The body undergoes a lot and will likely develop a musculoskeletal injury at a certain point in life. Injury can happen during a sporting activity, an accident, or at your work site. You can address these musculoskeletal injuries through conservative treatments, but some injuries may need medical attention. Westfield orthopedics focuses on the different injuries common to the musculoskeletal system and how to treat them. Orthopedics aims to offer relief from pain symptoms resulting from injury, improving movement. The following discussion will focus on common injuries that may prompt orthopedic treatment.
Fractures
Most bone fractures occur when there is a break in the continuity of a bone in your body because of forceful impact and stress. You may also develop a fracture when medical conditions weaken your bone, like osteoporosis. A fracture can happen in any of your bones in the body and different ways. A closed fracture happens to your bone but does not tear through your skin or damage surrounding tissue. On the other hand, a compound fracture pierces through your skin and damages your surrounding tissues. You will experience pain, swelling, skin discoloration, inability to move the area of injury, and bruising.
Torn Meniscus
You can easily develop a tear in the meniscus when you engage in an activity that needs a forceful twist or rotation of the knee, especially with full weight. You will likely experience stiffness, pain, and swelling from a torn meniscus, accompanied by a feeling of a blocked knee motion and trouble extending the knee fully. Pain and swelling may begin after 24 hours if you have a small tear.
Ankle Sprains
Rolling, turning, and awkwardly twisting your ankle may result in a sprain which may stretch the ligaments responsible for holding the ankles together. Therefore, when your ligaments stretch beyond their normal range, you develop a sprained ankle. You will feel tenderness in the ankle when you touch it, pain, swelling and bruising, ankle instability, and restricted motion.
Tennis Elbow
Despite the name, anyone can develop tennis elbow whether or not you are an athlete. Tennis elbow happens when you overload your elbow with repetitive motions of your arm and wrist. The condition may be common among people whose occupations involve repetitive motions, like painters, carpenters, and plumbers. You will feel pain in the muscles attached to the bony bump outside your elbow, which may eventually spread to your wrist and forearm. The pain may cause difficulty in gripping and holding objects. You can see an orthopedic specialist after trying conservative medications but failing.
Rotator Cuff Injury
Your rotator cuff consists of tendons and muscles surrounding the shoulder joint and keeping the bone of the upper arm firm within the shoulder socket. An injury to the rotator cuff causes a dull ache that worsens at night. You are likely to develop rotator cuff injuries with age and may easily develop them if you do jobs requiring repeated motions.
While most musculoskeletal injuries occur from injuries through accidents and sports, some occur due to aging. Sudden injuries may cause acute pain that will not disappear unless you seek orthopedic care. Orthopedics can manage and treat many injuries to reduce pain and give you full mobility. Find out the most common injuries that may take you in for orthopedic care and treatment.
