Musculoskeletal disorders Flashcards
Tendon
Links muscle to bone
Ligament
Links bone to bone
Myositis
Inflammation of a voluntary muscle
Tendonitis
Inflammation of a tendon
Arthritis
Inflammation of joint
Atrophy
Loss of skeletal muscle mass
Myopathy
Disease or damage to the muscle
What are the dietary requirements of growing animals?
- Increased dietary demand due to fast growth
- Calcium : Phosphorus = 1.1 : 1 (vital for growth, nerve and muscle function and blood clotting)
- Calcium deficiency will cause slow growth and thyroid problems
- Vitamin D = aids absorption of calcium through gut, decreases excretion of calcium and phosphorus from the kidney (excess will cause soft tissue mineralisation and organ dysfunction)
- Vitamin A = Essential for correct metabolism, deficiency leads to skin and coat conditions, poor growth, reproductive and eye disorders
What is rickets?
- Rare metabolic bone disorder seen in young animals
- Deficient in Vitamin D
- Inability to absorb calcium from intestines
What are the clinical signs of rickets?
- Lameless
- Biowed limbs
- Swollen joints
What diagnostics can be done for suspected rickets?
X-rays show thickened growth plates
What treatment and nursing care can be done for a patient with rickets?
- Balanced diet
- Supplement of vitamin D
- Analgesics
- Soft comfortable bedding
- Monitor vital signs
What is metaphyseal osteopathy?
- Abnormal metaphyseal bone formation
- Occurs in young, rapidly growing dogs (common in giant breeds)
What are some clinical signs seen with metaphyseal osteopathy?
- Swollen, painful growth plate regions
- Severe lameness
- Pyrexia
- Depression
- Anorexia
What are the treatments and nursing care for a patient with metaphyseal osteopathy?
- Balanced diet
- Analgesia
- Soft comfortable bedding
- Assisted urination and defecation
- Monitor vital signs
What is secondary nutritional hyperparathyroidism?
- Metabolic bone disease associated with all-meat diets
- Caused by a diet grossly deficient in calcium or containing excess phosphorus, alongside vitamin D deficiency
- Bone production is normal but osteopenia results from excessive bone resorption
What are some clinical signs of secondary nutritional hyperparathyroidism?
- Skeletal pain and lameness
- Deformity
- Abnormal posture
- Pathological fractures
What treatment and nursing care can be done for a patient with secondary nutritional hyperparathyroidism?
- Balanced diet (possible calcium supplement)
- Analgesia
- Soft comfortable bedding and cage rest
- Assisted urination and defecation
What is hypertrophic osteopathy?
- Non-metabolic bone disease associated with a thoracic mass (tumour or abscess)
- Periosteal proliferation typically of the metacarpals/tarsals
- No joint involvement
What are some clinical signs of hypertrophic osteopathy?
- Lameness and pain
- Bilateral soft tissue swelling of the lower limbs (often symmetrical)
- In later stages thoracic signs develop
What treatment and nursing care can be done for a patient with hypertrophic osteopathy?
- Monitor vital signs
- Provide soft, comfortable bedding
- Analgesia and other medication under VS direction
What is osteomyelitis?
- Non-metabolic bone disease associated with inflammation of bone and bone marrow
- Most commonly caused by bone infection (eg. direct contact or infection spread locally, corrosion of a surgical implant)
What are some clinical signs seen with osteomyelitis?
- Pyrexia
- Depression/lethargy/inappetence
- Heat/lameness/pain
- Exudation of pus (wound/tract from implant)
What treatment and nursing care can be done for a patient with osteomyelitis?
- Monitor vital signs
- Provide soft, comfortable bedding
- Analgesia
- AB’s and other medication under VS direction
- IVFT (post op)
- Manage and change dressings
How may arthritis be classed?
- Degenerative joint disease
- Immune-mediated (eg. idiopathic polyarthritis)
- Inflammatory
What are some clinical signs with arthritis?
- Lameness and pain
- Exercise intolerance
- ‘Stiffness’ improves with exercise
What are some diagnostics that can be done for a patient with suspected arthritis?
- Blood tests
- X-rays
- Joint tap
What treatment and nursing care can be done for an arthritic patient?
- Monitor vital signs
- Provide soft, comfortable bedding
- Encourage frequent short walks
- Medication as directed by VS (AI’s, ABs)
- Dietary adjustments/supplements
What is osterochondritis dissecans (OCD)?
- Developmental orthopaedic disease that starts within first 12 months of development
- Soft cartilage cells are converted to more solid bones by endochondral ossification
What are some clinical signs of OCD?
- Enlarged joint
- Swelling with extra joint fluid (due to inflammation)
- +/- heat and pain
- +/- lameness
- ‘Awkward’ stance
- Reduced activity
What are some causes of OCD?
- Failure in cartilage -> bones rub together and cause inflammation
- Quick growth caused by rich feed and over exercise
- Genetic factors
What treatment can be done for a patient with OCD?
- Cage rest
- Diet control
- Surgery to remove fragments
What is degenerative joint disease (DJD)?
- Type of osteoarthritis that causes lameness
- Develops when cartilage protecting the bone of the joint is detroyed
What are some clinical signs of DJD?
- Lameness
- Pain with flexion of involved joints
- Heat
- Swelling
- Decreased flexion/stiffness
- Reduced activity
- Muscle loss
What are some causes of DJD?
- Injury/trauma
- Abnormal growth pattern
- Genetics
- Age
- Overworking joints
What are the treatments for DJD?
- AI’s
- Diet
- Fitness
What are some possible bone tumours of the musculoskeletal system?
- Osteosarcoma (malignant)
- Osteoma (benign)
- Fibrosarcoma (malignant)
- Haemangiosarcoma (usually benign)
- Chrondrosarcoma (malignant)
What are some soft tissue tumours of the musculoskeletal system?
- Fibrosarcoma (malignant)
- Haemangiosarcoma (usually benign)
What clinical signs may be present with osteosarcomas?
- Most commonly affect long bones
- Painful swelling
Where do chondrosarcomas usually affect?
Ribs and nasal cavity
Where do fibrosarcomas usually affect?
Bones of the axial skeleton including the skull and mandible
What diagnostics can be done for a suspected musculoskeletal tumour?
- Blood tests (haematology and biochemistry)
- X-rays
- Ultrasound
- Biopsy
What treatment and nursing care can be done for a patient with a musculoskeletal tumour?
- Monitor vital signs
- Soft comfortable bedding
- Assisted walking
- Medication under VS direction
- Post-op care (tumour removal/amputation)
- Assist with chemotherapy
- Adequate nutrition
What are myopathies?
Muscle disorder causing muscle damage as a result of failure of blood supply to the muscle
What are some causes of myopathies?
- Poor positioning
- Lying on firm surfaces
- Prolonged anaesthesia
- Prolonged period of hypotension
What are some clinical signs of myopathies?
- Distress
- Panting
- Affected muscle with hard localised swelling
What treatment and nursing care can be done for a patient with myopathies?
- IVFT
- Pain relief under VS direction
- Sedation
- Massage
What is exertional rhabdomyolysis?
Painful condition where muscles cramp and start to ‘dissolve’
What clinical signs may be present with exertional rhabdomyolysis?
- Pain occurring after exercise
- Painful muscles
- Increased but shallow breathing
- Tremors
- Muscle contractions
- Refusal to move
- Acute onset hindlimb lameness
- Collapse
- Renal failure over time
What are some causes of exertional rhabdomyolysis?
- Overexertion
- Muscle strain
- Diet related deficiencies
- High grain diet
- Genetic
What treatment can be done for a patient with exertional rhabdomyolysis?
- Pain control (AI’s/sedative)
- IVFT + electrolytes
- Muscle relaxants
- Diet control
- Warmth
- Supplements
