Complications & Prevention

Complications:
A compound fracture can lead to infection of the bone or bone marrow. In some cases this infection can progress to a chronic infection called osteomyelitis, requiring treatment with antibiotics and careful management in hospital.

If the bones in a fracture refuse to join up again, or if they take a particularly long time to do so, the bone may lose its blood supply and die. This is known as avascular necrosis. In some cases, surgery may be needed if the fracture refuses to join up.

Fractures near or through joints may result in the joint becoming permanently stiff or unable to bend properly.

Prevention:
To grow, develop and maintain healthy bones, it is important that you have enough calcium in your diet. Good sources of calcium include milk, cheese and yoghurt. Vitamin D helps the body to absorb calcium - you can find it in margarine and oily fish.

Because of the way bones are made, they get stronger and denser with regular exercise. It is particularly important that older people remain active, as this will help to reduce their risk of fractures.

The female hormone oestrogen regulates the use of calcium in a woman's body. After the menopause, women produce far less oestrogen, making calcium regulation more difficult. This means that it is particularly important that women make their bones as strong as possible before the menopause.

Source: http://www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk/articles/article.aspx?articleId=166&sectionId=6

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The Myths About Claiming Compensation

There are many myths around how to make a compensation claim and how to go about it, and therefore so many people are afraid to even consider making a claim when they should as they are not only suffering from their injuries caused by the accident but also the loss of earnings and medical costs they are having to pay.

I will consider the myths in which put people off in making a compensation claim these are as follows:

Compensation Claims are Complex and Take a Long Time – if there is no issues with who is liable then the case will take around 8-12 months which isn’t a long time. If the liability is disputed the case will take longer as well as serious injury cases. At the start of the claim you will need to fill out quite a lot of paperwork but once that’s done your solicitor will take care of other things and try and make the claim successful with little hassle and delay.

You have to go to Court to Claim Compensation – most compensations claims are actually settled out of court and long before a court case is necessary. Everyone knows it’s cheaper to settle out of court and it also saves time for everyone. Only around 4% of compensation claims reach court for settlement.

Compensation Claims take Years to Settle – most compensation claims take around 8 to 12 months and therefore under a year. If there are problems within the case around liability then the case may take a couple of years.

The Law Protects Big Companies – in the UK the laws that are in place protect the public more than the companies. The UK is one of the most compassionate and considerate in the world. Maintenance of roads, vehicles and work environments are all closely watched under Health & Safety Regulations.

All of the Solicitors are Out to Get What They Want with Hidden Charges – solicitors easily get a bad name with bad press surrounding them from radio to papers to news channels. But solicitors are one of the best professionals which are regulated in the UK. There are always bad press saying that solicitors hide charges especially with the basis of No Win No Fee. In 2000 the legislation of No Win No Fee came into play which solicitors will work on your case for free in England and Wales.

Making a Claim Against your Employer will get you Sacked – there are many accidents each year that happen at work but many don’t claim as they believe they will be sacked if they do. An employer cannot sack you on the grounds that you are claiming against them; if they do you should claim for unfair dismissal. The law protects workers who have been with the employer for over 12 months.

You Cannot Obtain Medical Treatment whilst Claiming Compensation – this is just silly, if you have injuries they need to be looked at and cared for so they heal up as quickly as possible. The other party’s insurers may require to see you through your recovery process so they themselves can see the injuries you have. The quicker you receive treatment the quicker you are likely to respond and recover from your injuries.

I hope this had put your mind at rest and made you think clearly about claiming compensation if you have suffered injuries mentally or physically from an accident that wasn’t your fault. Whatever the injuries may be you have a legal and civil right to claim compensation.

Article Tags: No Win No Fee, Accident Claims, Medical Treatment, Claiming Compensation, Myths Of Compensation Claims, Medical Treatmentclaiming Compensation

About the Author:
Jene Pedder is the Webmaster of Accident Consult who specialise in Making a Compensation Claim.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/law-articles/the-myths-about-claiming-compensation-295680.html

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What Should You Do When the Cast Comes Off?

Can you believe they use a saw to remove your cast? The funny thing is this saw doesn't hurt your skin at all. It might even tickle! Once the cast is off, the injured area will probably look and feel pretty weird. The body part that was in a cast might look strange at first. The skin might be pale, dry, or flaky. Body hair might look darker and the body part itself might look smaller because you might have lost some muscle while it was healing.

Don't worry. This is all temporary. Kids are great healers, so you'll be back to normal soon. In some cases, your doctor might suggest you do special exercises to improve your strength and flexibility. You'll want to go slow and ask the doctor if there are any activities you should avoid, such as hanging from the monkey bars. If you want to return to a sport, ask the doctor how soon you'll be able to do it.

How can you be sure you don't break any more bones? Accidents happen, but you often can prevent injuries by wearing safety helmets, pads, and the right protective gear for your activity or sport.

It's also a smart idea to do what you can to build strong bones. How do you do that?

Get a lot of physical activity, especially stuff like jumping and running.
Feed your bones the calcium and vitamin D they need to stay strong. That means getting your share of milk and other calcium-rich foods and drinks, such as broccoli and calcium-fortified orange juice.

Source: http://www.kidshealth.org/kid/ill_injure/aches/broken_bones.html

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Rib Fracture

WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW
Broken ribs are more common in older adults than younger people. The ribs may be fractured in more than one place. They generally take from 3 to 8 weeks to heal.

Causes
Causes range from a fall or a blow to the chest to hard coughing or sneezing.

Signs/Symptoms
You'll suffer pain, especially when taking a breath. Other symptoms are tenderness and shallow breathing. You may feel as though you have to hold your chest to relieve the pain. There may be bruising at the place of injury.

Care
The break will need to heal naturally. To speed healing, follow the guidelines listed below.

WHAT YOU SHOULD DO
• Avoid strenuous activity. Be careful not to bump the injured rib.
• Eat a normal, well-balanced diet. Drink plenty of fluids to avoid constipation.
• Take deep breaths several times a day to keep the lungs free of infection.
• Do not wear a rib belt or binder.
• You may apply heat to the injury to help relieve pain. Use a warm heating pad, whirlpool bath, or warm, moist towels.
• You may use over-the-counter pain-killers such as aspirin, acetaminophen, or ibuprofen.

Call Your Doctor If...
• You develop a high temperature.
• You develop a cough.
• You cough up thick or bloody sputum.

Seek Care Immediately If...
• You have trouble breathing.
• You develop nausea, vomiting, or abdominal pain.
• Your pain gets worse.

Source: http://www.healthsquare.com/mc/fgmc2180.htm

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Painkillers may prevent broken bones healing

Some painkilling drugs may delay or even prevent the healing of fractures, researchers have warned.

"It's time to tell the public," says Thomas Einhorn, an orthopaedic surgeon at Boston University Medical Center and also a paid consultant to Merck, which makes one of the drugs under scrutiny. "It would seem that a prudent approach is to temporarily avoid the use of these drugs during bone healing."

The main concern is the new generation of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). When Patrick O'Connor's team at the University of New Jersey gave these newer painkillers to rats their broken bones did not fully heal. Both drugs, Rofecoxib (sold as Vioxx) and Celecoxib (Celebrex), are often used to ease the pain of broken bones.

Merck, the maker of Rofecoxib, rejects the claim that healing could be impaired in people too. It pointed out a study on spinal fusion operations that found no bone healing problems in people given Rofecoxib. Celecoxib's maker Pharmacia did not respond to queries before New Scientist went to press.

Delay or block
But for over 20 years there have been occasional reports of impaired bone healing in patients taking NSAIDs. The issue may have escaped attention because the older generation of NSAIDS, such as ibuprofen and indomethacin, only appear to delay healing by a few weeks instead of blocking it. Aspirin is one of the few NSAIDs that appears to kill pain without this side effect.

"Ibuprofen and indomethacin delay bone healing by about one to two weeks in rats, which is the equivalent to slowing it down by 25 to 50 per cent in humans," says O'Connor. None of the rats treated with Rofecoxib managed to heal their bones. In those treated with Celecoxib, none managed to completely heal their bones but about half had some form of bone regrowth.

Traditional NSAIDs inhibit the enzymes cox-1 and cox-2. Cox-2 catalyses the production of hormone-like chemicals known as prostaglandins involved in inflammation, while cox-1 has a variety of roles not specific to the inflammatory response. Since the new generation of NSAIDs such as rofecoxib block cox-2 almost exclusively, it was hoped they would have fewer side effects.

But it now seems that cox-2 may be crucial in helping bone-forming stem cells and growth factors do their work. This area now needs to be investigated urgently, says Jeremy Saklatvala of the Kennedy Institute of Rheumatology in London. "In the meantime, people with healing fractures should steer clear of these drugs."

Journal reference: Journal of Bone and Mineral Research (vol 17, p 963)

Source: http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn2364-painkillers-may-prevent-broken-bones-healing.html

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