Orthopaedic Conditions
We treat a variety of Orthopaedic conditions. The list below are a few of the more commonly seen conditions.
Trauma
Orthopaedic Trauma is a severe injury to the bones, joints and/ or soft tissue that is caused by an external force, e.g. a car accident or a fall.
Orthopaedic trauma relates to the Spine, Clavicle, Upper limbs, Pelvis and Lower Limbs.
Examples include:
Closed fractures – A fracture that does not include a break in the skin
Open fracture – A fracture that includes a break in the skin
Dislocations – Dislocation of a joints
Stress Fractures – Small hairline crack in the bone
Sprain and strain – Injuries of Joints and Ligaments, eg Shoulder, Ankle and Knee joints
Shoulder
The shoulder joint is a ball and socket joint that allows the arm to rotate in a circular fashion and to hinge out as well as up away from the body. We rely on our shoulders to alot of our daily activities such as lifting, pushing and pulling.
Our shoulders are vulnerable to sporting injuries as well as injuries due to overuse. Common chronic conditions include rotator cuff Impingement & injury and frozen shoulder, calcific tendinitis
Wrist and hands
The wrist joint is the area marking the transition between the forearm and hand. As time progressed, we started relying on our hands for virtually everything, from texting, to gaming and typing. This consistent repetitive motion has led to a huge increase in conditions such as carpal tunnel syndrome. The symptoms of which are hand pain, numbness, tingling and weakness.
Lower Back
Chronic lower back pain is a common complaint, examples of common conditions are Disk Degeneration, Compression Fractures and Herniated Disk.
Hips
The hip joint is a ball and socket synovial joint made up of muscles, tendons, cartilage and bone.
Overuse or damage of these structures can lead to chronic hip pain.
A common cause of chronic hip is avascular necrosis, commonly known as AVN.
Knees
The knee joint is a synovial joint, made up of bones, ligaments and tendons. It is quite a rigid joint, meaning, it only allows flexion and extension of the leg. This makes it quite vulnerable to injury. Examples of knee injuries are fractures, dislocations, soft tissue injuries like sprains and tears of the ligament.
Old injuries can result in chronic knee pain, knee locking and an unstable knee, most commonly described as ‘a knee giving in”.
Foot and ankle
The ankle joint is formed by three bones, it is bound together by strong ligaments. Common conditions involving the ankle are sprain and strain of the ankle joint or ligamentous tear.
Common conditions involving the feet include heel pain, arch pain, bunions and toe deformities.
Orthopaedic Conditions
Click the link below for more information on common orthopedic conditions.
Address
Life Empangeni Private Hospital, Doctors Block A, Suite 6, Corner of Biyela & Ukula Street, Empangeni, 3880