Greenstick fracture
A fracture when one side of the fractured bone has broken and the other side is bent is called a greenstick fracture. Because of this condition, it is called an incomplete break. This is also known as growth plate injury. Children's bones are still in a developing stage and are more susceptible to greenstick fracture because their bones are more pliable than adults'. This can be compared to the breaking of a fresh branch of a tree. The inner side remains intact even though it is bent while it snaps on one side. It wont result in a complete disruption of the bone's cortex but there will be a bowing at the fractured area.
To bring back the bone into proper position, it has to be bent back and this procedure is called reduction.
A cast for about six weeks will help regain the position. Since greenstick fractures mostly occur in the middle and slower growing parts of the bone, it takes longer time to heal. In a growth plate injury, careful treatment and accurate reduction are necessary for the bone to continue to grow normally. In some cases, plastic deformation of the bone also may occur. This is a condition in which the bone permanently bends but does not break. For such injuries, an osteotomy or bone cut may be necessary to realign the bone if the fracture is a fixed one.
Normally when children fall with outstretched arms, they suffer injuries or broken bones in their hand, wrist, arm and elbow. The orthopedist will request an X-ray of the injured parts. He will also conduct some tests to ensure that blood circulation and nerves in the affected portions are not affected due to the injury. Some symptoms include acute pain, tenderness, swelling, inability to rotate or turn the forearm and any type of deformity about the elbow, forearm or the wrist. Depending on the type of fracture and the degree of displacement, the doctor will decide about the treatment. A surgery is required only if the bones break through the skin and the physician will be able to bring back proper alignment of the bones through manipulation.
Orthokeratology
Orthokeratology is a process that reshapes the cornea using hard contact lens so as to correct or reduce refractive problems such as astigmatism, hyperopia and myopia. This is a non-surgical and non-invasive process that involves wearing specific lenses each night so as to achieve ideal corneal shape. This allows the person suffering the vision problem to be free of spectacles or glasses throughout the day. Those with high myopic error have seen some reduction in the error while teenagers how are recently myopic can help stabilize the progression of the vision defect. But the person needs to visit the optometrist many times in a period of about 6 months.
Surgical menopause
The ovaries produce estrogen, progesterone and androgens to regulate the menstrual cycle. When a hysterectomy occurs, these hormones get suddenly interrupted and their levels fall resulting in symptoms of menopause. This is termed surgical menopause. Although removal of ovaries becomes unavoidable in most hysterectomy surgeries, every effort is made by the surgeon to leave the ovaries intact in order to avoid the sudden absence of hormones. Most often, surgical menopause is caused quite dramatically when there is surgical interference like hysterectomy, bilateral oophorectomy, where both the ovaries are removed. A woman undergoing surgical menopause experiences certain symptoms more profoundly than women going through menopause normally. Since there is abrupt disruption of hormones after hysterectomy, the menopausal symptoms are more severe, more frequent and last longer when compared to natural menopause. The symptoms are triggered by the body's sudden inability to make certain hormones due to the removal of ovaries.
Estrogen is immediately given after surgery to try to prevent the intense changes especially the hot flashes that can occur in woman undergoing hysterectomy. However the use of estrogen is itself controversial and it is not usually recommended for women with existing or high risk of cardiovascular disease. A lowest dose of estrogen for the shortest possible time is recommended.
Surgical menopause risks
- Women with surgical menopause are seven times more prone to cardiovascular disease risks.
- They run the risk of osteoporosis as estrogen plays a vital role in bone formation.
- Gum tissues are affected and regular dental check ups are advised to tide over this problem.
- Women younger than 45 years and who have had their ovaries removed face a mortality risk 170% higher than women who have retained their ovaries after oophorectomy. Hormone replacement therapy is commonly advised as it is believed by many doctors to mitigate the mortality risks.
- There is a definite lowering of sexual desire in women who have undergone surgical menopause. This reduction is greater than that seen in women undergoing natural menopause.
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