Wounds & Injuries

Ever since the invention of super glue, there have been super glue accidents. Hands have been attached to wood. Fingers have become stuck together. The thought of it is funny, unless it happens to...

A tracheostomy is a procedure in which an incision is made in the trachea. The objective of a tracheostomy is usually to allow the patient to breathe through the resulting opening, also known as a...

Grown in gardens or pots, and native to many desert areas, cacti create interesting focal pieces to any environment. While visually appealing, cactus plants also cause numerous injuries with their...

Exposed wounds and injuries can cause serious infection and---if left untreated---deadly infections. Drying out a wound properly and cleaning and dressing it can benefit and shorten the healing...

The advent of robotic surgery is enabling medical experts to cut down on the number of people required in the operating room. In the future, even complex surgery may only require one surgeon, an...

Ingrown fingernails can affect many people; causing skin tenderness, pain, inflammation, and irritation. The problem occurs when the edge of the fingernail grows into the flesh, becoming embedded...

As a rule of thumb, every day life is filled with unexpected but small physical accidents. This can result in a variety of minor cuts and abrasions that need to be looked after to prevent...

Prostaglandins are produced in the body by its cells and influence every organ system. They play a role in a variety of physiological and hormonal processes and sometimes work against each other...

Ticks are external parasites that need the blood of animals and humans to survive. The tiny creatures go through three transformative stages -- tick larvae, nymphs and adult tick form. They prefer...

Hip bursitis is caused when the bursa of the hip becomes inflamed. This condition is normally not infectious, but can become so. A bursa is a fluid-filled sac that reduces friction between bodily...

Frostbite is a very dangerous condition that occurs when skin freezes. This can occur at temperatures of as high as 40 degrees F if the wind is strong enough and the exposure time long enough.

Tendonitis is the inflammation and irritation of the tough cords of fibrous connective tissue that attach muscles to bones. Many factors contribute to the onset of tendonitis such as age and other...

A tendon is a cord made of strong tissue. Its job is to connect your muscles to your bones. The Achilles tendon is located along the backside of both of your lower legs. It connects your heel...

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...

Many exercises can be done in a wheelchair. These exercises are not only physically challenging and mentally stimulating, but they can help relieve neck, shoulder and back pain that many...

According to "Fundamental Nursing Skills and Concepts" by Barbara Kuhn Timby, debridement is when dead tissue is removed from a wound to promote healing. While most wounds heal on their own,...

A stress fracture is caused by a small crack in the bone. They are most common in the feet and legs. Stress fractures result from repetitive force applied to the area and are common in athletes...

Wound dressings need to be changed frequently to promote healing and prevent infection. This can be painful, but is an extremely important part of the healing process. Depending on the location of...

Frostbite can cause permanent damage to skin and underlying tissues, even when medically treated, if it is severe enough. It occurs when the tissue temperature falls below the freezing point. High...

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....

Sometimes, people find themselves in a position where they are unable to get out of bed for long periods of time. One of the most common problems with this is the occurrence of bedsores. These...

Contrast agents, or dyes, are sometimes mixed with water and injected into a patient before a MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) or MRA (magnetic resonance angiography), which are performed to...

A hiatal hernia happens when part of the stomach pushes through to an opening in the diaphragm, becomes tangled and loses its blood supply. Symptoms include heartburn, digestive problems and chest...

Piriformis syndrome occurs when the piriformis muscle, heavily involved in thigh movement, aggravates the sciatic nerve. The sciatic nerve is the longest nerve in the body, running from the lower...

At some point in life, most people experience the shock of slamming their fingers in a car door--and the surging pain that follows. Although severely wounded fingers may require medical attention,...

Corns form when there is constant pressure or friction on the skin. Corns can form from bone deformities in the foot. They can also be caused from walking abnormally such as on the inside or...

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...

The skin is one of the largest organ systems. Skin is composed of two main layers, the outer epidermis and the corium, which lies beneath. When the epidermis is wounded, the process of regrowth of...

Support hose and compression stockings are different names for the same product. With a tight fit and varying styles, this medical hosiery is used to treat a variety of ailments affecting the...

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...

Hypertrophic scars are raised scars that differ distinctly from the surrounding skin. They can appear in shades of red, pink or purple. When mature, this type of scar appears wider, up to twice...

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...

Have you been told that jaw surgery is the only option to straighten your bite? Here are some tips to survive the project.

An MRI cystic spinal lesion is a catch-all medical term for any number of possible growths in or on the spine which are diagnosed through the use of a magnetic resonance imager. The term is...

Achilles tendinitis, also called tendinitis of the heel, is a painful medical condition that occurs when the Achilles tendon becomes irritated, swollen or inflamed. The Achilles tendon, sometimes...

When we began new projects and activities, it's easier to develop blisters on the ankles and feet. Perhaps are feet are not used to the friction, or perhaps we are not wearing the correct...

Big toes are notorious for developing ingrown toenails. It can happen if you trim your toenails too short or if you taper the corners of the nails. This might make them look pretty, but the...

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....

Open or penetrating head injuries are more severe than closed head injuries. Open head injuries involve the skull and the brain being penetrated due to trauma. This sort of trauma can cause a wide...

Emergencies are guaranteed to happen when you least expect them, so your first-aid kit should be easily accessible and well stocked. Keep a kit in your home and car, and take one with you on trips.

Tendinitis is condition that involves an inflamed, or irritated, tendon. Tendinitis is common in elbows, wrists, heels and shoulders but it can occur anywhere there is a tendon. This irritation is...

The scientific or medical term for cleaning a wound from the inside out is "debridement." Depending on how the wound happened, this may mean flushing out any contaminating material, such as dirt...

Gangrene occurs when blood flow is interrupted to a certain part of the body, which causes the tissues to decay and eventually die. The affected part of the body has to be surgically removed to...

Epistaxis, better known as a nosebleed, is a common occurrence. There are two types of nosebleeds: anterior, which is the most common, and posterior. Because the nose is full of capillaries it is...

Whenever you have an injury that breaks the skin, such as a cut, gash or puncture wound, you are in danger of getting it infected. If this happens, the wound will become swollen and red, and...

A bruised toe nail can be very painful. A couple months ago I dropped a table on my toe and my whole foot was throbbing so bad I thought my foot was going to fall off. I did not want to wear...

Frostbite occurs when tissues of the body are frozen. Frostbite is medical emergency, and you should seek treatment immediately when it occurs. The steps taken prior to and during professional...

Dangerous infections and infectious diseases are on the rise, so it's important to know what works best to keep you and your loved ones healthy and safe. There are numerous anti-bacterial soaps...