Case Based Learning #1 - Acute sports injury of knee

Related notes

• Upper limb trauma fracture classifications

  Upper limb trauma classifications provide standardized systems for describing fractures and dislocations involving the clavicle, shoulder, humerus, elbow, forearm, wrist, hand, and fingers. They help define fracture location, displacement, comminution, articular involvement, stability, and associated soft-tissue injury, thereby assisting communication, prognosis, and treatment planning.

• Thoracolumbar spinal injuries

  Thoracolumbar spinal injuries involve traumatic injuries to the spine, most commonly around the thoracolumbar junction (T10–L2), where the relatively rigid thoracic spine transitions to the more mobile lumbar spine. Injuries range from simple compression fractures to unstable burst, distraction, and translational injuries with possible neurological compromise. Assessment focuses on fracture morphology, posterior ligamentous complex integrity, and neurological status, commonly using CT, MRI, and systems such as TLICS or AO Spine classification.

• Subaxial cervical spine injuries

  Subaxial cervical spine injuries involve traumatic injuries to the cervical vertebrae from C3 to C7 and may affect the vertebral bodies, discs, facet joints, ligaments, and spinal cord. They commonly result from high-energy trauma and can range from stable compression fractures to highly unstable fracture-dislocations with neurological injury. Assessment focuses on spinal stability, neurological status, and morphology of injury, commonly using CT, MRI, and classification systems such as SLIC.

• DISI (Dorsal Intercalated Segment Instability) and VISI (Volar Intercalated Segment Instability)

  DISI (Dorsal Intercalated Segment Instability) and VISI (Volar Intercalated Segment Instability) are patterns of carpal instability caused by abnormal alignment of the lunate relative to the radius and adjacent carpal bones. DISI is most commonly associated with scapholunate ligament injury and produces dorsal tilting of the lunate, while VISI is classically associated with lunotriquetral ligament injury and produces volar tilting of the lunate.

• Scaphoid fractures and non-union

  Scaphoid fractures are common carpal fractures, usually caused by a fall on an outstretched hand, and most often involve the scaphoid waist. Because the scaphoid has a predominantly retrograde blood supply, proximal fractures have a higher risk of avascular necrosis and non-union. Patients typically present with radial-sided wrist pain and anatomical snuffbox tenderness. Treatment depends on fracture location, displacement, stability, and vascularity. Scaphoid non-union occurs when a scaphoid fracture fails to unite, often because of delayed diagnosis, displacement, instability, or impaired blood supply. Untreated non-union may progress to scaphoid non-union advanced collapse (SNAC wrist) and secondary arthritis. Management may require internal fixation with bone grafting, with vascularized grafts considered in selected cases.

• Reading the Ankle Xray

  Reading the Ankle Xray