Ernie the dachshund pees on the hardwood floor, and his owner, Pamela, slips in the pee puddle and crashes to the floor.  A large, bloody bone is exposed on the medial side of her left lower leg.  In addition, the top portion of the large bone below her kneecap is pushing against the unbroken skin in a very unusual way.  Pamela is taken to the Emergency Room by her awesome husband, David, where she has several X-rays taken.  The X-rays revealed a comminuted fracture of Pamela’s left patella and a compound, complete, fracture of the left tibia just above the medial malleolus, resulting in displacement.  In addition, there is a simple greenstick fracture of the left fibula adjacent to the tibial fracture.  Pamela is also experiencing severe swelling and pain around her left ankle, even though X-rays indicated no fracture of the tarsals.  An MRI performed later revealed a tear of the left anterior cruciate ligament. As Pamela’s nurse, your job is to describe her injuries in an understandable way to David and other family members.  You should also describe the expected healing processes for the various injuries she has experienced.  Include information about length of healing time based on what you know about the affected tissues.  Be sure to let Pamela’s family know whether she is likely to develop an infection and why. View the Grading Rubric for this question so you know how your answer will be scored.

In an average male, epiphyseal plates remain active longer than in an average female, resulting in greater height.

When calcium levels in the bloodstream fall below the homeostatic range, the __________ produce(s) a hormone called _____________.

When bone is stressed on one side, it usually bends slightly on the other side and does not fracture. This is due to tensile strength provided by __________ in the osseous tissue matrix.

Which of the following types of synovial joints allows the greatest range of motion?

Parathyroid Hormone stimulates osteoblasts, which causes them to deposit more bone matrix.

Which of the following involves an attempt to pursue illegal activities through the use of advanced electronic media?

One of the early steps in this type of osteogenesis is death of chondrocytes within a “center” that becomes ossified:

Another term for an exaggerated lumbar curvature is scoliosis.

Appositional bone growth refers to lengthening of bones due to mitotic activity at the epiphyseal plates.