How a Boutonnière Deformity Is Treated
Have you recently suffered a finger injury? If your middle joint juts upward and the tip of your finger juts upward as well, it could be a boutonnière deformity. Read on to learn how it can be treated.
4 Common Orthopedic Traumas
Any serious injury to the musculoskeletal system is considered trauma, and these injuries can involve bones, joints, muscles, ligaments, tendons, and other soft tissues. Typically, these injuries occur due to external issues, such as car accidents, falls, or sports mishaps.
Trauma often causes immediate pain, swelling, and other symptoms, and recovery often necessitates the care of an orthopedic specialist. Kristopher Downing, MD, & James Andry, MD at Upper Extremity Specialists, of Ortho 1 Medical Group, offer trauma care for people with shoulder, arm, wrist, and hand injuries.
Our team provides prompt diagnostic services and treatment for some of the most common orthopedic injuries, including:
1. Sprains
Ligaments are tough bands of tissue that connect bones to other bones in joints. They’re naturally flexible, but if you stretch a ligament beyond its normal range, or if you tear it, you suffer a sprain.
Sprains can be painful, but you may still be able to use the affected joint. Sprains are common, and they might not sound serious at first. However, sprains can increase your risk of future injury and chronic pain, so they shouldn’t be ignored.
2. Soft tissue tears
Soft tissues include your muscles, tendons, and cartilage. These tissues help provide stability to your different tissues, and they also help you move.
A torn rotator cuff is one of the most common traumatic soft tissue injuries, and it affects your shoulder. Rotator cuff tears may be partial or full, and they can severely limit your arm’s range of motion. You may also suffer shoulder pain and arm weakness.
3. Joint dislocation
Your joints consist of two or more bones that are held together with muscles, tendons, ligaments, and other soft tissues. Healthy joints are stable, but, if external forces come to bear on them, the bones in a joint may separate.
Any joint can get dislocated. However, shoulder dislocation is most common in adults, and elbow dislocation is most common in children. The symptoms of joint dislocation are difficult to ignore, and may include visible deformity, intense pain, and an inability to move the joint.
4. Fractures
Fractures (broken bones) are the most severe type of orthopedic trauma. Broken bones are common, and these injuries can seriously compromise your mobility and health.
Our team classifies fractures into four main categories:
- Hairline fractures
- Stable fractures
- Compound fractures
- Comminuted fractures
Hairline fractures (or stress fractures) can develop slowly and cause pain that gradually gets worse. Stable, compound, and comminuted fractures are more severe and typically cause intense, immediate pain when you get injured.
At Upper Extremity Specialists, we offer comprehensive care for shoulders, elbows, wrists, and hands. We provide diagnostic services and customized treatment plans to help reduce your symptoms, heal your body, and get you back to your life faster.
Have you suffered orthopedic trauma? We can provide comprehensive care at Upper Extremity Specialists, with offices in Chula Vista and La Jolla, California. To learn more, book an appointment online or over the phone today.
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