Musculoskeletal System Quiz

Musculoskeletal System

• Fractures:
  • Trauma-related fractures (stress, osteoporosis, infection)
  • Stress fractures are small cracks in bones, often caused by repetitive stress and overuse in runners and dancers.
  • Greenstick fractures are common in children, where the bone bends but does not completely break.
  • Types include transverse, oblique, displaced, greenstick, and comminuted.
  • Symptoms can include swelling, pain, loss of function, deformity, crepitus, and bruising.
• Dislocations and Subluxations:
  • Dislocations involve complete disruption of a joint; subluxations involve partial dislocation followed by relocation.
  • Causes include developing joints (looser ligaments), trauma, muscular imbalances, and exercise-related issues.
  • Symptoms may include joint instability or incongruities in joint surfaces
• Treatment of Fractures and Dislocations: Immobilization (rest, ice, compression, elevation) and ideally realignment of the bones/joint (closed reduction), or surgery (open reduction).
• Bone Healing:
  • Bone healing stages include hematoma formation, soft callus formation, hard callus formation, and bone remodeling.
  • Healing typically takes 4-8 weeks, but factors such as health and osteoporosis may affect healing time.
  • Direct healing-bone cortices are in contact with each other

Soft Tissue Injury

• Strain:
  • Tears or stretches in muscles or tendons.
  • Common in upper arm, legs, ankles, and heels.
• Sprain:
  • Tears or damage to ligaments.
  • Common in wrists, ankles, and knees.
  • 3 degrees of injury range from stretched ligaments to complete tears.
• Rhabdomyolysis: Rapid breakdown of muscle tissue, release of intracellular content into the bloodstream.
  • Causes include trauma, medication (antihistamine and salicylates), and excessive muscle contraction
  • A serious complication that can lead to kidney failure (myoglobin precipitates in the tubules).

Compartment Syndrome

• Compartment Syndrome:
  • Occurs when increased pressure within a compartment (muscle, blood vessels, and nerves) inhibits blood flow.
  • Common causes include trauma (fractures, burns, or crush injuries), tight casts, or bandages
  • Symptoms include pain, pallor, paresthesia, pressure, and pulselessness (6 P's).
  • Treatment is urgent and may include fasciotomy (surgical incision to relieve pressure).

Osteoporosis

• Osteoporosis: chronic disease characterized by a decrease in bone density increasing risk of fractures.
• Causes include old bone resorption faster than new bone generation. This generally occurs in the primary form osteoporosis, but it is linked to hormone imbalances and secondary conditions
• Secondary causes include post-menopausal, parathyroid hormone and cortisol imbalances.
• Diagnosed with bone mineral density (BMD) measurement using X-ray.
• Risk factors include age, female gender, lack of physical activity, or certain medications (hormone replacement or corticosteroids).

Paget's Disease

• Paget's Disease:
  • Characterized by localized abnormal and excessive bone remodeling (bone regeneration)
  • Resulting in abnormal bone structure, and potential increase in bone fragility, and pain.

Osteomyelitis

• Osteomyelitis:
  • Infection of the bone, often caused by bacteria (staph aureus).
  • Formation of biofilms, inflammatory response, and necrosis in surrounding tissue.
  • Signs and symptoms (pain and swelling) will be localized to the infected area.

Osteoarthritis

• Osteoarthritis: wear and tear of joints overtime.
• Mechanism Articular cartilage breaks down, leading to bone spurs and joint stiffness. Joint inflammation and reduced mobility.
• Symptoms Pain, stiffness, swelling, reduced range of motion in affected joints.

Rheumatoid Arthritis

• Rheumatoid Arthritis:
  • Autoimmune disease causing inflammation in joints.
  • Affects synovial membrane first
  • Inflammation often symmetrical and chronic
  • Symptoms include joint pain, stiffness, swelling, and potential fatigue/fever.
• Treatment: focus on pain reduction, mobility maintenance, and prevention of further complications

Gout

• Gout:
  • Type of arthritis causing inflammation in joints due to high uric acid levels.
  • Deposition of urate crystals in the joints.
  • Common causes include overproduction of uric acid or underexcretion by kidneys
• Symptoms Pain, redness, swelling, and inflammation.

Fibromyalgia

• Fibromyalgia:
  • Chronic pain syndrome characterized by generalized pain, fatigue, and sleep disturbances.
• Mechanism Abnormally low serotonin levels leading to increased pain signals to the brain.
• Symptoms Chronic pain, fatigue, cognitive dysfunction, sleep disturbances

Disuse Atrophy

• Cause: Muscle wasting due to inactivity, often caused by injury, disease, surgery, or immobilization.
• Symptoms: Weakness and reduction in muscle size affecting movement.
• Treatment: Regular activity, and stretching to minimize muscle loss, and potential compensatory exercises.