2) Musculoskeletal trauma Flashcards
Open fracture
Complete fracture. Communicating wound between bone and skin
Closed fracture
Complete fracture. Skin not broken
Comminuted fracture
Complete, unstable fracture. Multiple bone fragments
Avulsion fracture
Complete fracture. Separated bone segment attached to ligament or tendon
Complete fracture
Bone is broken right through (open, closed, comminuted, avulsion)
Incomplete fracture
Bone is still in one piece (greenstick, torus, bowing, stretch fracture, transchondral fracture). All incomplete fractures are stable fractrues
greenstick fracture
Incomplete fracture. Break in one cortex, interior splitting –> children and elderly
Torus fracture
Incomplete fracture. Buckling of the cortex
bowing fracture
Incomplete fracture. Bending of the bone
Stress fracture
Incomplete fracture. Microfracture
Transchondral fracture
Incomplete fracture. Separation of articular cartilage from the bone
Simple fracture
Generally undisplaced, or minor ddegree of bending. Skin surface not effected
Oblique fracture
Oblique fracture across the shaft of the bone. Considered unstable because of its oblique nature
Spiral fracture
Fracture that occurs as a result of a twisting motion. Spirals around the length of the shaft. Unstable fracture
Compression/impacted fracture
Direction of fall forces fractured components into each other
Colle’s fracture
Most frequent upper extremity fracture type. Dorsal displacement of distal radius fragment. “Dinner fork” deformity. Fall on outstretched pronated hand
Smith’s fracture
Distal radius fracture with volar displacement. Fall on outstretched supinated hand.
Dislocation
Two bones lose contact completely
Subluxation
Two bones lose contact partially
Approach to interpreting skeletal radiographs (AABCS)
- Adequacy: All views included with correct positioning and exposure
- Alignment: Anatomical relationships between all bones are normal
- Bones: Look for fracture lines, cortex/trabeculae disruptions
- Cartilage: Joints should be of normal width and have uniform spacing. Fracture segments may be seen within joint space
Soft tissues: Soft tissue swelling, joint effusions and distortion of fat pads can be easier to see than the fracture its self