Fractures Flashcards
What are the three major categories of fractures
by injury
pathologic stress fractures
fatigue stress fractures
What causes fatigue stress fractures
excess amounts of stress are on the bone
Where do fat stress fracs happen the most
mostly in the metatarsals, femur, tibia, fibula, and pelvis
Who usually get fat stress fracs
unconditioned athletes ie. Joggers, skaters, dancers, or military recruits.
What causes pathologic stress fracs
when stress is applied to already weakened bones from disease or tumors
What kind of fracture would you suspect someone with osteoporosis to have
pathologic stress frac
What are the criteria that define what type of fracture it is
if it breaks through other tissue or not
how much did it break through the bone
what arrangement are the peices in
What is an open fracture
when the bone breaks the surface of the skin
What is another name for an open fracture
compound
What is transverse fracture
a complete break straight across the bone
What is an oblique frac
broken at an angle
What is a spiral frac
one caused by a twist
What are comminuted fractures
one area of the bone brakes into multiple peices
Who usually experience comminuted fractures
unhealthy people like with disease for example
What are segmental fractures
bone brakes in two areas so a “chunk” is separate from the rest of the boen
What is a greenstick
bone is only partially broken (like a piece from the side is broken off)
Who usually experience greenstick fracs
kiddos and diseased people
Why do kids have more greenstick fractures
because their bone are more pliable
What is reduction
the restoration of a fractured bone back into its normal anatomic position
If you were to see a an xray of a fracture and the bone around the fracture was darker than normal what might that indicate
pathologic stress fracture like from a tumor
What is a FOOSH
fall on out-stretched hands
Who is most at risk of fractures
males 15-24, elderly >65
What bones do younger people break more
Tibia, clavicle, lower humerus
What bones do elderly break more
Upper femur/humerus, vertebra, pelvis
Is it more common for a frac in a young person to come from trauma or diseases
trauma
Fractures in the hands and feet are usually related to what
WRI’s
What are the manifestations of fractures
Pain due to trauma, muscle spasm
Edema due to inflammation from soft tissue injury
Loss of ROM secondary to pain, edema
Visible deformity secondary to unnatural alignment
Circulation impairment
Neurovascular compromise
What are some types of deformities
angulation, shortening, and rotation
Open fractures have what
high infection rates
What are some examples of deformities
shortening of a limb due to the bone healing in an incorrect spot
a limb being in a twisted angle to what it normally looks like
What are angulation defs
fragments of the frac pushing up against soft tissue
What are shortening defs
bones healing overtop of eachother because of the pull of their muscles
What are rotation defs
When the frac causes the bone to move out of its normal longitudinal axis
What are the diagnosis of fractures
Xray
What are the treatments for fractures
Splinting to prevent further injury
Reduction (the term I mentioned earlier)
