Anaesthesia Fundamentals | Anatomy | Bones And Joints of The Upper and Lower Limbs

Bones And Joints of The Upper and Lower Limbs
Session Overview
Description
This session describes the anatomy of the upper and lower limbs, concentrating on the bones and joints. Particular attention is paid to those bones and joints that are of importance to the anaesthetist.

Learning Objectives
By the end of this session you will be able to:

• Name and give a brief description of the major bones of the upper and lower limbs
• Describe the joints of the upper and lower limbs

Prerequisites
Before commencing this session you should:

• Understand the neutral position of the body
• Know about the concept of lateral and medial, flexion, extension, abduction, adduction and rotation

Why do anaesthetists need to know about bones and joints in the limbs? Well, consider the potential patient in the picture. We need to know about, and use, bony and muscular landmarks for:

• Emergency trauma management: Knowing blood loss associated with different fractures, and what fractures tend to be found together, increasing your index of suspicion
• Intraosseus injection: If veins cannot be found
• Nerve blocks: Using landmarks such as the medial malleolus or the ischial spine
• Nerve stimulation: For example, finding the ulnar nerve
• Positioning the patient: For example, knowing how the shoulder moves so as to avoid causing strain or nerve damage, and to avoid pressure on vulnerable areas
• Secondary survey: On the same patient in ICU the next morning
• Pain management clinic: Can you examine a painful joint?

This session will not be a comprehensive anatomy tutorial, but will concentrate on those points that are of use and interest to anaesthetists.