Trauma & Injuries Doctor in Gurgaon
Dr. Ratnav Ratan is a Sports Medicine Specialist and Pediatric Orthopedic doctor in Gurgaon. He has more than a decade’s experience in handling orthopedic trauma patients.
Dr. Ratnav Ratan is thorough in the evaluation and diagnosis of trauma patients. It is absolutely necessary to evaluate and ascertain the extent of the injury before proceeding with the trauma treatment. At times, the patient could require treatment for other general injuries. Hence planning for a comprehensive treatment towards the total rehabilitation of the patient is very much important.
Fractures
Fractures are broken bones. The bones may have broken completely or partially in different ways i.e. crosswise, in many pieces or lengthwise. This breaking pattern of the bones determines the type and extent of fractures.
Bones are sturdy and rigid. They tend to give in or break only when a high-pressure external force is applied on them.
The extent of external pressure determines the types of fracture which are:
- Stable fracture – The ends of the bone break and line up but not out of place.
- Open, compound fracture – The skin gets broken by the blow or pierced by the bone. The bone may or may not be seen in the injured area.
- Transverse fracture – The bone fractured will reveal a horizontal facture line
- Oblique fracture – The bone fractured will reveal an angle pattern
- Comminuted fracture – The bone breaks into multiple pieces i.e. more than three pieces.
How to identify fractures?
In case of fractures, the person will be in extreme unbearable pain and unable to move the injured area.
The other indications of fractures are:
- Bruising – redness on the skin surface
- Tender and swollen injured area
- Abnormal appearance of the limb – the limb may look out of place or the bone may extrude from the skin
If you are experiencing the symptoms of fracture, consult Dr. Ratnav Ratan, our Orthopedic doctor in Gurgaon, to properly examine the affected area.
Different kinds of plasters used for Fracture treatment
Plasters are used to provide support to the injured bone during the healing period. These plasters also keep the injured bone in place. The plasters ensures restricted movement and protection from further injury. The plasters are available in the following options:
Synthetic casts
Synthetic casts are also used instead of plasters made using plaster of paris. Synthetic casts are made using fiberglass, a type of plastic.
The orthopedic surgeon will dress up the area with a webbed thin material followed by layers of soft cotton. The fiberglass sheet will be soaked in water. The orthopedic surgeon will cover the injured area with the fiberglass sheet that will be easy to mould. This plaster will dry in a couple of hours.
Synthetic casts are light in weight and cause less skin irritation. The orthopedic surgeon can take an x-ray through the synthetic casts which makes it even more convenient to use.
Pelvic-acetabular Injury
Pelvic-acetabular injury mainly refers to a fracture in the hip joint. This fracture is caused due a high energy impact such as a car accident. In cases of aged people, low energy impact such as a fall can cause a pelvic-acetabular injury.
There are various types of acetabular fractures. The thigh bone may break the socket or break into multiple pieces. In case the socket i.e. the acetabulum or socket i.e. the femoral head are broken, there will be no movement possible of the hip joint. It may so happen that the cartilage surface of both the bones gets damaged too.
The injury could lead to breaking of the bones in multiple pieces injuring the surrounding tissues, nerves, skin and tendons too. The pieces of broken bone may be scattered in the area or line up or even overlap each other. The orthopedic surgeon will have to examine the condition of the pelvic acetabular region. The location and the orientation of the injured bone or bones has to be ascertained in greater detail before proceeding with the treatment.
If fragments of the bone are stick out of the wound or skin, then it is an open or a compound fracture. It is a very serious condition as the chances of infection are very high and hence immediate treatment is essential.
Spine Injuries
The impact causing the spine injuries determines its level of severity and the bone health of the injured person.
High energy impact causes serious spine injuries will a low energy impact can cause less than serious spine injuries.
Generally, these fractures are located in lower back or the mid-back region of the spine.
Spine injuries can occur due to any of these events:
- Sports accident
- Fall of from heights
- Vehicle collision
- Violent attacks – gunshot etc.
Symptoms of spinal fracture
- The patient will experience moderate to severe pain in the mid or lower back region which worsens with movement.
- The patient complains of numbness, tingling or weakness in the limbs.
- The patient complains of bowel and/or bladder dysfunction
- The patient complains of black out or loss of consciousness. This occurs if the patient has been in a victim of a high energy trauma accident.
Frequently Asked Questions
An orthopedic trauma treatment includes treating bone and muscle injuries due to trauma. The trauma can be due to collisions, falls, accidents, vehicular collisions, weapon injuries and so on. An orthopedic trauma surgeon is trained to treat hip joint and pelvis injuries in a much better way.
Most fractures take nearly 8 weeks or more to heal. Also, there are various factors that affect the healing of a fracture viz. the extent of injury, the patient’s age and his or hers health condition, lifestyle disorders, if any and so on. There will be slow healing for bone fractures located in the wrist, tibia and the foot.
Spine fractures can occur due to minor or major impacts. The extent of severity of the fracture depends upon the condition of the spine and the bone health of the patient. A patient suffering from osteoporosis can have a major spine fracture due to a low energy impact. But proper evaluation and treatment is essential to prevent further spine injuries as rehabilitation becomes very difficult.
If it is an acetabular fracture then a surgery to resolve the issue is a must. If there is displacement of the acetabulum i.e. the socket then the ball or the femoral head will not be able to move properly. This will cause post traumatic arthritis. By suggesting the surgery, the orthopedic surgeon will try to restore the shape of the acetabulum, reduce the chances of post traumatic arthritis, or avoid the requirement of a total hip replacement surgery.
