Category: Trauma and Orthopaedics

Cerebral palsy (CP) is the most frequent cause of childhood physical disability, occurring in around 2-3 of every 1000 births. The condition can be defined as one or more permanent disorders of movement or posture development due to non-progressive injury to the foetal or infant brain. Musculoskeletal abnormalities include contractures, torsion in long bones, spinal […]

Mr. James Widnall explores the complexities and risks associated with foot and ankle surgery in children. While these procedures are often necessary to fix fractures or correct deformities, they carry a complication rate estimated between 4% and 11%.

Ankle injuries are extremely frequent: sprains account for around 5% of all Emergency Department visits in the UK each year, while ankle fractures are one of the commonest fractures to require surgical intervention.

Osteoarthritis (OA), also known as age-related arthritis or degenerative joint disease, is the commonest form of joint disorder. Primary OA has no known cause and usually affects multiple joints in older patients. Secondary OA usually develops as the result of a known event, such as trauma, which affects the articular surface, particularly the cartilage, of the joint.

The loss of the use of an upper limb can be particularly devastating for the patient who may be left unable to perform everyday tasks or remain in employment. The majority of claims arise in connection with two common conditions, namely fractures of the upper limb and carpal tunnel syndrome.

Due to their weight-bearing function, injuries to the hip and knee joints have profoundly significant consequences. Each year in the UK, there are over 75,000 hip fractures and around 20% of all adults report knee pain lasting at least one week.

Until recently, evidence in medicolegal cases was collected from physical sources, such as patients’ medical histories, witness statements and expert witnesses. Technological advances mean that other sources of evidence, including social media, CCTV monitoring and GPS tracking, are now available. Many personal injury cases involve insurance companies, who are likely to use these methods of […]

Obtaining informed consent from patients has always been a crucial and necessary procedure before surgery is performed. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has radically altered care pathways and introduced new elements into the consent procedure. It is vitally important that patients are made aware of the implications of these so that they can make proper decisions about their care.

Thromboembolism occurs when a blood clot, or thrombus, forms in a vein. Despite the serious nature of this condition, venous thromboembolism (VTE) is often preventable. However, diagnosis is not always straightforward and many cases are missed. A failure to diagnose VTE is one of the commonest reasons for a case of negligence to be brought.

The pelvic ring consists of the sacrum at the centre back and the ischium, pubis and ilium to either side. These last three bones are fused together at the acetabulum, which forms a socket into which the head of the femur sits. The whole pelvic structure, which protects numerous internal organs and nerves, is stabilised […]

In the majority of medicolegal cases, the outcome is dependent on the opinions expressed in experts’ reports. Therefore, these must be based on high quality evidence, particularly in cases where the questions surrounding breach of duty, causation and the damage sustained by the claimant are complex. Furthermore, once a case has gone to court, it […]

Open fractures account for around 3% of all broken bones and are classified as such when there is direct communication between the injury site and the external environment, usually because of an overlying laceration. Open fractures are usually classified according to the Gustilo-Anderson scale, which assesses the size of the wound, any associated tissue damage […]