Pediatric Orthopaedics
Pediatric Orthopaedics

Trauma

Trauma is defined as injury caused by an external source, and can often be life threatening. In the field of orthopaedic medicine, trauma or orthopaedic trauma is categorized as a severe injury to the elements of the musculoskeletal system (muscles, joints, ligaments, bones, and soft tissue). These trauma injuries are often the result of a sudden accident, like a fall, that requires immediate medical attention. While these injuries are not all life-threatening, they are life altering. Therefore, the help of an orthopaedic surgeon is crucial.
 

We are a leading trauma centre equipped with state of the art facilities providing the highest level world-class surgical care to patients with traumatic injuries. Our 24/7 orthopaedic trauma department receives and treats all major and minor trauma and other orthopaedic emergencies.

Some of the common orthopaedic traumas are femoral and tibia shaft fractures, acetabular and pelvic fractures, spine and spinal cord injuries, hand and upper extremity injuries, foot and ankle injuries. Simple fractures, unstable fractures, open (compound) fractures, greenstick fractures are some types of fractures which are commonly noticed.

According to the severity of fracture, specialists will decide on the type of treatment given. Open and closed treatments are two wide categories of types of methods. Open treatment involves surgical dealings with broken bone ends to fix them in place. Close treatment is a method where practitioner applies gentle pressure on the bone and with the skin and muscles left intact. Hence, no incursions are made or the bone is not seen by the surgeon. Closed methods are rarely implemented on the patients because the success rate is low when compared to surgical treatments.

Key Symptoms

Trauma to the bones and soft tissues that fall under orthopaedic care may be accompanied by several possible symptoms, depending on which part of the body is affected. The most common symptoms of a broken limb or body part include:

  • Swelling
  • Tenderness
  • Bleeding, but only if the break in the bone damages the skin
  • Major bruising
  • Inability to move the affected part without experiencing pain
  • Bone sticking out at an abnormal angle
  • Bone sticking out of the skin
  • Numbness
  • A pins and needles sensation if some nerves are injured
  • Inability to lift or rotate the injured part
  • Inability to put any weight (for leg injuries)
  • Severe pain when breathing in (for broken ribs)
  • Shallow breathing
  • A grinding, cracking, or snapping noise is heard at the time of the fall or accident