Pathophysiology

Pathophysiology Study Guide

Chapter 6: Neurology and the Musculoskeletal System Objectives 1. Describe the different disorders and diseases of the neurology and musculoskeletal systems of the body. 2. Differentiate between the injuries, disorders, and diseases in the brain, spinal cord, muscles, bones, and joints. 3. Explain the differences of diseases and disorders along with their etiology, causes, signs, and symptoms. 6.1 Traumatic Injury Traumatic injury refers to physical injuries that are fatal and need immediate attention in order to restore normal health. This injury can cause systemic shock termed as shock trauma. Medical intervention and resuscitation is required to save the life and serious complications can occur. Such injuries are caused due to blunt injury and burn mechanisms, and may include collisions with motor vehicle, sports injury, natural disasters, fall, or any other physical injury with the potential to cause loss of life. There are many different types of traumatic injuries including traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury, fractures of the spine, traumatic amputation, facial trauma, crush injury, acoustic trauma, concussion, broken bone, broken or dislocated jaw, electrical injury, subdural hematoma, and subarachnoid hemorrhage. Trauma injuries related to the head/brain and spinal cord are described below. Head Head injury refers to an injury caused to the head, scalp, skull, or brain and may range from mild to severe. It can be a mild bump to a traumatic brain injury. Head injury can be either open or closed. The open head injury is when the skull breaks open and impacts the brain, while the skull is not broken in a closed head injury. Causes of head injury include motor vehicle accidents, falls, physical assaults, and sports injuries. Some traumatic head injuries are studied below. Concussion Concussion is a kind of traumatic injury to the brain that impairs the normal functioning of the brain. The aftermath of concussions is generally short term and involves headache, loss of concentration, memory problems, and difficulty with balance and coordination. Generally, healing of a concussion requires rest and time. The brain is cushioned by cerebrospinal fluid, which covers the entire skull. This fluid protects the brain from regular blows and jolts. However, a violent blow to head, upper body, and neck may cause the brain to slide back and forth with force and pressure to the inner walls of the skull. Causes for this traumatic injury include sudden acceleration and deceleration of the head due to a violent car crash or physical assault. Such an injury can even cause bleeding around the brain. Signs and symptoms of

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