Splints are used to immobilize broken bones, also called fractures, and for severe sprains. According to "Sheehy's Emergency Nursing Principles and Practice," the splint helps to minimize further damage or complications secondary to bone fragments...
Splints are used to immobilize an extremity that has been injured. The injury can be a broken bone or a severe sprain. Splinting provides stabilization of the injury, some amount of pain relief and prevention of further injury. Splints are often...
The University of South Florida reports that 3.5 million children under the age of 15 are treated in the United States each year for sports injuries. USF reports that more than half of these injuries occur at practice, so parents and coaches...
A ligament is a thick fibrous band of tissue that connects two bones together in a joint. Ligaments add stability to a joint and keep it intact. A sprain is the stretching or tearing of a ligament. According to the American Academy of Orthopedic...
The ankles and feet bear the weight of the body on a limited amount of surface area, creating high levels of pressure on these structures. Although the feet and ankles are remarkably sturdy and durable, their function makes them susceptible to...
Your legs have to absorb the impact stress of about 1,500 steps per mile. The bones, tendons and ligaments of your feet, ankles, knees and hips work together to disperse this stress throughout as much of the lower body as possible. Nevertheless,...
Although basketball is theoretically a noncontact sport, it's nevertheless an activity that's fertile ground for many kinds of sports-related injuries. Even when played at a casual level, basketball's emphasis on running and jumping applies...
An ankle sprain occurs when the joint twists or extends beyond its normal limits of flexibility, causing stretching or tearing of the fibrous ligaments that hold the anklebones together. The three degrees of ankle sprains reflect the severity of...
Ankle sprains are one of the most common musculoskeletal injuries, experienced by about 25,000 people each day. An ankle sprain usually happens during physical activities, but it can occur simply when you step unexpectedly on an uneven surface. An...
Ankle problems are common among long-distance runners. Many factors raise the risk of ankle problems, including overpronating, running on worn-out shoes, failing to warm up properly, adding too much distance too quickly and running on uneven...
The ankle injury, particularly an ankle sprain, is common for ballet dancers. The dancer can tell immediately by the sudden, intense pain felt in the ankle. The sprains are graded I, II or III status depending on the severity. With all three...
Arthritis or injuries can cause tendonitis of the foot, restricting mobility and, in some cases, incapacitating patients. Treatments for foot tendonitis, however, do not include extensive bed rest. A short period of rest and using some pain relief...
When you are called to help an injured equestrian rider, you must make your initial assessment in order to do the most good and avoid creating additional injuries. Your general impression of the situation will determine right away what type of...
Pursed lip breathing, or PLB -- exhaling through tightly pressed, pursed lips -- is an instinctive response by some people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, commonly called COPD, simply because it makes breathing easier. Doctors and...
Finger splints are sometimes used to hold a finger in place to keep it from moving, such as when a finger is sprained or broken. They can also be used to increase the range of motion of a finger that has contracted into a bent position and needs...
Heel ulcers are basically pressure sores. They often result from constant pressure to areas of the body where the bone is near the skin such as the heel. The weight of the bone against the skin can reduce the blood supply along the compression...
If your knee hurts a little for a few days, don't worry but do treat it right. Overuse and acute injuries can crop up in any runner's life. When pain is severe, swelling obvious, tenderness very focused or any symptom persists, it's time to...
Your leg contains four bones, the femur, the patella, the tibia and the fibula. Each of these bones has a particular function in leg movement. The femur is the thigh bone and is the longest and strongest of all the leg bones. The patella is the...
Pursed lip breathing, called PLB, is a mainstay for people living with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD. Exhalation looks almost like a kiss. Physicians at Ohio State University describe it like whistling or playing a flute. Exhaled...
