Identifying Bone Deformity

Identifying a Bone Deformity

Identifying a bone deformity is fairly easy if the bone is twisted or curved significantly enough that anyone could visually look at it and see that something is definitely wrong. However, sometimes, the deformities are less noticeable. In these cases, a doctor must do a thorough examination of the limb that is being disfigured. Measurements are taken to compare it with the other matching limb. X-rays and bone density analysis tests are sometimes also needed too.

Causes

There are a multitude of causes of bone deformities. They can occur due to a difficult birth, which leads to a baby being born with bones bent out of shape. In congenital bone deformities such as this, the child's bones generally straighten out on their own by the age of nine. If the don't by the age of ten, treatment is needed though. Severely obese teenagers and adults who are already finished growing also experience bone deformities if their weight is so high that their bones simply cannot support it correctly anymore. Also, if a bone is broken from an injury, but it does not heal correctly, this can lead to it growing back together in an irregular shape. Cancer that is spread to the bones can disfigure them as well.
The first one is an angulation. This means that the bone is bent in an outward curved position. The next is a torsion, which leads to the bone being contorted into a twist. A translation refers to the bone moving out of its original naturally straight position. It is mostly common with broken bones. And the last kind of bone deformity is a limb discrepancy. This means that the limb is straight, but not of a normal size if compared to the other limb. For example, a person having one leg shorter than the other would have a limb discrepancy.

Bone Deformity