Secondary Two Topic: Bones and Joints Sub Topic: Bone Related Injuries
Jul 16, 2015
• Students will be able to:
• identify the common injuries related to
bone;
• understand what to do when
encountering bone related injuries;
• understand the healing and recovery
process for bone related injuries.
Bone Injury
Bone injury happens when the bone is
subjected to stress
◦ Sudden stress
Please look away if you think you are not able
to take the scenes!
◦ Long term stress (overuse)
Eg. Meniscus wear and tear as mentioned in
previous topic
Direct Bone and Bone Related
Injuries1. When injuries occur, the impact can
be either directly affecting the bone,
for example:
◦ Bone fracture
◦ Cartilage wear and tear
Direct Bone and Bone Related
Injuries2. There are times when the injury
takes place at sites around the bone
◦ eg. Ligament injuries, joint injuries
Direct Bone Injuries
Direct bone injuries come generally in
2 forms
◦ Bone fracture
◦ Cartilage damage
Bone Fracture
Question:
◦ What is the difference between a broken
bone and bone fracture?
Broken bone or bone fracture?
Ans.: It is both a bone
fracture and a broken bone.
Bone Fracture vs. Broken
Bone Scientific term vs. layman term
But bone fracture can be further
divided into a few different categories:
◦ Closed fracture
◦ Open fracture
Closed Fracture
Closed fracture of a bone refers to the
bone being “cracked”, but the skin not
being damaged
Usually observed via the “distorted
shape”
Closed Fracture – Hairline Crack
Also known as stressed fracture
◦ Mildest form of closed fracture
◦ Pain intensity can be ranging from a lot or
pain only upon exertion
Open Fracture
Also known as compound fracture
Results in the “broken bone”
protruding out of the skin
Bone Related Injuries
Referring to injuries inflicted to area
surrounding the bone
◦ eg. Ligament, muscles (covered in next
chapter), meniscus
Ligament Injuries
Have you heard of…
◦ ACL tear?
◦ MCL tear?
◦ PCL tear?
What are these things that seemed to
be torn so easily?
Ligament Injuries
More commonly occur to ligaments
found at the lower limb
◦ Main bulk of the body’s weight is
supported by the leg
◦ Higher chance of the ligaments subjected
to overstrain, thus leading to a tear
Common Ligament Injuries
ACL / PCL / MCL / LCL
◦ Anterior / Posterior / Medial / Lateral
Cruciate Ligament
Sprains
Not all ligament injuries “must be torn”
If the joint is subjected to a sudden
twist / stress leading to the ligament
being stretched, it will result in a
sprain
Dislocation
Sometimes if the ligament got pulled
too hard coupled with a violent twist, it
may result in dislocation
Common dislocation takes place at
the shoulder when it is rotated too
hard into an “odd angle”
Torn Cartilage
Cartilage is the “padding” that absorbs
the impact at the end of the bone
One example is the meniscus found at
the knee joint
◦ May tear when the joint is twisted violently
◦ The joint may “lock” and not straighten
fully for some time
If you are the injured person
Where possible, DO NOT move
◦ Reduce possibility of further aggravation
of injury
Call for help
But if you in such a position…
You will move yourself in order not to
be subjected to further life threatening
danger
◦ Fire
◦ On the road
◦ Alone in a deserted area
If you are the witness…
Check on the injured person
◦ If help is rendered
◦ If ambulance had been called
◦ Check if he needs any assistance
Do not move the person unless he is
in a more dangerous position
Find ice pack
Recovery
Bone fractures
◦ The recovery is a natural process
◦ Need to rest and avoid excessive
movements
Ligaments
◦ http://www.physioroom.com/injuries/suppl
ements/ligaments2.php
R.I.C.E.
A recommended way to help in
recovery for soft tissues (i.e. ligaments
and muscles)
◦ R – Rest
◦ I – Ice
◦ C – Compression
◦ E – Elevation
R.I.C.E.
R – Rest◦ Rest is the most important thing one
should follow when injured
◦ Prevents further aggravation of injury
◦ Helps body to recover faster
I – Ice◦ Put an ice pack on the swollen area
◦ Leave it on for about 15 min
◦ Remove to allow area to re-warm (~10 min)
◦ Re-apply ice pack
R.I.C.E.
C – Compression
◦ Bandage the swollen area firmly (NOT
tightly)
◦ Reduce swelling
Leads to better blood circulation for faster
recovery
E – Elevation
◦ Raise injured area above heart level
◦ Helps in “returning blood” to heart faster
◦ Reduce swelling
R.I.C.E.
R.I.C.E. is also applicable to bleeding
Ice pack coupled with raising of
injured area helps in reducing blood
loss