Everything You Need to Know About an Orthopedic Emergency
Dealing with an orthopedic emergency? Bruising, bumping, swelling, and pain caused due to different types of injuries are common in everyone’s life but, the condition becomes serious when the injury is severe. One of the commonest injuries seen is orthopedic injuries that affect bones, muscles, ligaments, and/or tendons. Such conditions are debilitating, and in certain cases, they could be life-threatening as well. If the injury results in a broken bone, orthopedic implants may also be required to stabilize the fractured bone fragments.
Some orthopedic injuries are so serious that immediate treatment is required to prevent worsening up the condition, and such situations fall under the category of orthopedic emergencies. In this post, we will discuss what orthopedic emergencies are and how they should be treated. Let us start with a brief introduction to an orthopedic emergency.
Orthopedic Emergency – An Overview
When we talk about orthopedic injuries, bones are most involved, and any bone or joint in our body could affect including hips, shoulders, spine, knee, ankle, and others. Injuries to these bones may cause mild to chronic pain and that may also decide the severity of the condition.
In simpler terms, an orthopedic emergency is a situation where immediate medical attention is required. Conditions that come under orthopedic emergency include:
- Dislocations
- Displaced fractures
- Automobile injuries
- Sports injuries
- Tendon ruptures
Sometimes, joint infections may also result in orthopedic emergencies as they may affect other areas of the body as well in the case of delayed treatment.
Cases Where Emergency Room Visit is Required
Though all orthopedic emergencies require immediate medical attention as the condition could be life-threatening yet there are certain signs that indicate a visit to the emergency room. Let us see what these signs are:
- Unconsciousness
- Compound fractures that penetrate the skin
- A closed fracture that makes the person unable to use the affected limb
- Bleeding caused due to a deep cut
- A serious orthopedic injury occurring at a workplace or due to an automobile accident
The above mentioned are some of the signs saying that ER visits must be made without wasting much time. If the injury is not that much serious, a visit to urgent care or walk-in clinic may do the job. If there is a high fever along with musculoskeletal injury, this could be worse and may result in life-threatening conditions like sepsis. Thus, timely identification and treatment are necessary to avoid any serious complications.
Treatment of Orthopedic Emergencies
The treatment of orthopedic emergencies depends upon the severity of the condition and its location. Surgical intervention is often required for the treatment and that involves the use of orthopedic devices for the stabilization of fractured bone fragments and ensuring proper healing.
The healthcare service providers decide the feasible treatment after properly analyzing the situation.
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