Skeletal and Soft Tissue Injuries Flashcards
What is a fracture?
A medical term used to describe any brake in the cortical surface of a bone. A break and a fracture are the same thing.
What are the different types of fractures?
→ Closed fracture
○ A brake with no penetration through the skin. This is the simplest type
→ Open fracture
○ Penetration of the bone though the skin. They have a great increased chance of infection to both the wound and the bone
→ Complicated fracture
Any fracture that has caused additional complications to organs
What are the signs and symptoms of fractures?
→ A loud snap or crack hear by yourself or casualty
→ Obvious deformity
→ Shortening of the injured limb
→ Loss of movement, extrema pain on touching the injured area or when attempting to move
→ Unable to put weight on an injured leg
Swelling
How to manage a fracture?
- Immobilisation support and elevation of the injured part
- Assessing and treating the casualty’s condition
- Obtaining a prompt medical opinion for diagnosis and further treatment
→ If limb appears numb, pale, blue this could signify damage to the blood supply
What is a dislocation?
When the bones of the joint are being displaced from their normal position. As the bones move out of position the attached ligaments are also overstretched and hence a strain can also commonly accompany a dislocation
What are the signs and symptoms of dislocation?
→ Strain
→ Deformity
→ Swelling of a joint
→ Loss of power and movement
How to manage a dislocation?
→ Sit the casualty down and make them comfortable
→ Support the limb in a comfortable position
→ Ice packs can be applied to the area to help reduce swelling
See medical assistance immediately. The longer the joint is out of place the more significant the injury will be to the blood vessels and nerves
What’s a sprain?
It involves over extension of the joint usually with partial rupture of the ligaments. There may also be blood vessel, nerve and tendon damage
What’s a Strain
Involves over stretching of major muscles of the limb, muscles are attached to bones by tendons which tear if a muscle is forced to stretch excessively
A pop may be heard and a discernible deformity to the muscle area may be visible
What is the treatment for sprain and strain?
→ Rest - resting the injured part will encourage healing and prevent further injury
→ Ice- apply for 20min max at a time remove for 2 hours don’t apply ice directly to skin
→ Compression- a crepe bandage should be applied moderately tight to help reduce the swelling
→ Elevation- help reduce swelling to make It difficult for blood to rush to injured area and to drain fluid away.
→ Referral- refer them to professional medical adviser
What is a bruise?
Skin discolouration result from breakage of tiny blood vessels leaking close under the skin. The blood then collects near the surface of the skin appearing as a black, blue mark
Treatment. for bruise?
→ Rest
ICE
what does ice stand for
ice, compression, elevate