Degenerative Bone Disorders
This condition involves breakdown of articular cartilage and formation of osteophytes.This type of arthritis is characterized by pain upon waking that typically improves after about 30 minutes of activity.
What is osteoarthritis?
This serious musculoskeletal condition may arise from bloodstream infection, surgery, or vascular insufficiency. It often presents with elevated ESR, leukocytosis, and imaging changes on MRI or bone scan. If untreated, it can progress to chronic disease with abscess formation and necrotic bone requiring long‑term antibiotics and surgical debridement.
What is osteomyelitis?
This acronym describes the initial management of soft tissue injuries.
What is RICE (Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation)?
This lifestyle modification is one of the most effective non‑pharmacologic strategies for reducing OA symptoms in overweight patients.
What is weight loss?
A fracture that has several disruptions producing shattered bone fragments within the fracture site.
What is a comminuted fracture?
A patient with osteoarthritis reports increased knee pain after gardening for several hours. The nurse reinforces this key self‑management strategy to reduce joint stress.
What is alternating activity with rest?
These bony growths are found at the distal interphalangeal joints in osteoarthritis.
What are Heberden’s nodes?
This bacteria is responsible for over 50% of osteomyelitis cases.
What is Staphylococcus aureus?
This assessment must be performed frequently after a fracture to detect neurovascular compromise.
What is the 5 Ps (pain, pallor, pulselessness, paresthesia, paralysis)?
After hip arthroplasty, this nursing priority prevents dislocation by maintaining proper alignment.
What is correct positioning (e.g., avoiding hip flexion >90°)?
These fibrous tissues connect muscles to bones, enabling movement by transmitting the force generated by muscle contractions.
What are tendons?
A patient taking NSAIDs for osteoarthritis reports stomach pain and dark stools. The nurse recognizes this as a sign of this complication.
What is gastrointestinal bleeding?
This symptom of osteoarthritis is brief in the morning and relieved by rest.
What is stiffness?
This imaging modality is used to detect acute osteomyelitis.
What is MRI or bone scan?
A patient with a limb injury reports severe pain that is intense, out of proportion to the injury, and not relieved by opioid medication. The extremity appears tense and swollen. This finding requires immediate intervention to prevent permanent damage.
What is compartment syndrome?
This postoperative complication is characterized by calf pain, swelling, warmth and requires immediate intervention to prevent a pulmonary embolism.
What is a deep venous thrombosis?
An injury to a musculotendinous unit caused by overuse, overstretching, or excessive stress; commonly occurs at the distal muscle–tendon junction
What is a strain?
A patient prescribed alendronate is instructed to take the medication with a full glass of water and remain upright for 30 minutes to prevent this complication.
What is esophageal irritation?
This deformity is characterized by persistent flexion of the proximal interphalangeal (PIP) joint with hyperextension of the distal interphalangeal (DIP) joint.
What is a boutonnière deformity?
This chronic complication of untreated osteomyelitis involves pus formation within the bone.
What is a bone abscess?
This type of amputation complication involves pain in a limb that is no longer present.
What is phantom limb pain?
This nursing intervention helps prevent constipation in patients taking opioids after orthopedic surgery.
What is increasing fluids, fiber, and mobility?
This type of soft‑tissue injury involves overstretching or tearing of ligaments, while its similarly named counterpart involves overstretching or tearing of muscles or tendons.
What are a sprain and a strain?
A patient with suspected osteomyelitis presents with fever, localized bone pain, and elevated WBCs. The nurse anticipates this priority intervention.
What is obtaining blood cultures before starting IV antibiotics?
This surgical procedure replaces a damaged joint with an artificial one.
What is arthroplasty?
This joint infection presents with warmth, swelling, pain, and decreased ROM.
What is septic arthritis?
In this limb‑threatening emergency, rising pressure within a muscle compartment causes severe pain, pallor, paresthesia, and pulselessness. When conservative measures fail, this surgical procedure is required to relieve the pressure and restore circulation.
What is fasciotomy?
This intervention helps prevent joint contractures in patients with amputations.
What is ROM exercises or proper limb positioning?
A patient after ORIF of a tibial fracture reports sudden severe calf pain and swelling. The nurse suspects this complication.
What is a deep vein thrombosis?
A patient with chronic osteomyelitis is discharged with a PICC line. The nurse emphasizes monitoring for this complication.
What is catheter‑related infection (CLABSI)?
This musculoskeletal condition can be caused by aging, immobility, steroid use, nutritional deficits, or certain autoimmune diseases. It often remains asymptomatic until a fracture occurs, may present with a Dowager’s hump, and is diagnosed using a DEXA scan that measures bone mineral density.
What is osteoporosis?
This joint is involved in about half of all septic arthritis cases.
What is the knee?
A rare and potentially life-threatening condition that occurs when fat particles enter the bloodstream and block blood vessels. This typically happens after trauma to long bones (like the femur), or during certain medical procedures like joint replacements or liposuction.This complication of fractures presents with sudden dyspnea, petechiae, and confusion.
What is fat embolism syndrome?
This class of medication reduces spine and hip fractures associated with osteoporosis through inhibition of osteoclast activity, reducing bone resorption and turnover.
What are bisphosphonates?
Fat embolism syndrome; delayed union, malunion, nonunion; venous thromboemboli; compartment syndrome; avascular necrosis; traumatic rhabdomyolysis.
What are some potential complications of a fracture?
A patient with a swollen, warm, painful knee is diagnosed with septic arthritis. The nurse prepares the patient for this procedure to confirm the diagnosis.
What is synovial fluid aspiration?
This scan measures bone mineral density and reports T-scores.
What is a DEXA scan?
This lab finding is elevated in acute osteomyelitis but may be normal in chronic cases.
What is ESR or WBC count?
This type of fracture occurs within the joint space.
What is an intra-articular fracture?
This mobility strategy is encouraged early after arthroplasty to prevent DVT and pneumonia.
What is early ambulation?
This type of fracture breaks through the skin.
What is an open or compound fracture?
A patient with an infected diabetic foot ulcer has exposed bone. The nurse recognizes this finding as highly suggestive of this condition.
What is osteomyelitis?
This deformity of the hands caused by rheumatoid arthritis involves hyperextension of the proximal interphalangeal (PIP) joint and flexion of the distal interphalangeal (DIP) joint.
What is swan neck deformity?
This intervention involves aspirating synovial fluid and administering IV antibiotics.
What is septic arthritis management?
This type of fracture, often caused by falls or sitting down forcefully, occurs when a vertebra in the spine collapses.
What is a compression fracture?
This nursing intervention helps reduce swelling in soft tissue injuries.
What is RICE (Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation)?
This surgical procedure realigns bone using plates, screws, or rods.
What is internal fixation?
A patient with a tibial fracture in a cast reports severe pain unrelieved by opioids and increasing tightness. The nurse recognizes this as an early sign of this emergency.
What is compartment syndrome?
This condition results from vitamin D deficiency and leads to softened bones.
What is osteomalacia?
This nursing priority helps prevent infection after orthopedic surgery.
What is aseptic wound care or prophylactic antibiotics?
A soft tissue injury produced by blunt force that results in bleeding into the soft tissue
What is a contusion?
This nursing priority after hip fracture surgery includes bowel and bladder monitoring.
What is assessing elimination and I/Os?
A patient with a long‑bone fracture suddenly becomes confused and tachypneic, with petechiae on the chest. The nurse suspects this complication.
What is fat embolism syndrome?
A patient recovering from a total hip replacement bends forward to tie their shoes. The nurse intervenes because this movement increases the risk of this complication.
What is hip dislocation?
Named after a 19th Century French pathologist who studied osteoarthritis, these bony swellings occur in the proximal interphalangeal (PIP) joints of the fingers.
What are Bouchard's nodes?
This complication of septic arthritis may result in permanent joint stiffness.
What is joint fibrosis?
Restoration of fracture fragments to anatomic alignment and rotation
What is reduction?
This nursing action helps reduce pain and swelling in a newly applied cast.
What is elevating the extremity?
A patient with a humerus fracture shows no signs of healing after several months and continues to have pain, instability and abnormal movement at the fracture site. The nurse recognizes this as this complication.
What is nonunion?
A patient with a new arm cast reports numb fingers and increasing pain. The nurse’s priority action is this.
What is performing a neurovascular assessment?