Orthopaedics Flashcards
Drugs that increase risk of tendon problems?
Quinolones (e.g. ciprofloxacin)
Imaging of choice for achilles ruptures?
Ultrasound
What is a risk factor for tendon xanthoma?
Hypercholestolaemia
How might a patient describe an achilles tendon rupture?
Pop in the back of the foot
What is Simmond’s triad?
A triad of signs that one gets with achilles rupture.
Lie the patient down with their feet off the bed.
There will be more dorsiflexion in the ruptured foot
A gap in the tendon on ruptured foot
Squeezing the calf won’t move the foot in the ruptured leg
Adhesive capsulitis symptoms
Frozen shoulder causes a stiff and painful shoulder
External/internal rotation of the arm is difficult, so is abduction
Often in non-dominant hand
Risk factors for adhesive capsulitis
Female gender
Diabetes
Adhesive capsulitis treatment
NSAIDs
Physio
Intra-articular corticosteroid injections
Oral corticosteroids
What causes carpal tunnel syndrome
Compression of the median nerve
Symptoms of carpal tunnel
Numbness, weakness, pins and needles (in the thumb, index and middle finger)
Shaking hand relieves pain
What is tinel’s sign?
Tap on the median nerve, causes paraesthesia in carpal tunnel
What is phalen’s sign?
Flex wrists together and it reproduces symptoms of carpal tunnel
Treatment options for carpal tunnel?
Wrist splint, corticosteroid injection, surgical decompression, pain relief
What is lumbar spinal stenosis?
A narrowing of the spinal cord
What causes lumbar spinal stenosis?
Tumours
Degenerative changes
Vertebral disc prolapse
What are the symptoms of lumbar spinal stenosis?
Claudication like symptoms
Neuropathic pain
Back pain
What relieves symptoms in lumbar spinal stenosis?
Positional changes, e.g. walking up a hill, riding a bike and sitting all help reduce the symptoms
Lumbar spinal stenosis treatment
Laminectomy
What is osteomyelitis?
Infection of the bone
What is the most common causative organism of osteomyelitis?
Staph. aureus
Salmonella if the patient has sickle-cell anaemia
What increases osteomyelitis risk?
DM Sickle cell anaemia IVDU Immunosuppression Alcohol excess
How do we treat osteomyelitis?
Flucloxacillin (6 weeks)
Clindamycin if pen allergic
Where is osteomyelitis most commonly found?
Epiphysis in adults
Metaphysis in children
(due to changing blood supply)
What is compartment syndrome?
Raised pressure within a closed anatomical space (compartment)
Features of compartment syndrome?
Pain - especially on movement (even passive) Parasthesiae Pallor Paralysis of muscle group Pulseless
Can you have a pulse in compartment syndrome?
Yes
How to diagnose compartment syndrome?
Intracompartmental pressure measurements
Above 20mmHg is abnormal
Above 40mmHg is diagnostic
Treatment of compartment syndrome
Prompt and extensive fasciotomies (death of muscle group can occur within 4-6 hours)
What nerve is most likely damaged during TKA?
Common peroneal nerve
Damage to which nerves causes foot drop?
Sciatic and common peroneal nerve
Which muscle dorsiflexes the foot?
Tibialis anterior and extensor hallucis longus
What muscle plantar flexes the foot?
Tibialis posterior
What movements does extensor hallucis longus control?
Extension of the big toe and dorsiflexion of the foot
What is De Quervain’s tenosynovitis?
A common conditiion in which the sheath containing the extensor pollicis brevis and abductor pollicis longus tendons is inflamed
What are the features of De Quervain’s tenosynovitis?
Pain on radial side of the wrist
Tenderness over radial styloid process
Abduction of the thumb against resistance is painful
How do you manage De Quervain’s tenosynovitis?
Analgesia
Steroid injection
Immobilisation with a thumb splint (spica)
Surgical
What is Finkelstein’s test?
Examiner pulls the thumb of patient in ulnar deviation. A positive test will cause pain over the radial styloid process and along the length of extensor pollisis brevis and abductor pollicis longus
Lateral epicondylitis features
Otherwise known as tenniis elbow:
Pain/tenderness
Pain worse on wrist extension against resistance (Cozen’s test)
Management of lateral epicondylitis?
Avoid muscle overload
Simple analgesia
Steroid injectiion
Physiotherapy
How do we manage osteoporosis?
Vitamin D and calcium supplementation
Bisphosphonates: Alendronate
Risedronate (if patients can’t tolerate alendronate due to upper GI problems [usually])
Strontium ranelate/raloxifene/denosumab if patient can’t tolerate bisphosphonates
What are the 3 main types of cell in bone?
Osteoblasts (builders of bone)
Osteoclasts (resorb bone)
Osteocytes (mature, inactive osteoblasts)
Which vitamin is fat soluble?
Vitamin D
What is the active component of vitamin D?
1,25-dihydroxy-D3
It is formed from hepatic and renal hydroxylation
What are the two effects of 1,25-dihydroxy-D3?
Gut: increase calcium absorption
Bone: increase mineralisation and resorption
What does parathyroid hormone do?
Increase plasma calcium
Lowers plasma phosphate
Where does PTH act?
Gut: increases calcium absorption
Bone: Increases osteoclastic resorption of bone
Renal: Increase calcium reabsorption and phosphate excretion
What is osteoporosis?
Systemic skeletal disease in which one has low bone mass and deterioration of bone tissue, increasing likelihood of fracture
Risk factors for osteoporosis?
Maternal family history of hip fracture
Oestrogen deficiency
Corticosteroid therapy
Low BMI <19
How do we diagnose osteoporosis?
DEXA scan
What are the Z and T scores in DEXA scans?
These tell you the relative bone mineral densities
T score is compared with young mean
Z score is compared with someone of your age and gender