This is a review of the physiological or senses issues that have
a relation with orthopedics. They include the senses of
position and movement of
our limbs and trunk, the sense of effort, the sense of
force, and the sense of heaviness.
- degradation of senses will lead to more chances of
falls, injury, accident, and fractures. According to a
survey, there is a report of the incidence of fracture, accident,
and orthopedic surgery rate is higher among
elderly people due to the degradation of their senses,
thus decrease in sensory perception.
- As you age, the way your senses (hearing, vision, taste, smell,
touch) give you information about the world changes. Your senses
become less sharp, and this can make it harder for
you to notice details.
- Sensory changes can affect your lifestyle. You may have
problems communicating, enjoying activities, and staying involved
with people. Sensory changes can lead to
isolation.
- A certain amount of stimulation is required before you become
aware of a sensation. This minimum level of sensation is called the
threshold. Aging raises this threshold. You need
more stimulation to be aware of the sensation
- usually hearing and vision are most affected.
Devices such as glasses and hearing aids, or lifestyle changes can
improve your ability to hear and see.
- Ears have two jobs. One is hearing and the other is
maintaining balance. As you age, structures inside
the ear start to change and their functions decline. Your
ability to pick up sounds decreases. You may also
have problems maintaining your balance as you sit, stand, and
walk
- All of the eye structures change with aging. As you age,
the sharpness of your vision (visual acuity)
gradually declines this will lead to inability to see the object
that comes on a way and might increase the risk of fall.
- Reduced peripheral vision (side vision) is
common in older people. This can limit your activity and ability to
interact with others. It may be hard to communicate with people
sitting next to you because you cannot see them well.
Driving can become dangerous.
- With aging, sensations like pain, touch, pressure,
temperature may be reduced or changed.
- reduced muscle strength also has a great impact in orthopedic
aomg elderly people. As the age advances their muscle
strength reduces, muscle wasting increasing and hence
reduce in muscle mass which leads to poor holding capacity.
- poor reaction time also has an impact. As the
age advances the older people can not act on an emergency situation
as compare to adult or child one .
- also there is high chances of COMPARTMENT
SYNDROME. It is a Severe/greater than expected pain
unresponsive to analgesia. The earliest sign is pain on passive
stretching of muscles in the affected compartment . Paralysis,
paresthesia and pulselessness are very late signs.
- CONFUSIONAL STATE Can occur on recovery from
anesthesia (postoperative delirium (POD)) or a few days after
surgery. Incidence of POD is 5–15 percent, but is higher in the
elderly with hip fractures and is associated with increased
morbidity and mortality.
- Confusion may present as anxiety, incoherent speech, clouding
of consciousness or destructive behavior, e.g. pulling out of the
cannula.