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Silicon Beach Medical offers a full complement of medical specialties and ancillary services.
Fractures And Other Traumatic Injuries
Orthopedic trauma conditions include fractures and dislocations as well as severe soft tissue injuries caused by traumatic events. Common orthopedic traumatic injuries include femoral and tibial shaft fractures, acetabular and pelvic fractures, spine and spinal cord injuries, hand and upper extremity injuries, foot and ankle injuries, among many others. Polytraumatized patients are those unique individuals with numerous skeletal and other primary organ system injuries, usually caused by high energy traumatic events. We coordinate the orthopedic portion of the patient’s care with other subspecialties in order to optimize the clinical outcome.
We provide numerous orthopedic services including skeletal realignments and stabilizations using closed, percutaneous, external, and internal fixation techniques. Similarly, we treat associated soft tissue injuries using a variety of methods. Another of our services is advancing the orthopedic trauma education of physicians and medical personnel–locally, regionally, nationally, and internationally. We also provide innovative orthopedic trauma research, which further improves clinical care.
Conditions
Bone fractures are extremely common, whether from high-energy trauma resulting in multiple injuries or from some other force or impact resulting in an isolated fracture and dislocation.
Our team expertly treats the full range of these injuries, no matter how complex, including long bone fractures of the upper and lower extremity. We also specialize in treating post-traumatic conditions such as malunions and nonunions (fractures that fail to heal properly) and osteomyelitis.
Trauma and Fracture Symptoms
Symptoms of a fracture or a post-traumatic orthopaedic condition can include:
- A clearly misshapen limb or joint, sometimes accompanied by broken skin or visible bone (an open or compound fracture)
- Fever
- Pain, ranging from mild to severe
- Restricted movement
- Swelling, bruising, tenderness, or numbness near the fracture
Diagnosis
Fractures and post-traumatic orthopaedic conditions are typically diagnosed with a combination of a physical examination and imaging.
Fractures are usually diagnosed using X-rays. Depending on the severity and location of the break or post-traumatic injury – and the extent of damage to surrounding tissue – other types of imaging might also be used to make a diagnosis. These include:
- Arthrograms (X-rays of the joints)
- Computed tomography (CT)
- Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
Other diagnostic testing might be used instead of or in addition to those tests. Identifying a bone infection, for instance, calls for blood work, while diagnosing a compressed nerve might require a nerve-blocking injection.
Treatments for Trauma and Fractures
Fractures of the pelvis, upper and lower extremities, and post-traumatic orthopaedic conditions can be treated with surgical and nonsurgical procedures, depending on the condition.
Common nonsurgical treatments include:
- Immobilizing devices such as casts, splints, braces, and traction
- Medications, such as antibiotics to resolve infections and nonsteroidal anti- inflammatory drugs to treat arthritis
- Physical medicine and rehabilitation
Surgery is sometimes necessary to properly treat breaks or trauma injuries that are complicated, severe, or resistant to healing. Surgical treatments include fixating (keeping together) the broken parts of the bone using metal pins, screws, or plates.
UT Southwestern orthopaedic medicine specialists work with each patient to choose a personalized treatment likely to have the best long-term outcome.
Clinical Trials
Our orthopaedics team is involved in clinical trials that seek to find a better way to prevent, diagnose, and treat bone fractures and post-traumatic orthopaedic conditions. See the latest clinical trials we’re conducting.
- Arthrograms (X-rays of the joints)
- Computed tomography (CT)
- Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
Other diagnostic testing might be used instead of or in addition to those tests. Identifying a bone infection, for instance, calls for blood work, while diagnosing a compressed nerve might require a nerve-blocking injection.