Conditions Flashcards
Paracentral disc herniation is the same thing as a Prolapsed intervertebral disc.
If you have a L4/L5 paracentral disc herniation, what nerve root will be compressed?
Describe what a paracentral disc herniation is.
L5 nerve root in the intervertebral foramen will be compressed because the nucleus pulposus will herniate posterolaterally
Describe the 4 stages of disc herniation
Don’t Push Ese Sabrina
Degeneration:
Disc is old so it dehydrates and bulges
Prolapse:
Nucleus pulposus breaks through the spinal canal and protrudes into the annulus fibrosus
Extrusion:
Nucleus pulposus breaks through the annulus fibrosus but remains in the disc SPACE
Sequestration:
Nucleus pulposus enters the spinal canal
Name 5 red flag symptoms in Cauda equina syndrome
- Saddle anaesthesia/perianal numbness
- Bilateral sciatica
- Erectile dysfunction
- Painless urinary retention
- Faecal/urinary incontinence
State 3 causes of spinal canal stenosis
- Disc bulging
- Spondylolisthesis
- Ligamentum flavum hypertrophy
What causes degenerative spondylolisthesis?
Weakening of the facet joints so you get a forward slipping vertebrae
Describe a cause of kyphosis
Osteoporotic compression fractures in the anterior column of the spine
What are 4 symptoms of Spondylolisthesis?
- Neurogenic claudication
- Incapacitating mechanical pain
- Lower back pain
- Sciatica due to compression of nerve roots
Describe the consequences of damage to the superior gluteal nerve
Get weakness of gluteus medius and gluteus minimus (on the effected side) due to the loss of the innervation from the superior gluteal nerve. Thus get atrophy of those muscles so these muscles will not be able to stabilise the opposite hip so get a positive Trendelenburg’s sign (have Trendelenburg gait)
What is subchondral bone cysts (found in osteoarthritis)?
Name 2 causes.
Subchondral bone cystic degredation is a fluid filled space in one of the bones that forms the joint caused by bone necrosis or intrusion of synovial fluid
What causes osteophytes (found in osteoarthritis)?
Bone metaplasia (formation of bone from another tissue type) leading to irregular outgrowth of bone
Name 4 signs seen on a xray of an osteoarthritic hip
Subchondral sclerosis
Subchondral bone cysts
Osteophytes
Reduced joint space
In an intracapsular fracture of the neck of the femur, why would you get avascular necrosis?
Due to the blood supply to the head of the femur from the medial circumflex femoral artery being lost and the blood supply from the ligamentum teres artery not being enough
Give 3 descriptions of how the affected leg of a neck of femur fracture would appear?
Abducted, externally rotated and shortened
Sciatic nerve palsy and femoral nerve palsy can occur in a head of femur dislocation.
Posterior dislocation can cause one of these palsies and an anterior dislocation can cause the other. State which palsy belongs to which dislocation and compare how the effected leg would look in each palsy.
Posterior dislocation: Sciatic nerve palsy Flexed Internally rotated Adducted
Anterior dislocation: Femoral nerve palsy Flexed Externally rotated Abducted
What artery could be damaged in a distal femoral fracture and a dislocation of the knee joint?
Popliteal artery
Due to the tibial articular cartilage always being damaged in a proximal tibial fracture, what can this cause in the LT?
Osteoarthritis
What is the unhappy triad?
The blown knee is when the medial meniscus, medial collateral ligament and anterior cruciate ligament are all injured.
(Damage to the medial collateral ligament then leads to damage to the medial meniscus as they are attached).
If the ACL is ruptured, what can happen to the tibia?
It can slide anteriorly, under the femur
What is the pathophysiology behind the dislocation of the knee joint
(High energy trauma) leading to rupture of at least 3 of the 4 ligaments (ACL, PCL, LCL, MCL)
What is the medical terms for:
- Housemaid’s knee
- Clergyman’s knee
- Knee effusion
HMK: Prepatellar bursitis
CMK: Superficial infrapatellar bursitis
KE: Suprapatellar bursitis
Knee effusion definition
Accumulation of fluid inside the joint
What is the medical term for bleeding inside a joint space (a type of effusion)
Haemarthrosis
What do you always assume the cause of an haemathrosis to be, until proven otherwise?
An ACL rupture (anterior cruciate ligament)
What do you always assume the cause of a lipo-haemathrosis (blood and fat in joint space) to be, until proven otherwise?
Bone fracture (fat released from bone marrow)
Name 4 causes of knee effusion
1) Infection - Septic arthritis
2) Rheumatoid arthritis
3) Osteoarthritis
4) Gout
What is the medical term for a disease caused by inflammation of the patellar ligaments insertion site into the tibial tuberosity?
Osgood-Schlatter’s disease
Describe how crepitus can be felt in osteoarthritis
Loss of articular cartilage leads to increased friction between bones as they grate against each other more frequently and directly.
(Increased friction is felt as crepitus)
In a patellar dislocation, which way does a patellar typically dislocate?
Why?
Laterally
Due to the angle of the pull of the quadriceps femoris forming a Q angle with the line of the pull of the patellar ligament so when the quadriceps muscle contracts it tries to pull the patella out of the trochlear groove by pulling it superolaterally.
What muscle fibres typically contract to contradict the patella dislocation?
Contraction of the inferior vastus medialis fibres (they pull the patella medially)
What symptom triad is typically seen in septic arthritis?
- reduced range of movement
- fever
- pain
Why do patients with osteoarthritis complain of their knee buckling?
Describe the pathophysiology that causes this.
- Knee pain causes reduced knee joint movement (in order to reduce pain)
- So Quadriceps femoris weaken
- When you then want to extend your knee flexion muscle power > extensor muscle power
- So your knee will flex/buckle instead
What ligament in the foot is most likely to be injured due to hyperinversion?
Anterior talofibular ligament
What is the treatment for compartment syndrome?
Fasciotomy
What are 3 LT consequences of compartment syndrome?
Volkmann’s ischaemic contracture
CKD
Rhabdomyolysis (muscle necrosis)
What are 3 ST consequences of compartment syndrome?
AKD
Loss of peripheral pulse
Ischaemia of nerve fibres (leading to loss of motor function)
In a severe sprain of the ankle, why is it not uncommon to find that the patient has an avulsion fracture of their fifth metatarsal tuberosity?
As the fibularis brevis tendon is attached to a tubercle on the base of the 5th metatarsal so in an inversion injury, the fibularis brevis muscle is under TENSION so pulls off a piece of the 5th metatarsal
What is the medical term for bunions?
Hallux valgus
(you get vaRus deviation of the 1st metatarsal and vaLgus deviation of the hallux/great toe/1st proximal and distal phalanges)
What is hallux rigidus?
Osteoarthritis of the 1st metatarsophalangeal joint
In hallux rigidus, which motion can’t be done?
Dorsiflexion or plantarflexion
Dorsiflexion
Describe the changes that happen to foot joints in claw toes
- Hyperextension of the MTPJ (Metatarsophalangeal joint)
- Flexion at PIPJ (proximal interphalangeal joint)
- Flexion at DIPJ (distal interphalangeal joint)
(Claw toe is basically a combination of mallet toe and and hammer toe)