Musculocutaneous Growth and Injury Flashcards
At what age do the growth plates of bones fuse?
13/14
What are the characteristics of cortical bone?
- Diaphysis
- Resists bending and torsion
- Laid down circumferentially
- Less biologically active
What are the characteristics of cancellous bone?
- Metaphysis
- Resists/absorbs shock
- Site of longitudinal growth
- Very biologically active
What is a fracture?
A break in the structural continuity of a bone, can be a break, crack, split, crumbling or buckle
What are the causes of a bone to fail?
High energy transfer in normal bone
Repetitive stress in normal bone
Low energy transfer in abnormal bone
What are the stages of healing after a fracture?
Inflammation
Soft callus
Hard callus
Bone remodelling
Describe the inflammation stage of healing of a fracture
The first stage is inflammation, which begins immediately after the fracture. Haematoma and fibrin clots are formed within the break, which recruit platelets, neutrophils, monocytes and macrophages. By products of cell death (lysosomal enzymes) are also present within the break. Fibroblasts, mesenchymal cells and osteoprogenitor cells are all also recruited to the break. Angiogenesis also occurs to restore blood supply and muscle contraction takes place to try and stiffen up broken limbs. This stage can be helped along with NSAIDs and surgery.
Describe the soft callus stage of healing of a fracture
The second stage of a fracture is soft callus. It begins when the pain and swelling subsides and lasts until the bony fragments are united by cartilage or fibrous tissue. This gives the fracture some stability, with an increased vascularity and angulation can still occur. This stage can be helped along with replacement of cartilage (demineralised bone matrix), or jumping straight to bone with a bone graft or substitute.
Describe the hard callus stage of healing of a fracture
The third stage is hard callus. This process involves conversion of cartilage to woven bone and occurs in a typical long bone fracture. The bone becomes increasingly rigid during this stage.
Describe the bone remodelling stage of healing of a fracture
The fourth stage is bone remodelling. This involves conversion of woven bone to lamellar bone. The medullary canal is reconstituted and the bone begins to respond to loading characteristics.
How is instability of a fracture expressed?
Expressed as magnitude of strain (% change of initial dimension)
What happens when strain on a fracture is too low and too high?
If strain is too low then mechanical induction of tissue differentiation fails
If strain is too high then the healing process does not progress to bone formation
What are the possible causes of delayed union?
- High energy injury
- Instability
- Infection
- Steroids
- Immunosuppression
- Smoking (fractures take 50% longer to heal if smoking actively during fracture healing)
- Warfarin
- NSAIDs
- Ciprofloxacin
How can delayed healing be fixed?
Different fixation
Dynamization
Bone grafting
What is a peripheral nerve?
Peripheral nerves are the part of a spinal nerve distal to the nerve root
What lines a peripheral nerve?
Schwann cells form a thin cytoplasmic tube around nerve
Larger fibres insulated by a myelin sheath
How are axons organised to form a nerve?
Axons are bundle together to form fascicles, which are coated with perineurium and bound together to form a nerve which is covered with epineurium