Significance of fractures and dislocations

Fractures (breaks) and dislocations are failures of the skeleton to cope with the loads put upon it. When they do occur there are other structures which can also fail which may not be so obvious but which may have much more serious consequences.

After the initial trauma, tissues tend to spring back into place. Nerves and blood vessels may also have been stretched far beyond their physiological limit at the time of trauma. If the nerve has been disrupted and the ends have separated, surgery may improve the prognosis dramatically. If the blood supply to that limb has been disrupted, then it is a surgical emergency to restore that circulation.

The check for neurovascular damage in a traumatised limb is, if anything, more important than the diagnosis of the fracture or dislocation.

Learning objectives from Orthopedic Surgery's Site

• To know how to investigate a patient who may have a fracture  or dislocation.
• To be able to describe a fracture or dislocation concisely and correctly.
• To understand the principles of reduction and holding a fracture or dislocation.
• To know the common complications of fractures and dislocations, and how to check for them.
• To understand the basic pathophysiology of fracture healing.