
- immbolity of joint
Macroscopically: loss of articular cartilage with eburantion of surface, subarticular cysts, osoteophytes, sclerosis (thickening of subchondral bone)
Clinical presentation: characterised by joint pain, stiffness (morning <30 mins) and loss of function, usually hip or knee
Clinical examination: pain (worse on movement, better with rest) muscle wasting, limited ROM, joint deformity, antalgic gait
Investigations
X-Ray: Joint space narrowing, osteophytes, subchondral sclerosis, bony cysts
(Subarticular cysts due to raised intraarticular cysts)
Synvoium becomes hyperplastic, mild inflammation, bony detritus (broken down material)
Bloods:
FBC (normal), CRP/ESR (normal) , RF/Anti-CCP (negative), Ca2+, phosphate, Alk phos (normal)
Secondary OA due to gout - high levels uric acid, or due to Paget’s - high Alk Phos
Treatment:
Analgesics
Physiotherapy
Reducing load - weight loss, walking stick
Surgical:
- arthrodesis (fusion of bones. Considered in young pts where joint replacement would be expected to fail as demands are higher)
- joint replacement (weigh up benefits of pain relief and improved function, against risks of surgery)
- excision arthroplasty (affected jointis removed and space is filled with fibrous tissue)
RA
Definition:
Multisystem autoimmune disease characterised by chronic, symmetrical polyarthritis
Risk factors:
HLA-DR4, smoking, infections (TB, EBV), hormones
Affects 1% population, usually middle aged, female 3:1
Pathophysiology:
- IgM and IgA directed against Fc portion of IgG - forms large immune complexes. Synovitis occurs, immune cells (macrophages, T cells, plasma cells) invade normally acellular synovium. Immune cells secrete cytokines which activate enzymes in synovium.
Pannus (tissue made of fibrous vascular connective tissue) is formed which destroys cartilage and bone.
Clinical features:
Synovitis of any joint, symmetrical, PIP joints of fingers, wrists, elbows, knees, morning stiffness (>30mins) - better as day goes on
- Pain, erythema, swelling, fatigue, weight loss
Late signs:
Boutonniere deformity joints nearest knucle (PIP) flexion (bent towards palm) and DIP hyperextension (bent away))
Swan neck deformity
Extra-articular features:
- lungs: pleural effiusions (due to inflammation and rubbing)
- cardiac: pericarditis, vasculitis
- skin: rhematoid nodule
- Felty’s syndrome (triad of RA, splenomegaly, neutropenia)
- higher risk of malignancy (as chronic inflammation leads to higher cell turnover)
Invstigations:
Bloods - FBC (low HB)
Blood film:
- normocytic normochromic anaemia of chronic disease
- pts who take NSAIDs can have IDA from upper GI bleeding
- pts with Felty’s syndrome (RA+spenomegaly) can have haemolytic anaemia
ESR/CRP (high)
LFT (elevated Alk phos. gamma GT during acute flare ups)
ANA (exclude SLE, may be postive in 20% RA pts)
RF (IgM against Fc portion of IgG) - 70% sensitive
Anti-CCP (anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide) - more sen and specific
Complement (normal. Exclude SLE, vasculitis)
Immunuglobulins: increased IgA and IgG but normal IgM
Xray (LESS): loss of joint space, erosions, soft tissue swelling, soft bone (osteopenia)
US
MRI: bone marrow oedema
DAS-28 (disease activity score) in 28 joints
Treatments:
NSAIDs: symptomatic
1nd line: DMARDS - sulfasalazine, methotrexate
Corticosteroids
Biologics: anti-TNF (infliximab), Anti CD20 (B cell) (rituximab)), Anti-IL6 (tociluzumab), anti CTLA4 ((T cell) (Abatacept)
Physio: maintains movement, prevents muscle atrophy
OT: adaption to pt’s lifestyle and housing improves long-term outlook
Podiatry: shoe wear alteration, good feet hygeiene as feet almost always involved
Surgical:
tendon repair
joint replacement - esp for knee
joint fusion - ankles and wrist (last resort)
Tendinopathy
General term that describes tendon degeneration characterised by pain, swelling, impaired performance
Tendinitis (inflammation of tendon)
Tendinosis (degenerative)
Tenosynovitis (inflammation of tendon sheath)
Tendinopathy can also be:
Insertional (damage where tendon attaches to bone)
Non-insertional (damage to damage itself)
What is a tendon, what does it do?
- Attaches muscle to bone
- Transmits force from muscle to to achieve movement
- Made up mostly of parallel collagen fibres with tenocytes. Surrounded by paratenon (e.g. achilles tendon) or tendon sheath (e.g. fingers)
- Mostly avascular, receives nutrition from tendon sheath/paratenon. So slow to heal.
Pathologyof tedinopathy
Repetitive loading/over use leads to chronic tendon injury: - Degeneration and disorganisation of collagen fibres
- Increased vasuclarity around tendon (as body tried to heal it)
- Increased cellularity
- Little inflammation
- Inflammatory mediators released - NO, prostoglandins, IL-1 which causes pain, degeneration by release of matrix mellanoproteinases
- Failed healing mechanisms in repsonse to micro damage
Risk factors of tendinopathy
Age, chronic disease, diabetes, RA, repetitive exercise, quinolones (ciprofloxacin)
Common tendinopathies
Achilles tedinopathy
Tennis elbow (lateral epicondylitis)
Golfers elbow (medial epicondylitis)
Clinical features of tedinopathy
Pain
Swelling
Thickening of tendon
Tenderness
Provocative tests - pain elciited, when ask pt to contract muscle

Diagnosis of tedinopathy
Ultrasound (can see shape of tendon, neovascularisation)
MRI (tedinopathy best seen on T1 weighted MRI)
Management of tedinopathy
Non-operative
NSAIDs
Physiotherapy - eccentric loading (contract of musculotedinous junction whilst it elongates)
GTN patches - vasodilator (increases local perfusion)
PRP (plalelet rich plasma) injections
Prolotherapy - inject irritant (dextrose) to stimulate a bit of damage, which stimulateshealing
Extracoporeal shockwave therapy - breaks down calcifcation, and causes little areas of trauma to stimualate healing
Steroid inejections
Operative treatment
Debridement - excise diseased tissue. Can debride 50% without loss of function.
Compartment syndrome: definition
Increased interstitial pressure in a closed fascial compartment leading to decreased perfusion of tissue
- Leg, forearm, thigh
- Orthopeadic emergency (loss of function/life)
Causes of compartment syndrome
Increased interstitial pressure:
- trauam: bleeding
- muscle oedema
- administration drugs/fluids
Increased external compression:
- Impaired conciousness (loss of protective reflexes e..g moving aorund)
- Positioning in theatre - lithotomy
- Bandaging
Pathophysiology of compartment syndrome
- Pressure in compartment beomes greater than the pressure in capillaries
- Leads to decreased blood flow, muscles become ischaemic and develop oedema (through increased endothelial permeability) - leads pressure
- Necrosis starts after 4 hours of muscles being ischaemic, and myoglobin released (toxic esp. to kindeys)
- Ischaemic nerves become neuropraxic (blockage of nerve conduction )
- Loss of function
Increased pressure leads to reduced blood flow due to Local Blood Flow (LBF)=(Pa-Pv)/R
(difference between between arterial and venous pressure, divided by peripheral resistance)
leading to reduced tissue perfusion

Clinical significance of timely management of compartment syndrome
1 hr - muscle viable, nerve conduction normal
4 hrs - muscle ischaemia (reversible) neuropraxis in nerves (reversible)
8hrs - muscle necrosis, nerve axonotmesis (damage to axon, irreversible)
End-stage
- Stiff, fibrotic muscle compartments
- Nerve damage
- Clawing of limbs
- Loss of function
Clinical features of compartment syndrome
Pain - out of proportion to injury
- Pallor
- Parathesia
- Pulselessness
- Paralysis
- Pershingly cold
Diagnosis compartment syndrome
Mostly clinical diagnosis
Site: Leg, forearm, thigh
- Swelling, shiny skin, autonomic repsonses (tachycardia)
If patient has impaired consiousness:
- compartment pressure measurement: Compare compartment pressure (CP) to diastolic BP: if <30mmHg than it is diagnostic, or if CP alone is >30mmHg
Management compartment syndrome
Open restricting bandages
Peri-operative:
- fluids, monitor electrolytes, correct acidosis, renal function
Surgical release - decompression across all compartments, excise dead muscle, wound closure/skin graft
Describe the normal function and structure of bone
Function: Movement, protection, support, stores Ca and phosphate
Structure:
Cortical bone (compact/tubular):
- Outer layer
- Slow turnover rate/metabolic activity
- High Young’s modulus (resistane to tension and bending)
Cancellous bone (spongy/trabeculae):
- Fills centre of bone
- Higher turnover rate, undergoes remodelling
- Lower Young’s Modulus

Anatomy of bone
Diaphysis - main shaft
Epiphysis - ends of the bone
Metaphysis - between diaphysis and epiphysis
Physis (growth plate): feature of children’s bones
- repsonsible for skeletal growth, allows remodelling after fracture, blood supply to physis damaged then will lead to stopping growth


















