Bone Fragments

A Trochanteric Fracture of the Hip

Trochanteric fractures of the femur or thigh bone are not common injuries. The trochanters can be fractured in isolation or as part of another type of hip fracture. Patients may develop hip or thigh pain with or without a known trauma causing the...

Types of Scaphoid Bone Fractures

The scaphoid is a bone in the wrist that is the most frequently fractured of the carpal bones. Due to the anatomy of the blood supply to the bone, a fracture is capable of disrupting blood supply, resulting in necrosis or death of the bone....

What Happens If a Comminuted Wrist Fracture Does Not Heal?

The wrist is composed of eight small bones in the hand and the ends of the two bones of the forearm, the radius and the ulna. The bones are held in place by ligaments to form the joint at the wrist. In a wrist fracture, any of the bones may be...

What Are the Treatments for a Fractured Wrist?

Wrist fractures--more specifically, distal radius fractures--occur when the distal end of the radius, or the end closest to the wrist, is subjected to forces typically from a fall onto the outstretched hand and wrist. Data from the National...

Common Injuries of the Skeletal System

There are 206 bones in the human body. They come in many shapes in sizes, molded generation after generation to articulate with one another providing support for the body. Bone is composed of hard dense tissue, blood vessels, and nerves. Bones...

What Are the Treatments for a Broken Shoulder?

Patients may find the standard treatment for a broken shoulder more focused on passive remedies, such as pain relief, than on active surgical repair. That's because the majority of clavicle, or collarbone, fractures involve clean breaks that can...

Causes of Ulnar Nerve Damage

The ulnar nerve is a long nerve in the arm that runs from the armpit into the fourth and fifth fingers. Ulnar nerve damage results in a neuropathy, which causes pain, numbness, tingling and burning along the inside of the arm and in the fourth and...

How to Cook Grouse Breasts

Grouse are a midsized game bird, with adult specimens as large as 1 to 1 1/2 pounds. Hunters appreciate them because their habit of bursting from cover almost underfoot makes them difficult to shoot, and they are much loved for their culinary...

4 Ways to Detect Bone Metastases

If you've already been diagnosed with a primary form of cancer, your doctor has likely already told you about the chance of the disease spreading to adjacent tissues, a process known as metastasis. Bone metastases are relatively common occurrences...

Treatment for Ankle Fractures

Ankle fractures are a common orthopedic problem. Assessing the instability of the ankle fragments helps guide management of the fracture. Not all fractures require surgery, but sometimes surgery is preferred to improve outcomes. Initial fracture...

About Charcot Foot

Charcot joint--neurogenic arthropathy--is a condition that occurs when nerve injury leads to destruction of a joint. There is bilateral involvement in between 9 percent and 35 percent of cases according to the "AAOS Comprehensive Orthopaedic...

Disorders of the Humerus Bone

This humerus is the upper arm bone. It forms the shoulder joint along with the shoulder blade, and forms the elbow joint with the radius and ulna, the forearm bones. Most disorders of the humerus occur mainly during the years of bone growth, a...

Baseball Pitching and Elbow Pain

The elbow is the joint where the upper arm bone, known as the humerus, meets the two bones of the lower arm, known as the ulna and radius. A combination of hinge and pivot joints, the hinge allows the arm to bend like a door while the pivot lets...

Signs & Symptoms of Pinched Nerves in the Arm & Neck

A pinched nerve occurs when the nerve is compressed in some way. A piece of disc in your back or neck pressing on the nerve, a narrowing of the spine associated with either age or arthritis, or an injury that allows soft tissue to interfere with...

Baseball Elbow Injuries

According to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, or AAOS, it's common for doctors to treat increased numbers of baseball players each spring as baseball season begins. Along with shoulder injuries, elbow problems are one of the most...

What Are the Different Kinds of Bone Fractures?

A break of a bone of any type is considered a bone fracture. The average person has two bone fractures in their life. The most common cause for bone fractures is traumatic injury; however, osteoporosis or bone tumors also cause bones to break. The...

5 Ways to Treat an Open Head Injury

Head injuries are dangerous and can be life-threatening. There are two types of head injuries: open (skin ripped open) or closed (no skin broken). Bleeding, skull fractures and injury severe enough to show the tissue of the brain are all "open...

Ankle Fracture Causes

A fractured or broken ankle involves breaking one or more of the three bones that make up the ankle. According to the Mayo Clinic, the severity of the fracture can range from a small crack to a shattering break that can pierce the skin....

5 Things You Need to Know About Snowboarder's Ankle

Along with the growing popularity of snowboarding comes an injury rarely if ever seen outside of a ski resort: snowboarder's ankle. Known medically as lateral talus fracture, snowboarder's ankle is the fracture of the talus bone, found at the...

What are the Contraindications of Kyphoplasty?

Kyphoplasty is a procedure used to relieve pain associated with a compression fracture of a spine bone, or vertebra. With vertebral compression fractures, the bone collapses on itself. Kyphoplasty uses a balloon-like device to create a cavity...

Broken Wrist Complications

The human wrist is a complex joint that must move in many directions to accomplish both gross, or large, motions as well as fine activities. Because of the complexity of the joint, complications from a broken wrist can result in functional...

What Causes Arthritis in the Fingers?

When the joints in your fingers begin to hurt, it can limit your daily activities. According to the Hand University, in Colorado Springs, Colorado, arthritis is characterized by redness, swelling and pain in the joints, caused by inflammation....

Skeletal System Disorders & Injuries

The diversity of the functions of the 206 skeletal system bones includes support for bodily movement, protection of vital organs and production of blood cells in the marrow of some bones. From the femur, the longest bone, to the smallest bone in...

Causes of Arm Pain

The arm contains 72 muscles, which accounts for its wide range of complex movements. Pain and injuries of the arm bones, muscles, tendons and ligaments are common in sports and the construction industry. When certain groups of muscles are used to...

Cervical Spine Surgery Complications

The cervical spine or neck bones consist of seven cervical vertebrae with eight pairs of cervical nerves. These nerves control the neck, arms and upper body. Cervical vertebrae are subject to trauma, degenerative disease, and fractures. When...

Is Physical Therapy Needed to Fix a Broken Ankle?

Ankle fractures are common injuries that can sideline you for several months. Minor breaks can usually be treated non-surgically, while severe fractures may require an operation. Regardless of the treatment, physical therapy is needed following an...

Calcaneus Fractures From Mountain Climbing

Mountain climbers can experience a number of stress fractures during their climbing activities, including a calcaneus fracture. The calcaneus is also known as the heel bone. For some, a calcaneus fracture can be debilitating and extremely painful....

How Long After a Broken Arm For Weightlifting?

Arm fractures are common injuries that can sideline a weightlifter for some time. There are several types of possible fractures that dictate your treatment and your recovery time line, but if treated and rehabilitated properly, you should be able...

Broken Wrist Health Video (Video)

Wrist injuries usually occur with an outstretched hand. Learn how to diagnose and treat a wrist fracture in this medical video.

Patella Fracture Health Video (Video)

A PCL tear occurs when someone falls on the front of the knee. Learn how to diagnose and treat a PCL tear in this medical video.

Bone Spurs Health Video (Video)

Bone spurs, also called osteophytes, are bony projections that develop along the edges of bones. The bone spurs themselves aren't painful, but they can rub against nearby nerves and bones and cause pain. Learn about the different causes, symptoms,...