Caring for Broken Bones
Broken bones are a common medical problem for people of all ages, especially young children and the elderly, because their bones either have yet to fully develop or are brittle. Broken bones should not be taken lightly even though they are not life threatening. If you have suffered a broken bone you should visit a local emergency room or doctor’s office immediately to have the bone set in a cast or in a sling so that no further damage is done. Further damage to a broken bone can lead to arthritis and other medical problems including osteoporosis in women.
Broken bones can occur during sporting games, car accidents, a fall from heights, a direct blow to the bone and other incidents. Doctors do recommend investigations into very young children with broken bones, especially if the children are not old enough to take part in organized sports, because it could be as a result of child abuse. Some of the most common bones to break are fingers, hands, ankles, feet, arms and ribs. All of these bones can be cared for by a doctor in the emergency room and then by an orthopedic surgeon after initial care.
Doctors recommend that if you break a bone in your foot, leg, or ankle then you should stay off that part of the body as much as possible. This includes using crutches, wheelchairs, and scooters to get around at work or school instead of putting all the body weight on the broken bone. If the body weight is placed on the broken bone it will take longer to heal and might even cause the bone to break again while it is in the process of healing. If this happens, the patient will need longer time to recover from the injury and it is possible that the bone might not heal fully.
Once you are examined by the physician and the orthopedic surgeon, who will cast the bone if possible, you must take care of that part of your body. The cast cannot get wet. This means that you cannot get into the shower with the cast, into the tub with the cast, or into a pool or the ocean with the cast. Therefore, if you have a broken arm, you will have to take a bath and hang your casted arm off the side of the tub so it doesn’t get wet. If you have a broken leg, you will need to do the same thing because you won’t be able to stand on the leg or get in the shower with the cast on your leg.
When a broken bone occurs, if you cannot get to an emergency room or doctor’s office right away you should elevate the part of the body and put as much ice on it as possible to reduce the amount of swelling. Be extra careful when moving around, especially when getting in and out of a vehicle, before the bone is casted or placed in a sling so that it is not bumped or banged. This will cause more damage to the bone and a lot of pain to the area of the body.
News Insiders latest 5 Article by admin
News Insiders Related Articles
Health News