Musculoskeletal Key

Hands are involved in more than 80% of all severe burns. Each hand represents less than 3% of the total body surface area, but nonetheless, the American Burn Association categorizes…

The classification of abnormal, posttraumatic pain is complicated and encompassed in the term complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS). The term reflex sympathetic dystrophy (RSD), a descriptor of posttraumatic pain, is…

Occasionally, a patient will have symptoms or physical findings that do not coincide with recognizable disease patterns. The symptoms may be out of proportion to the physical findings, or the…

Acknowledgment: This section on skin grafts was originally a chapter written by Dr. Earl Browne , and much of his writing remains. Skin Grafting The skin is the largest organ…

In contradistinction to a split-thickness or full-thickness skin graft, a flap receives its blood supply independent from the underlying bed on which it is laid. An axial-pattern flap derives its…

Many venomous animals can cause injuries to humans. The injuries are induced by substances called toxins that are produced or stored in the body of these animals and inoculated (i.e.,…

Acknowledgment: We would like to recognize our friend and partner Douglas P. Hanel, MD, who was a coauthor on the 6th edition version of this chapter. His contributions to it,…

Bone grafts have been used since the first decade of the twentieth century to fuse joints and repair defects. The desirability of a living bone graft was recognized by several…

Acknowledgment: The authors wish to acknowledge and thank Dr. Michele Gerwin Carlson. Her efforts in the previous edition of this text provided the foundation for this chapter. Cerebral palsy and…

No single conceptual development has had an impact on the field of hand surgery as profound as the advent of microsurgical techniques. The ability to repair blood vessels that could…