The lion's share of all injured people are people with limb fractures or joint injuries. Usually, these are patients who are easy to recognize by characteristic features. Limitations in the movements of the limbs, their deformation, swelling of the injured area, hematomas in the damaged area, and most importantly, pronounced unbearable pain.
What is an intra-articular fracture?
Both bones and soft peri-articular tissues can be injured - tendons, muscles, ligaments, joint bags and intra-articular structures - intra-articular ligaments, menisci.
Fractures that occur in patients can be divided into two categories:
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Intra-articular
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Extra-articular
Such injuries can occur in both large and small joints.
Most often, intra-articular fractures occur in the wrist, elbow, knee and ankle joints.
Intra-articular fractures are always a more complicated injury than extra-articular ones and require more careful attention and more careful dynamic observation during the entire period of treatment of the patient until recovery. Why?
Precisely because during a bone injury, all peri-articular tissues with their tears are damaged and fragments of bone fragments are prolapsed into the joint cavity, which often indicates the impossibility of conservative treatment, and the only available method of helping the patient will be surgical intervention, in particular, joint replacement.
Rudenko Medical Center has many years of experience in treating patients with intra-articular fractures and provides a full range of services in order to provide you with the most effective result that you will definitely be satisfied with.
How are intra-articular fractures diagnosed?
After taking a medical history and examining the patient in the comfortable office of our medical center, you will be directed to the necessary diagnostic examinations. First, an X-ray of the affected area is performed. After receiving the results, ultrasound, computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging may be performed, if necessary. In this case, MRI is a highly specific diagnostic method, as it will reliably determine damage to intra-articular soft tissues. A minimally invasive examination method - arthroscopy - can complement the diagnostic picture.
How are intra-articular fractures treated?
Everything depends on which joint is affected, whether there is a displacement of the fragments, how traumatized the surrounding tissues are.
The basis of the treatment of any intra-articular fracture is stable fixation, absolute restoration of the anatomical relationship of the articular surfaces and maximum accuracy when working with para-articular tissues.
The following methods are the standards of treatment today:
- osteometallosynthesis of bones
- endoprosthesis of joints.
Rehabilitation of the patient after surgical treatment of intra-articular fractures should be aimed at prevention of joint contractures and prevention of habitual dislocations in the affected joint. At the Rudenko Medical Center in the city of Zaporizhia, a professional rehabilitation doctor develops an individual plan of rehabilitation measures aimed at restoring biomechanics in the affected joint and allowing the patient to return to normal life as quickly as possible.