Joints Flashcards
Kayla Tanner, a 45 year old mother of four who suffered a dislocated right hip in the bus accident on route 91. Prior to the closed reduction, the doctors noted that her right thigh was flexed at the hip, adducted, and medially rotated. After the reduction, the hip was put through a gentle range motion (ROM) to assess the joint. A widened joint space in the postreduction X ray showed that the reduction was not comlete, but no bone fragments were vixible in the joint space. Mrs Tanner was scheduled for immediate surgery. The surgeons discovered that the acetabular labrum was detached from the rim of the acetabulum and was lying deep within the joint space. The detached portion of the labrum was excised, and the hip was surgically reduced. During the early healing phase (first two weeks), Mrs Tanner was kept in traction with the hip abducted.
.
Joints can be classified by structure and by function. How would you structurally and functionally classify the joint involved in the injury in this case?
The hip joint would be structurally classified as a synovial joint and functionally classified as a diarthrotic (freely movable) joint.
Name the six distinguishing features that define the structural classification of the joint involved in this injury?
The six distinguishing features that define a synovial joint are: 1. articular cartilage, 2.joint (synovial) cavity, 3. articular capsule, 4. synovial fluid, 5. reinforcing ligaments, 6. nerves and blood vessels
The doctors noted that there were no bone fragments in the joint space. What is normally found in this space?
The joint space in a synovial joint is normally filled with synovial fluid.
Surgeons had to remove a portion of Mrs Tanner’s acetabular labrum. What is this structure and what function does it supply at this joint?
The acetabular labrum is a piece of fibrocartilage that attaches to and extends the rim of the acetabulum. The diameter of the labrum is less than the diameter of the head of the femur, and this helps stabilize the joint to prevent it from dislocating.
The doctors noted that Mrs Tanner’s thigh was flexed at the hip, adducted, and medially rotated. Describe what this means in terms of the position of her leg.
Mrs Tanner’s hip was bent (flexed) and her thigh was pulled toward the midline of her body (adducted) and turned in toward this midline (medially rotated).
Hip dislocations can be classified as anterior or posterior depnding on which direction the head of the femur is facing after it dislocates. Based on the description you provided in question 5, which type of dislocation did Mrs. Tanner suffer?
Mrs Tanner suffered a posterior dislocation of the hip. When the head of the femur comes away from the acetabulum and then turned posteriorly, it causes the femur to rotate counter clockwise. This can be determined from the fact that her thigh was adducted and medially rotated.
In order to assess the joint as part of Mrs Tanner’s rehabilitaion, clinicians would want to assess all of the movements that normally occur at the hip. List all the movements that the clinicians will need to assess
The hip movements include flexion, extensions, abduction, adduction, rotation, and circumduction of the thich
