Chapter 48 Nervous System and Musculo-Skeletal Disorders Flashcards
Nervous system disorders
Nervous system disorders
Can affect mental and physical function
Nervous system disorder can affect the ability to
Speak
Understand
Feel
See
Hear
Touch
Think
Control bowel and bladder
Stoke (brain attack or cerebrovascular accident [CVA])
Is a disease that affects the arteries that supply blood of the brain
Stroke occurs when one of the following happens
A blood vessel in the brain bursts.
Bleeding occurs in the brain(cerebral hemorrhage)
Stroke is third leading cause of death in the United States
It is leading cause of disability in adults
Warning signs may last a few minutes
This is called a transient ischemic attack (TIA)
The person may have warning signs
Sudden numbness or weakness of the face,arms,legs, especially on one side of the body
Sudden confusion, trouble speaking, or understanding speech
Sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance, or coordination
Sudden severe headache with no known cause
Stroke mnemonic
Face: is the face symmetrical? Can they raise and lower both eyebrows? Smile with both sides of mouth?
Arms: can they raise both arms?
Speech: can they speak clearly? Logically?
Time: what time were the symptoms noted?
FAST
If the person survives, some brain damage is likely
Functions lost depends on the area of the brain
Rehabilitation starts at once
Health team helps the person regain the highest possible level of function
Parkinson’s disease
Is a slow, progressive disorder with no cure
Parkinson’s disease—
Movement is affect
Persons over the age of 50 are at risk
Signs and symptoms become worse over time. They include
Tremors
Rigid, stiff muscles in the arms, legs, neck, and trunk
Slow movements
Stopped posture and impaired balance
Mask-like expressions
Treatment include:
Drugs to treat and control the disease
Exercise and physical therapy to improve strength, posture, balance, and mobility
Therapy for speech and swallowing problems
Multiple sclerosis (MS)
Is a chronic disease
Multiple sclerosis—
The myelin, which covers nerve fibers in the brain and spinal cord, is destroyed
—nerve impulses are not sent to and from the brain in a normal way
There is no cure
Signs and symptoms
Blurred vision/double vision, blindness in one eye
Muscle weakness in the arms and legs
Balance and coordination paralysis
Tingling, pricking, or numb sensations
Partial or complete paralysis
Pain
Speech problems
“
Tremors
Dizziness
Concentration, attention, memory, and judgment problems
Depression
Bowel and bladder problems
Problems with sexual functions
Hearing loss
Fatigue
MS can present in many ways. For example:
The person’s symptoms last for a few weeks or a few months. The symptoms gradually disappear with partial or complete recovery. The person is in remission, at some point, symptoms flare-up again (relapse).
The person’s condition gradually declines with more and more symptoms. There is no remissions. Symptoms become worse.
More symptoms occur with each flare-up. The person’s condition declines.
Persons with MS are you kept active as long as possible and as independent as possible
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)]
Is a disease that attacks the nerve cells that control voluntary muscles
ALS also name
Is called Lou Gehrig’s disease, it is rapidly progressive and fatal
ALS
ALS is commonly more in men
It usually strikes between 40 and 60 years of age
Motor nerve cells and in the brain, brainstem, and spinal cord affected
these cells still sending messages to the muscles
Over time, the brain cannot start voluntary movements or control them
The disease usually does not affect the mind, intelligence, or memory
Sight, smell, taste, hearing, and touch, are not affected by
ALS has no cure
But some drugs can slow the disease and improve symptoms
Persons with ALS are kept active and independent to the extent possible
The care plan reflects the person’s charging needs
Head injuries
result from trauma to the scalp, skull, or brain
Traumatic brain injury (TBI)
Occurs when a sudden trauma damages the brain
TBI
Brain tissue is bruised or torn
Bleeding can be in brain or in nearby tissues
Spinal cord injures are likely
Causes include:
Motor vehicle crashes
Falls
Assaults
Firearms
Sports and recreation injures
Death can occur
at the time of injury or later
If the person survives,
Some permanent damage is likely
Disabilities depend on the severity and site of the injury
They include:
Cognitive problems
Sensory problems
Communication problems
Behavior or mental health disorders
Stupor
An unresponsive state; the person can be briefly aroused
Coma
The person is unconscious, does not respond, is unaware, and cannot be aroused
Vegetative state
The person is unconscious and unaware of surroundings. He or she has sleep wake cycles and periods of being alert
Persistent vegetative state (PVS)
The person is in a vegetative state for more than 1 month
Rehabilitation is required
Spinal cord injures
Can permanently damage the nervous system
Young adult men have the highest risk of
Common causes are
Stab or gunshot wounds
Motor vehicle crashes
Falls
Sports injuries
Problems depend on the
Amount of damage to the spinal cord
Level of injury
The higher the level of injury, the more functions lost
Lumbar injuries
Sensory and muscle function in the legs is lost (paraplegia)
Thoracic injuries
Sensory and muscle function below the chest is lost (paraplegia)
Cervical injuries
Sensory and muscle function of arms the arms, legs, and truck are lost (quadriplegia or tetraplegia)
If the person lives, rehabilitation is needed
The person learns to function at the highest possible level
The person learns to use self-help, assistive, and other devices
Some persons live independently at home or with home care
Some persons need long-term care or assisted-living settings
Autonomic hyperreflexia
Occurs with spinal cord injuries above the mid-thoracic level
Autonomic hyperreflexia
Occurs with spinal cord injuries above the mid-thoracic level
There is uncontrolled stimulation of the sympathetic nervous system
There is uncontrolled stimulation of the sympathetic nervous system
If untreated, stroke, heart attack, and death are risks
Treatment involves
Raising the head of the bed 45 degrees or having the person sit upright if allowed
Determining and removing the cause
The most common causes are
A full bladder
Constipation or fecal impaction
Skin disorders
musculo-skeletal disorder
affects movement
common causes
injury and aging
arthritis means
joint inflammation
occurres
pain, swelling, and stiffness
the joints are hard to move
osteoarthritis
(degenerative joint disease) is the most common type of arthritis
causes include
aging
being overweight
joint injury
stress
muscle weakness
heredity
signs and symptoms
joint stiffness occurs with rest and lack of motion
pain occurs with weight-bearing and motion
swelling is common after using the joint
there is no cure
treatment involves
drugs to decrease swelling and inflammation and relieve pain
heat and sometimes cold applications
exercise
rest and joint care
weight control
healthy lifestyle
joint replacement surgery
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA)
chronic inflammatory disease
causes
joint pain, swelling, stiffness, and loss of function
RA
is more common in woman than men
develops between ages of 20 to 50
joints are tender, warm and swollen
healthy lifestyle
joint replacement surgery
treatment goals are to
relieve pain
reduce inflammation
slow down or stop joint damage
improve well-being and ability to function
the persons care plan may include
rest balanced with exercise
proper positioning
joint care
weight control
measures to reduce stress
measure to prevent falls
drugs are given for pain relief and inflammation
heat and cold applications may be ordered
some persons need joint replacement surgery
emotional support is needed
total joint replacement surgery
arthroplasty
is the surgical replacement of a joint
the damaged joint is removed and replaced with an artificial joint
called prosthesis
the surgery is done to
relieve pain
restore joint function
correct deformed joint
osteoporosis
bone becomes porous and brittle
bones are fragile and break easily
older people are at risk
the risk for woman increased after menopause
all ethnic groups are at risk
other risks factors include
a family history of disease
being thin or having a small frame
eating disorders
tabasco use
alcoholism
lack of exercise
bed rest
immobility
signs and symptoms include
back pain
gradual loss of height
stopped posture
fractures
preventive measures include
calcium and vitamin supplements
estrogen for some women
exercising weight-bearing joints
strength training
not smoking
limiting alcohol and caffeine
back supports or corsets for good posture
etc
fractures
a fracture
is a broken bone
fractures are
open or closed
closed fractures(simple fracture)
the bone is broken but the skin is intact
open fracture(compound fracture)
the broken bone has come through the skin
causes include
falls and accidents
bone tumors
metastatic cancer
osteoporosis
signs and symptoms of a fracture are
pain, swelling, loss of function
limited or no movement of part
movement where motion should not occur
deformity
bruising and skin color changes at the fracture site
bleeding (internal or external)
for healing
bone ends are brought into and held in normal position
healing is called
reduction or fixation
closed reduction and external fixation
the bone is moved back into place; the bone is not exposed
open reduction and internal fixation
requires surgery, the bone is exposed and moved into alignment
after the reduction
the bone ends must not move
reduction after
the person has a cast or traction
splints, walking boots, and external fixators are also used
casts are made of
plaster of paris, plastic, or fiberglass
traction
steady pull form two directions keeps the bone in place
traction—
used for muscle spasms and to correct deformities or contractures
skin traction is applied the skin
skeletal traction is inserted through the bone
cervical traction rings are applied to the skull
hip fractures
common is older person
slower healing process
these post-operative problems present life threatening risks
respiratory complications
urinary tract infections
thrombi (blood clots) in the leg veins
other risks include
pressure injuries, constipation, and confusion
the hip feature requires
internal fixation
adduction, internal rotation, external rotation, and severe hip flexion are avoided after surgery
loss of a limb
amputation is the
removal of all or part of an extremity
most amputations involve a loser extremity
common causes
severe injuries
tumors
severe infection
gangrene
vascular disorders
gangrene
is the death of tissue
causes include
infection, injuries, and vascular disorders
surgery is needed to remove dead tissue
if untreated, gangrene spreads throughout the body
gangrene can cause death
a prosthesis
is an artificial replacement for a missing body part
phantom pain
pain in the amputated part of the body
