Bad to the Bone
This chronic disease causes bones to become weak, thin, and easily broken.
What is osteoporosis?
You must check these five sensory and motor items distal to a cast every shift.
What are the 5 Ps (pain, pallor, pulselessness, paresthesia, and paralysis)?
This over-the-counter medication relieves mild musculoskeletal pain but does not reduce inflammation.
What is acetaminophen (Tylenol)?
This visible sign of a fracture occurs when the bone breaks through the skin.
What is an open (compound) fracture?
The medical prefix meaning "bone."
What is "osteo-"?
This autoimmune condition causes painful inflammation and joint deformity, usually starting in the small joints of the hands.
What is rheumatoid arthritis?
This action helps reduce early swelling in a newly fractured extremity
What is elevating the extremity above the heart?
NSAIDs like ibuprofen reduce pain and target this underlying process
What is inflammation?
This abnormal sound or feeling of bones rubbing together is a key fracture finding.
What is crepitus?
The surgical term for the repair or fixing of a fracture.
What is reduction (or internal fixation)?
Known as "wear and tear" arthritis, this condition involves the breakdown of joint cartilage.
What is osteoarthritis?
This type of mechanical traction uses pins, wires, or tongs surgically inserted into the bone.
What is skeletal traction?
This powerful class of prescription drugs is used for severe acute fracture pain.
What are opioids (e.g., morphine, hydromorphone)?
A limb that appears shorter or twisted out of normal alignment shows this.
What is deformity?
The medical term for bone pain.
What is osteodynia (or ostalgia)?
This metabolic bone disease causes soft, weak bones due to a severe lack of Vitamin D.
What is osteomalacia (or rickets in children)?
Nurses must never do this to the hanging weights used in skeletal traction.
What is let them touch the floor or rest on the bed?
This medication class (like cyclobenzaprine) is given to treat painful muscle spasms around a break.
What are skeletal muscle relaxants?
Loss of active movement in a limb past the fracture site indicates this type of deficit.
What is a motor function deficit (paralysis/weakness)?
The medical term meaning inflammation of bone and bone marrow.
What is osteomyelitis?
This genetic bone disorder is also known as brittle bone disease.
What is osteogenesis imperfecta?
This severe, painful complication from increased pressure inside a muscle compartment requires immediate fasciotomy notification.
What is compartment syndrome?
Patients on long-term corticosteroid therapy for bone inflammation are at high risk for this disease.
What is osteoporosis?
The absence of a pulse distal to a fracture site points to this emergency.
What is arterial occlusion or compartment syndrome?
The term for a bone fracture that goes all the way through the bone, breaking it into two or more pieces.
Response: What is a complete fracture?