Trauma To Muscles And Bones

Question 1

Describe anatomy of musculoskeletal system

Answer 1

Gives the body it’s shape, supports and protects internal organs, provides for body movement, stabilizes joints, maintains posture, produces body heat
Skeletal system: protects vital organs, Skull protects brain, rib cage protects the heart and lungs. Divided into appendicular and axial
Muscular system: over 600 muscles, but does the fibers that expand and contract, helps produce heat and maintain posture. Three parts: Origin, insertion, body

Question 2

List the major bones or bone groupings of spinal column, throat, and upper and lower extremities

Answer 2

Spinal column: seven cervical vertebrae, 12 thoracic vertebrae, five lumbar, five fused vertebrae to form the sacrum, 3-4 in tailbone
Thorax: 12 thoracic vertebrae, 12 sets of ribs and the breastbone
Upper extremities: shoulder girdle, arms, forearms and hands
Lower extremities: pelvis, upper and lower legs and feet

Question 3

Discuss orthopedic trauma caused by direct and indirect forces

Answer 3

Direct: causes injury at point of impact such as a punch in the face
Indirect: cause injury at site other than the point of impact, like falling on your hand and it traveling up the arm and fracturing your elbow or clavicle bone

Question 4

Differentiate between open and closed orthopedic injuries

Answer 4

Open: skin is broken, bone may protrude through wound or may pole back inside of the body. Serious blood loss can occur and there is an increased risk of infection
Closed: skin surface is not broken

Question 5

Define and discuss fractures and dislocations

Answer 5

Fracture: break in a bone, can be a chip, crack or splinter. A greenstick fracture is when a bone cracks on one side, for a child, and injury to a growth plate is considered a fracture. Open fracture is when the bone sticks out. Suspected fracture should be immobilize
Dislocation: occurs when bones forced from its normal position in a joint. Result in temporary deformity of the affected joints and loss of limb function. Immediate swelling tenderness and pain. Could be caused by Effel

Question 6

Differentiate between sprains and strains

Answer 6

Sprain: stretching or tearing of the ligament. Can be mild, moderate or severe. Pain and bruising is prevalent, loosens joint and makes it nonfunctional
Strain: twisting calling or tearing of a muscle. More common, occurs when a muscle is stretched beyond its limit. You can enter pain with movement, and limited ability to bear weight

Question 7

Discuss assessment findings and symptoms associated with musculoskeletal injuries

Answer 7

Swelling, pain and tenderness, deformity, crepitation, exposed bone ends, bleeding and bruising, loss of pulse or sensation below injury site

Question 8

List the six p’s of musculoskeletal injury assessment

Answer 8

Pain or tenderness
Pallor (skin appearance)
Paristhesia
Pulses
Paralysis
Pressure

Question 9

Emergency medical care for a patient with orthopedic trauma

Answer 9

Appropriate PPE, if spinal injury use in-line stabilization. If not position of comfort. Establish and maintain an open airway, give or two, apply cold pack to area to reduce swelling, after 48 hours use heat. Cover open wounds with sterile dressing. Splint any bone or bone injury. You need to manually stabilize the injured bone. Pad a splint before applying. Most strains and sprains here with rest, ice, and elevation. Ice for 20 minutes and remove for 40

Question 10

Define splint and state reason for splinting

Answer 10

Splint: a device used to immobilize a body part to prevent pain and further injury
Reasons: to limit motion by injured extremity, to lessen damage of muscles nerves or blood vessels, to help prevent a closed injury to an open injury, to lessen restriction of blood flow caused by bone ends, to reduce bleeding caused by tissue damage, to reduce pain and to reduce paralysis risk

Question 11

Hazards of improper splinting

Answer 11

Compression of nerves, tissues or blood vessels, a delay in transport for critical condition patient, distal circulation reduced from splint compression, aggravation of injury, aggravation of tissue nerve vessel or muscle damage from excessive movement

Question 12

List general rules of splinting

Answer 12

Remove or cut clothing to reveal injury
Cover open wounds with sterile dressing
Pad splint before application, splint the area above and below the injury
Before splinting hand or foot, place it in position of function unless it is already in an abnormal position
Pad hollow areas between splint and extremities
Do not intentionally replace protruding wounds
Avoid excessive movement
Avoid placing ties or straps directly over injury
When in doubt, splint it

Question 13

Discuss types of splints and when they would be used

Answer 13

Rigid splints: made of hard material, useful for middle injuries of a bone. Semi rigid splints: are for more flexible immobilizing joint injuries.
Soft splints: flexible and used to immobilize injuries of the lower leg or forearm, could be a pillow and towel
Traction splints: device used to immobilize midshaft section of femur, maintains steady pull on femur
Pneumatic splints: requires air to be pumped in and out of it, placed around injured area and inflated if injury to the abdomen or pelvis

Question 14

List warnings if a splint is too tight

Answer 14

Patients fingers or toes become cold to touch, fingers or toes turn pale or blue, patient experiences increased pain, patients unable to move fingers or toes, patient experiences increased swelling below splint, patient complains of burning or stinging