Musculoskeletal Trauma Flashcards
What is the difference between upper and lower extremity injuries?
Upper extremities can be painful and sometimes debilitating but rarely threaten life; lower extremity injuries are generally associated with greater magnitude of force and greater secondary blood loss thus greater threat to life or limb
T or F. Up to 80 percent of patients who suffer multi-system trauma do not experience significant musculoskeletal injuries.
False - they DO experience significant musculoskeletal injuries
Incidences of musculoskeletal injury are ___ in frequency only to ___-___ injuries in trauma.
second ; soft-tissue
What is the greatest single cause of musculoskeletal injuries?
Auto crashes
Why is the musculoskeletal injury process more complicated and resulting in more damage than the disruption of an inert structural element of the body?
GENERAL: Complex arrangement of connective, skeletal, vascular, nervous, and muscular tissue endangered whenever significant kinetic forces are applied to the extremities
- Bone is alive and requires continuous supply of oxygenated circulation.
- Bone lies deep within muscle tissue; major nerves and blood vessels parallel it as they travel to the distal extremity.
- Complex arrangement of ligaments, cartilage, and synovial fluid that holds joints together while allowing movement at points of articulation
What do musculoskeletal injuries usually result from?
Application of significant direct or transmitted blunt kinetic forces
Muscular injury: What causes muscular injuries
Direct blunt/penetrating trauma; overexertion; or problems wih oxygen supply during exertion
Muscular injury: What are the main types of muscular injuries?
- Contustion
- Compartment syndrome
- Penetrating injury
- Muscle fatigue
- Muscle cramp
- Muscle spasm
- Muscle strain
Muscular injury: Generally muscular problems don’t significantly contribute to hypovolemia and shock, with what two exceptions?
(1) Severe contusions with large associated hematomas
(2) Penetrating injuries with extensive hemorrhage
Muscular injury: How is a basic contusion formed?
Crush muscle between a blunt force and the skeletal structure beneath; damages both the muscle cells and blood vessels that supply them; small blood vessels rupture, leaking blood into the interstitial spaces causing pain, erythema, and then ecchymosis
Muscular injury: Capillary beds engorge with blood and fluid shifts to the interstitial space leading to tissue ___.
Edema
Muscular injury: How do large hematomas or significant muscular edemas effect injured limbs?
Increase the diameter of the injured limb especially compared to the other (swelling)
Muscular injury: What is compartment syndrome?
Localized swelling resulting from damaging injury to the soft tissue within the compartment; the swelling increases the pressure within the compartment and reduces capillary blood flow to the muscle and nerve tissues
Reduced capillary flow causes release of histamine (worsens the swelling and pressure)
Building pressure all but stops blood flow; patient will still have distal pulse, capillary refill, and venous return from distal limb
Muscular injury: What is the most common location for compartment syndrome?
Leg but also reported in arm, thigh, and hand injuries
Muscular injury: How will a patient present if they have compartment syndrome?
- Complains of a deep and burning pain that appears out of proportion to the apparent injury
- Pain is not reduced by positioning
- Increase in pain when you (not your patient) move the extremity and stretch the muscles involved
- May report pain when flexing foot
- May report increased distal sensitivity or numbness due to nerve compression and injury
Muscular injury: What might happen with massive wounds involving a large percentage of muscle body or injuring/severing a tendon?
May reduce the distal limb’s strength or render muscular control ineffective
Muscular injury: What are other concerns with penetrating injuries?
- Introduction of infectious agents
- Damage muscle tissue
- Affect muscle’s blood supply
- Poor healing because of resulting infection, ischemia, or cobination
Muscular injury: What is muscle fatigue?
Fatigue is a condition in which a muscle’s ability to respond to stimulation is lost or reduced through overactivity
Muscular injury: What is the muscle environment like with exercise?
- Exercise drains muscle’s oxygen and energy reserves and causes accumulation of metabolic by-products
- Cell environment become hypoxic, toxic, and energy deprived
- Fewer and fewer muscle fibers are able to contract
Muscular injury: What is a muscle cramp?
Cramping is a muscle pain resulting from overactivity, lack of oxygen, and accumulation of waste products; it is not really an injury but more of a spasm of the muscle tissue
Muscular injury: What is muscle spasm?
Spasm is an intermittent or continuous contraction of a muscle
Muscular injury: What is the extreme of muscle spasm?
Rigor mortis - an anoxic, rigid, whole-body muscle spasm that occurs after death
Muscular injury: What is muscle strain?
Strain is an injury resulting from over-stretching of muscle fibers (muscles or tendon)
Muscular injury: How will a patient present with muscle strain?
Site of injury is generally painful to palpitations; pain that limits use of the affected muscle
Joint injury: What do joint injuries include?
Sprains, subluxations, and dislocations
Joint injury: How do sprain injuries present?
- Acute pain at site
- Inflammation and swelling
- Ecchymotic discoloration (occurs over time but not usually during prehospital care)
- Continued used of the joint may lead to complete joint failure
Joint injury: What are three severity grades and criteria?
- Grade I: minor and incomplete tear; ligament is painful and swelling is usually minimal; join stable
- Grade II: significant but incomplete tear; swelling and pain range from moderate to severe; joint is intact but unstable
- Grade III: complete tear of the ligament; sprain may present as a fracture due to sever pain and spasm; joint is unstable
Joint injury: What is subluxation?
It is a partial displacement of a bone end from its position within a joint capsule; occurs as the joint separates under stress, stretching the ligaments
Joint injury: What is a dislocation?
It is a complete displacement of bone ends from their normal joint position; joint fixes in an abnormal position with noticeable deformity
Joint injury: How does a dislocation present?
- Noticeable deformity
- Painful, swollen, and immobile site
Joint injury: What are some dislocation risks?
- Entrapping, compressing, or tearing blood vessels and nerves
- Serious ligament damage
- May involve injury to the joint capsule and articular cartilage
Bone injury: Describe the two types of fracture injuries.
Direct injury - auto bumper impacts patient’s femur
Indirect injury - bike rider thrown over handle-pars and braces all with outstretched upper extremity; energy of impact is transmitted from hand to wrist to forearm to arm to shoulder to clavicle, which ends up fracturing
Bone injury: Why should you analyze the mechanism of injury for bone injuries?
Kinetic forces may be transmitted and cause injury far from point of impact
Bone injury: What are some other injuries suffered if broken bone ends displace?
Further injury to surrounding muscles, tendons, ligaments, veins, and arteries
Bone injury: What are indications of vascular damage?
Restricted blood flow to distal limb, increasing capillary refill time, diminishing pulse strength and limb temperature, and causing discoloration and paresthesia (a “pins-and-needles” sensation)
Bone injury: What are indications of nerve damage?
Distal paresthesia (“pins-and-needles” sensation), anesthesia (loss of sensation), paresis (weakness), and paralysis (loss of muscle control)
Bone injury: What are indications of muscle or tendon damage?
Trouble moving limb; compartment syndrome
Bone injury: What is a closed fracture?
A broken bone in which the bone ends or the forces that caused the fracture do not penetrate the skin
Bone injury: What is an open fracture?
A broken bone in which the bone ends or the forces that caused the fracture penetrated the surrounding skin; can also include instances like a bullet piercing the skin and breaking the bone
Bone injury: What is a hairline fracture?
Small crack in a bone that does not disrupt its total structure
Bone injury: What is an impacted fracture?
Break in a bone in which the bone is compressed on itself
Bone injury: What is a transverse fracture?
A break that runs across a bone perpendicular to the bone’s orienation
Bone injury: What is an oblique fracture?
Break in a bone running across it at an angle other than 90 degress
Bone injury: What is a comminuted fracture?
Fracture in which a bone is broken into several pieces
Bone injury: What is a spiral fracture?
Curving of a break in a bone as may be caused by rotational forces
Bone injury: What isa fatigue fracture?
Break in a bone associated with prolonged or repeated stress
Bone injury: ___ ___ is a very infrequent but serious complication of fracture
Fat embolism
Bone injury: What happens with a fat embolism?
- The bone’s disruption may damage adjacent blood vessels and release fat, stored in a semiliquid form, into the wound site where it enters the venous system and travels to the heart.
- The heart distributes the fat to the pulmonary circulation where it becomes pulmonary emboli
- Usually associated with severe or crush injuries or post-injury manipulation of larger long-bone fractures
Bone injury: What are the two types of pediatric fracture considerations?
-Greenstick fracture, which is a partial fracture of a child’s bone; often complete a greenstick fracture by breaking the bone fully to ensure proper healing
- Epiphyseal fracture, which is a disruption of the epiphyseal plate of child’s bone; epiphyseal growth plates are weak spots in long bones
- —Most commonly find reduction/halt in bone growth condition in the proximal tibia
Bone injury: How does aging affect the musculoskeletal system?
Gradual, progressive decrease in bone mass and collagen restructure beginning about age 40, which results in bones that are less flexible, more brittle, and more easily fractured; heal more slowly
Bone injury: What is a common degenerative bone condition in geriatric patients?
Osteoporosis, which is weakening of bone tissue due to loss of essential minerals, especially calcium; typically affects women more than men
Bone injury: What are pathological fractures?
Fractures resulting from disease pathologies that affect bone development or maintenance
EX: tumors of the bone, periosteum, or articular cartilage
Long bones are smallest through the ___ and largest at the ___ ___ or ___.
diaphysis ; epiphyseal area ; joint
Why is the external extremity diameter greatest surrounding the mid-shaft? Why is this notable?
Due to the placement of skeletal muscle; significant when looking at the potential for nervous or vascular injury
Why are areas around joints further endangered in musculoskeletal injuries?
Because blood vessels supplying the epiphysis enter the long bone through the diaphysis; the distal bone tissue may die without adequate circulation, destroying the joint and its function
What are some complications that can result from long-bone fractures and movement/manipulation?
- Internal trauma
- Increased likelihood of introducing bone fragments or fat emboli into the venous system (causing pulmonary embolism)
- Muscle spasm
What are some conditions that impair the bone repair cycle?
Smoking, infection, poor health, diabetes, and use of NSAIDs and immunosuppressive drugs
Inflammatory/degenerative conditions: What condition is characterized by acute or chronic inflammation of the bursae, the small synovial sacs that reduce friction and cushion ligaments and tendons from trauma?
Bursistis
Inflammatory/degenerative conditions: What are some causes of bursitis?
Repeated trauma, gout, infection, or unknown etiologies
Inflammatory/degenerative conditions: How does a patient with bursitis present?
Localized pain, selling, and tenderness at or near a joint; commonly affected locations include the olecranon (elbow), area just above the patella, and the shoulder
Inflammatory/degenerative conditions: What condition is characterized by inflammation of a tendon and its protective sheath an has presentation similar to bursitis?
Tendonitis
Inflammatory/degenerative conditions: What are common causes of tendonitis?
Repeated trauma to a particular muscle group; usually affects the major tendons of the upper and lower extremity
Inflammatory/degenerative conditions: What condition is the inflammation of a joint, frequently due to damage or destruction of the joint’s cartilage?
Arthritis
Inflammatory/degenerative conditions: What are the three most common types of arthritis?
Osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, and gout
Inflammatory/degenerative conditions: What is the most common type of connective tissue disorder?
Osteoarthritis
Inflammatory/degenerative conditions: How is osteoarthritis characterized?
General degeneration (“wear-and-tear”) of articular cartilage that results in irregular bony overgrowths
Inflammatory/degenerative conditions: What are signs and symptoms of osteoarthritis?
Stiffness, diminished movement in the joints, visible joint enlargement (especially in the fingers); predisposing factors include trauma, obesity, and aging
Inflammatory/degenerative conditions: What condition is a chronic, systemic, progressive, and debilitating disease resulting in deterioration of peripheral joint connective tissue?
Rheumatoid arthritis
Inflammatory/degenerative conditions: How is rheumatoid arthritis characterized?
Inflammation of the synovial joints, which causes immobility, pain, increased pain on movement, and fatigue
Inflammatory/degenerative conditions: Who is more likely to be affected by rheumatoid arthritis?
Women (2-3 times more likely)
Inflammatory/degenerative conditions: What condition is an inflammation in joints and connective tissue produced by an accumulation of uric acid crystals?
Gout
Inflammatory/degenerative conditions: Who is more likely to have gout?
Men because they have higher concentrations of uric acid in the blood
Inflammatory/degenerative conditions: What is uric acid?
A metabolism end-product not easily dissolved
Inflammatory/degenerative conditions: What are the signs and symptoms of gout?
peripheral joint pain, swelling, and possible deformity
Inflammatory/degenerative conditions: What is pseudogout?
A gout-like disease cased by the deposition of a crystalline substance similar to uric acid
Inflammatory/degenerative conditions: What condition is a joint inflammation caused by a tick-introduced infectious agent?
Lyme disease
Inflammatory/degenerative conditions: How will a patient with lyme disease present?
Small red lesions, fever, fatigue, headache, muscle/joint pain; untreated it can lead to arthritis
Injury assessment: How do you perform a pelvic ring stability check?
Direct firm pressure downward then inward on the iliac crests, and then directing gentle downward pressure on the symphysis pubis
Injury assessment: What are the key things to note when doing a pelvic ring stability test?
-If the pressure reveals any instability or crepitus or elicits a response of pain from the patient, suspect pelvic fracture
Injury assessment: What is crepitus, as experienced in a pelvic ring stability check?
Crepitus is a grating sensation felt as bone ends rub against one another; if feel crepitus during check, presume bone injury exists and do not attempt to recreate the sensation
Injury assessment: Failure to ___ an injury properly may lead to additional soft, ___, connective, ___, and nervous tissue damage.
immobilize ; skeletal ; vascular
Injury assessment: When should you suspect compartment syndrome in any patient?
Any patient who has any paraesthesia (especially in the webs between the medial toes or fingers); who has an extremity injury with firm mass o increased skin tension at the injury site; or who has pain out of proportion to the nature of the injury/pain that increases when you move the limb
Injury assessment: What are early indicators of compartment syndrome?
- Feelings of tension within limb
- Loss of distal sensation (especially in webs of fingers or toes)
- Complaints of pain
- Condition more severe than mechanism of injury would indicate
- Pain on passive extension of extremity
- Pulse deficit (late sign)
Physical exam: When are you most likely to perform a physical exam on a patient?
One who is unconscious or lowered level of consciousness
Sport injury: What should you assess when dealing with sport injuries?
- Assess the mechanism of injury
- Determine whether there was a major kinetic force involved, a hyperextension or flexion injury, or a fatigue-type injury
What two fractures contribute significantly to hypovolemia and shock?
Pelvis and (lesser degree) femur
Injury management: What is the general process for musculoskeletal injury management?
Protect open wounds, position the extremity properly, immobilizing the injured extremity, and monitoring neurovascular function in the distal limb
Injury management: When should you consider a fracture/dislocation an open one?
If there is any open wound in close proximity to the fracture or dislocation
Injury management: What is an expected consequence of proper care when protecting the wound?
Attempts to align the limb, the splinting process, or the application of traction will draw protruding bones back into the wound
Injury management: What are the key benefits to positioning the injured limb?
Ensures patient’s comfort; reduce canes of further limb injury; and encourage venous drainage
Injury management: When is limb alignment appropriate for fractures?
For mid-shaft femur, tibia/fibula, humerus, or radius/ulna
Injury management: Stop ___ attempts when you detect any ___ or when the patient reports any significant ___ in pain.
realignment ; resistance ; increase
Injury management: You should not attempt alignment of dislocations/serious injuries within ___ inches of a joint (generally) unless distal circulation is compromised.
3
Injury management: What is the position of function?
Placing the uninjured joints of the limb halfway between flexion and extension; places the least stress on the joint ligaments and muscles/tendons surrounding the injury