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2.4: Medical Problems/Pathologies

  • Page ID
    160139
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    Orthopedic

    ORIF vs. THR Patients

    ORIF

    ORIF = Open Reduction Internal Fixation – “pinned hip”

    • Incisional and bone pain

    THR

    THR = Total Hip Replacement

    • Incisional pain only
    • Position will be limited by pain
    • Precautions on positioning:
      • Six to eight weeks
      • No hip flexion past 60º-90º
      • No adduction
      • No internal rotation
    • Usually TDWB to NWB six or more weeks

    TDWB = Touch Down Weight Bearing

    NWB = Non-Weight Bearing

    • Often PWB to WBAT

    PWB = Partial Weight Bearing

    WBAT = Weight Bearing As Tolerated

    • Difficulty with transfer and gait is secondary to limited weight-bearing and pain
    • Less pain with mobility
    • Dislocation risk as there often is no pain

    Thought

    If some important activity is taken away (i.e. walking), you must replace it with another equally important activity.

    Common Characteristics of CVAs

    Cerebrovascular Accidents

    • Muscle weakness or paralysis.
    • Sensory impairment – loss of feeling.
    • Depression is common.
    • Emotional lability – inappropriate crying or laughing unrelated to situation.
    • May be disoriented.
    • May have problems with eye-hand coordination and balance – more severe in the right CVA, left hemiplegic.
    Different Characteristics of Right and Left CVAs

    Right CVA

    Left hemiplegia

    Left CVA

    Right hemiplegia

    • Visual impairment/neglect of left side of self in environment and written material.
    • Poor safety judgment, impulsive.
    • Short attention span – highly distractible, may fixate on inappropriate topics.
    • May speak clearly but not make any sense as to content.
    • Limb apraxia – may misuse objects such as comb, razor, toothbrush, etc.
    • May use yes and no inappropriately.
    • Difficulty reading clocks.
    • May be confused about time and space, gets lost easily.
    • Fast learner – but quickly forgets newly learned tasks.
    • Visual impairment/neglect of right side of self in environment and written material.
    • Slow, cautious behavior.
    • Difficulty changing topics and tasks.
    • May be aphasic – complete breakdown in any or all communication, writing, speaking, listening.
    • May be anomic – unable to name objects even though their usage is understood.
    • Verbal apraxia – may mix up sounds and words.
    • Uses jargon, made-up words.
    • Slow learner – but once a task is learned, it is retained.

    Chronic Neurological

    Diamond diagram showing four conditions (CVA, Parkinson disease, Alzheimer disease, and senility) around the edges, with nine shared symptoms listed inside: poor judgment, increased anxiety, personality changes, forgetfulness and memory loss, confusion, loss of balance, problems swallowing, difficulty with ADLs, and wandering.
    Figure \(\PageIndex{1}\): The four sides of the diamond are labeled CVA, Parkinson disease, Alzheimer disease and Senility. Inside are the symptoms these conditions have in common: poor judgment; increased anxiety; personality changes; forgetfulness and memory loss; confusion; loss of balance; problems swallowing; difficulty with ADLs; wandering.

    This page titled 2.4: Medical Problems/Pathologies was last modified on Tue, 27 Oct 2026 23:22:24 GMT and is shared under a Public Domain license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by staff.