What type of splint for radial head fracture

There are lots of ligaments tissues that connect bone to bone that make the elbow stable and not "floppy. There are also nerves and blood vessels that cross the elbow. These are located mostly in the front of the elbow and on the inside. The ulnar nerve is located on the inside of the elbow close to the bone. When you hit this nerve, it is very painful and is commonly called hitting your "funny bone. Most elbow fractures, including radial head fractures, happen when you fall onto your outstretched hand.

As you try to catch yourself, the impact goes up your bones, from your wrist to your forearm to the elbow and up the humerus to your shoulder. At some point, the bones may not resist the weight and break. A common place for this to happen is at the radial head or neck. Other accidents such as direct hits or getting the arm caught in something can cause the radial head or neck to break.

If you break your radial head, you will typically go to an emergency room. The pain and swelling after is generally bad enough that it hurts when you try to move your elbow. X-rays will be ordered to look at your elbow. Sometimes the break in the radial head or neck may not have moved out of place and can be hard to see. Other times the break may be in lots of pieces and easy to see. Many radial head breaks can be treated without surgery.

The emergency room physician may want to see if the broken piece of bone blocks motion of your elbow joint. This can be critical information to determine if you need surgery or not. Weight-bearing recommendations are determined by the type and stability of the injury and the patient's capacity and discomfort. Short leg walking casts are adequate for nondisplaced fibular and metatarsal fractures.

Toe immobilization comparable to a high-top walking boot or cast shoe ; distal metatarsal and phalangeal fractures, particularly of the great toe. A plate is made by extending the casting material beyond the distal toes, prohibiting plantar flexion and limiting dorsiflexion Figure The cast must be molded to the medial longitudinal arch with the ankle at 90 degrees to allow for successful ambulation.

Stabilization of acute soft tissue injuries e. The splint should start just below the gluteal crease and end just proximal to the malleoli Online Figure J. Already a member or subscriber? Log in. Interested in AAFP membership? Learn more. School of Medicine, and director of the primary care sports medicine fellowship program at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, St.

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Army or the U. Army Medical Service at large. Chudnofsky CR, Byers S. Splinting techniques. Clinical Procedures in Emergency Medicine. Philadelphia, Pa. Fracture Management for Primary Care.

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A randomized, controlled trial of removable splinting versus casting for wrist buckle fractures in children. Common acute upper extremity injuries in sports. The tibia and fibula. Emergency Management of Skeletal Injuries. St Louis, Mo. Emergency department evaluation and treatment of knee and leg injuries.

Emerg Med Clin North Am. Different functional treatment strategies for acute lateral ankle ligament injuries in adults. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. Court-Brown CM. Fractures of the tibia and fibula. Rockwood and Green's Fractures in Adults. LaBella CR. Common acute sports-related lower extremity injuries in children and adolescents. This content is owned by the AAFP. A person viewing it online may make one printout of the material and may use that printout only for his or her personal, non-commercial reference.

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Splints and Casts: Indications and Methods. B 11 RCT Immobilization of the thumb with a removable splint after a ligamentous injury is strongly preferred by patients, and the functional results are equal to those of plaster cast immobilization after surgical and nonsurgical treatment. Radial Head Fractures. Ashley Bassett. Joaquin Sanchez-Sotelo. American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons. Radial Head Fractures are common intra-articular elbow fractures that can be associated with an episode of elbow instability or a mechanical block to elbow motion.

Diagnosis can be made with plain radiographs of the elbow. CT studies can be helpful for surgical planning. Treatment may be nonoperative for nondisplaced fractures without a mechanical block to motion. Operative management is indicated for displaced fractures, or fractures associated with mechanical block to motion or elbow instability. Associated injuries. Essex-Lopresti injury. Type I. Type II. Type III. Comminuted and displaced, mechanical block to motion. Type IV. Radial head fracture with associated elbow dislocation.

Physical exam. AP and lateral elbow. Signs Tenderness over radial head distal to the lateral epicondyle Local swelling Pain on Forearm rotation or elbow flexion Elbow joint effusion is typically present. Indications: Orthopedic Referral Mason Type Abnormal varus or valgus testing Suggests medial or lateral collateral ligament injury.

Prognosis Non-displaced Fracture or effective early reduction Expect some loss of elbow extension Minimal or no functional Impairment expected Delayed effective management of displaced Fracture Permanently restricted elbow Range of Motion Trauma tic Arthritis Fracture fragments act as nidus for calcification Myositis Ossificans ensues in anterior elbow region. Images: Related links to external sites from Bing. Related Studies.

Trip Database TrendMD. Ontology: Fracture of head of radius C