Skeletal System

Fractures
• A bone fracture is a full or partial break in the continuity of bone tissue.
Fractures can occur in any bone in the body.

• There are several different ways in which a bone can fracture. For
example, a closed fracture is a break to the bone that does not damage
surrounding tissue or tear through the skin.

• By contrast, a compound fracture is one that damages surrounding

tissue and penetrates the skin. Compound fractures are generally more
serious than simple fractures due to the risk of infection.
Types
• Avulsion fracture: A muscle or ligament pulls on the bone, fracturing it.
• Comminuted fracture: An impact shatters the bone into many pieces.
• Compression, or crush, fracture: This generally occurs in the spongy bone in the spine.
For example, the front portion of a vertebra in the spine may collapse due to
osteoporosis.
• Fracture dislocation: This occurs when a joint dislocates, and one of the bones of the
joint fractures.
• Greenstick fracture: The bone partly fractures on one side but does not break
completely, because the rest of the bone can bend.
• Hairline fracture: This is a thin, partial fracture of the bone.
• Impacted fracture: When a bone fractures, a piece of the bone may impact another
bone.
• Intra-articular fracture: This occurs when a fracture extends into the surface of a joint.
• Longitudinal fracture: This is when the fracture extends along the length
of the bone.
• Oblique fracture: An oblique fracture is one that occurs opposite to a
bone’s long axis.
• Pathological fracture: This occurs when an underlying condition weakens
the bone and causes a fracture.
• Spiral fracture: Here, at least one part of the bone twists during a break.
• Stress fracture: Repeated stress and strain can fracture a bone. This is
commonTrusted Source among athletes.
• Transverse fracture: This is a straight break across the bone.
Stages of Bone Healing
Osteomyelitis
• Osteomyelitis is an infection in a bone. Infections can reach a bone by
traveling through the bloodstream or spreading from nearby tissue.
Infections can also begin in the bone itself if an injury exposes the
bone to germs.

• Smokers and people with chronic health conditions, such as diabetes

or kidney failure, are more at risk of developing osteomyelitis. People
who have diabetes may develop osteomyelitis in their feet if they
have foot ulcers.
Clinical features
• Fever
• Swelling, warmth and redness over the area of the infection
• Pain in the area of the infection
• Fatigue
Etio-pathology
• Most cases of osteomyelitis are caused by staphylococcus bacteria, types of germs
commonly found on the skin or in the nose of even healthy individuals.

• Germs can enter a bone in a variety of ways, including:

1. The bloodstream. Germs in other parts of your body — for example, in the lungs from
pneumonia or in the bladder from a urinary tract infection — can travel through your
bloodstream to a weakened spot in a bone.
2. Injuries. Severe puncture wounds can carry germs deep inside your body. If such an injury
becomes infected, the germs can spread into a nearby bone. Germs can also enter the
body if you have broken a bone so severely that part of it is sticking out through your skin.
3. Surgery. Direct contamination with germs can occur during surgeries to replace joints or
repair fractures.
Arthritis
• Arthritis is the swelling and tenderness of one or more joints. The
main symptoms of arthritis are joint pain and stiffness, which typically
worsen with age. The most common types of arthritis are
osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.
Types
• Ankylosing spondylitis
• Gout
• Juvenile idiopathic arthritis
• Osteoarthritis
• Psoriatic arthritis
• Reactive arthritis
• Rheumatoid arthritis
• Septic arthritis
• Thumb arthritis
Clinical Features
• Pain
• Stiffness
• Swelling
• Redness
• Decreased range of motion
 Etio-
pathology
Tumors of the bone
• Bone cancer can begin in any bone in the body, but it most commonly
affects the pelvis or the long bones in the arms and legs. Bone cancer
is rare, making up less than 1 percent of all cancers.
• The term "bone cancer" doesn't include cancers that begin elsewhere
in the body and spread (metastasize) to the bone. Instead, those
cancers are named for where they began, such as breast cancer that
has metastasized to the bone.
Types
• Chondrosarcoma
• Ewing sarcoma
• Osteosarcoma
Clinical Feature
• Bone pain
• Swelling and tenderness near the affected area
• Weakened bone, leading to fracture
• Fatigue
• Unintended weight loss
Etio-pathology
• The cause of most bone cancers is unknown. A small number of bone
cancers have been linked to hereditary factors, while others are
related to previous radiation exposure.