Wounds & Injuries

Medically speaking, swelling is known as edema. Swelling is caused when fluid gathers in small spaces around body tissues and organs. While edema can occur anywhere in the body, swollen ankles are...

Onychoptosis is the medical term for a toenail falling off. This term comes from Greek origins and literally means "Nail falling off". There are two reasons why a toenail may fall off: Injury and...

The rotator cuff consists of four muscles, some tendons and ligaments and is located in the shoulder. It controls the mobility of the shoulder joint and is often injured in association with...

A repetitive stress injury (RSI) occurs due to the overuse of a certain body part, usually the hand, arm or wrist. Although precautions to prevent these injuries can be taken, treatment is needed...

Muscles are the primary component that enable humans to move. Muscles are strengthened by frequent exercise or natural use and are weakened by lack of exercise or lack of use. Injury can occur...

Initial treatment of a meniscal injury requires only basic first aid. The meniscus is cartilage, between the femur and tibia, that absorbs shock in your knees. Minor tears in the meniscus cause...

A knee injury requires special care. To prevent further injury, it is necessary to wrap the knee to protect it, especially during sports or rigorous activities. If an injured knee is not wrapped...

Tendinitis occurs when a tendon, which connects the bone to muscle, becomes inflamed and injured. It is a common sports injury, but can result from any sort of overuse or repetitive movement....

Tennis elbow is a repetitive-use injury caused by inflammation and small tears in the tendons of the elbow. It is experienced by athletes, hence its name, but also affects laborers, computer...

Conditions such as peripheral artery disease (PAD) and diabetes cause lessened blood flow to the toes and other extremities. When a patient with lessened blood flow injures a toe, the wound may...

Goose egg is a common term for bumps that form on someone's forehead or scalp after a blow to that area. Usually the injury is limited to that specific area of the head and does not indicate brain...

Confusion is common about whether heat or cold will give the best results for a sports-related or in-home injury, especially since both will help temporarily relieve pain. The use of heat or cold...

When an injury occurs, leaving an open wound, it is important to take immediate action. Untreated wounds can lead to infections as well as permanent scars. By disinfecting and treating the wound...

Tendons are fibrous tissues that connect muscles to bones. Injury can occur due to overuse, causing inflammation. There are different stages of injury. Serious tendon injuries require medical...

Tendinitis is characterized by inflamed tendons, the fibers that attach muscles to bones. This condition can occur in your biceps or any other part of the body. The most common causes are injury...

A groin injury can have several causes, such as overexertion or traumatic injury. Treating the injury quickly is critical to a successful recovery. However, groin injuries cannot be treated like...

Head injuries are classified into two types, open and closed. An open head injury happens when the skull breaks and the brain is penetrated. You can suffer an open head injury from a high-impact...

The hamstring is the back of your thigh, or the muscles that make up the area. It extends from the hip to the knee. The hamstring muscle group consists of the semitendinosus, the semimembranosus...

The brachial plexus is a nerve complex located in the neck and under the arm. Damage to this complex---known as brachial neuropathy---has a number of potential causes, including traumatic injury,...

Injuries to the hip flexor muscles are fairly common among athletes like runners and soccer players. The hip flexors are comprised of three muscles: the rectus femoris, psoas major and iliacus....

Bike accidents have caused more injuries to children than almost any other consumer product. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission estimates that more than 70 percent of children ride bikes...

Muscle strains range in severity from a mild tear to a more severe injury requiring surgery. The recovery time for muscle tears varies based on the injury. Recovery for torn muscles also varies...

The spinal column is one of the most delicate parts of the human body as it can cause widespread damage when injured. The spinal cord not only serves as the skeleton's mainframe, but it also...

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimate that the number of individuals, just in the U.S. alone, who suffer from a serious brain injury is close to one and a half million each...

Hypertrophic scars occur when there is an overgrowth of fibrous tissue at the site of an injury. After the wound is repaired, the tissue continues to build up and becomes an elevated scar....

By no means does a brain injury guarantee that the victim will also suffer from seizures after the injury. But the occurrence of seizures, seizure disorder and even chronic epilepsy after a...

Spinal cord injury occurs when there is damage to the spine. Damage is caused by either a trauma or medical condition and can cause loss of function, mobility or feeling. The type and location of...

Having a correct diagnosis for ankle swelling is essential to receiving the right treatment. Ankle swelling is caused when fluid accumulates around the joint and soft tissue. Swelling of the...

Groin injuries are common and can be excruciating. Many groin injuries such as a hernia result from overuse and the everyday wear and tear on our bodies.

A broken bone is incredibly painful and requires immediate medical attention to prevent further injury. A proper splint will stabilize the injured bone until you are able to reach a health care...

A traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a mild to severe head wound that can have a wide array of symptoms, all of which disrupt the brain's normal functioning. The Centers for Disease Control estimates...

Head injuries, also called head trauma, cover a wide spectrum of damage to the scalp, the skull or the brain. Most injuries to the head are fairly minor, although a head wound with a laceration...

Spinal cord injury is the term used to describe damage to the long central nerve that sits inside the spinal column. Messages transmitted from the brain through this nerve trunk are responsible...

Depending on the extent of the damage, a hamstring injury can take a few months to a year or more to heal completely. Obviously, the worse the damage the longer the healing will take. However, two...

The Achilles tendon connects the heel to the calf muscle. When the calf muscle shortens, the Achilles tendon pulls and moves the foot downward, allowing for such movements as jumping, running,...

Spinal cord injury (SCI) is damage to the spinal cord resulting in loss of mobility or feeling. Damage to the spinal cord may result from direct trauma to the spinal cord or from injury to...

A closed head injury results from a hard blow to the head that does not break the skull. These types of injuries usually occur in falls, assaults and traffic accidents. Children who have been in...

A blister is a collection of liquid beneath or within the epidermis that causes the skin to bubble and swell. It generally is formed by constant friction or rubbing from shoes, rough cloth or...

Heat and cold therapy has been an effective tool for the management of pain and inflammation, and as means to aid in healing for centuries.

The rotator cuff is made up of a group of muscles that are responsible for connecting the arm to the shoulder joint. These muscles help provide strength and stability to the shoulder while giving...

Wrist health and safety is essential to maintaining full range of motion in the hands and protecting the median nerve and ligaments that allow us to manipulate our fingers and thumbs.

Head trauma can range from a bump on the head to a serious brain injury. The head trauma can be an open or closed injury to the head. A closed injury means the head has received a hard blow, but...

The popliteus muscle is a thin, triangular muscle in the back of the knee. Its action bends the knee and rotates the leg. It is easy to strain or injure this muscle, especially if you are a runner...

Head trauma happens to everyone. Some head trauma might be minor and won't require medical attention. Some people experience head injuries that alter their lifestyle, while major head trauma can...

Rib injuries are painful and make it uncomfortable to move. They can be caused by an impact to the ribs, sports, coughing, vomiting, and other activities. Most rib injuries heal with time, but...

Diagnosing a knee injury can be a bit of a task. Sometimes people think that knee pain signals the onset of an injury. While this is true in a lot of cases, sometimes knee pain is just knee pain....

The hamstring runs along the back of the leg and consists of a large group of three muscles. Hamstring injuries can vary from being minor to severe, as in some cases the muscle could rupture....

Just the sound of the word pain causes us to wince. Pain is the message sent through your nervous system to notify your brain that something is wrong. Pain can range from mildly uncomfortable to...

A spinal cord injury can be a very serious condition that requires around-the-clock care for the patient. As a nurse, it's your job not only to make sure the patient is receiving any treatments,...

Anyone who has gotten hit on the head might sustain a head injury. Head injuries encompass all trauma that occurs on the scalp, skull or to the brain. There are different types of head injuries....