Question

A 35-yearpold patient received injuries during a weekend touch football game in the park. Upon his arrival at emergency he presented a compound fracture of the distal end of the right tibia and fibula. Pain and discoloration of the ankle suggested tendonitis and myositis. An x-ray of the right ankle revealed a fracture with associated tendonitis. 1. What is a compound fracture? 2. Describe where the distal end of the right tibia is. 3. What is a fibula? 4. What is tendonitis? 5. Can a patient have myositis without a fracture?

Answer 1

1. A compound fracture can be defined as the fracture in the bone that protrudes through the skin resulting in an external wound.

2. The distal end of the tibia is also known as the medial malleolus and forms the inner boney prominence at the ankle joint.

3. The fibula or calf bone is a leg bone located on the lateral side of the tibia, with which it is connected above and below. It is the smaller of the two bones, and, in proportion to its length, the slenderest of all the long bones.

4. Tendinitis is a condition in which the tissue connecting muscle to bone becomes inflamed.

5. It is very much possible for a patient to have myositis without a fracture. Because myositis has many forms, it has many causes.