Chapter 41: Management of Patients With Musculoskeletal Disorders - ML

During a routine physical examination on an older female client, a nurse notes that the client is 5 feet, 3/8 inches (1.6 m) tall. The client states, "How is that possible? I was always 5 feet and 1/2? (1.7 m) tall." Which statement is the best response by the nurse?

"After menopause, the body's bone density declines, resulting in a gradual loss of height." R: The nurse should tell the client that after menopause, the loss of estrogen leads to a loss in bone density, resulting in a loss of height. This client's history doesn't indicate spinal compression. Telling the client that measuring tools used to obtain the client's height may have a discrepancy or that the posture begins to stoop after middle age doesn't address the client's question.

A nurse is planning discharge instructions for the client with osteomyelitis. What instructions should the nurse include in the discharge teaching?

"You will receive IV antibiotics for 3 to 6 weeks." R: Treatment of osteomyelitis requires IV antibiotics for 3 to 6 weeks. Continuous passive range of motion is used for clients with osteoarthritis. Weight-bearing exercises are used with clients who have osteoporosis. Limiting protein and calcium is not part of the plan of care for clients with osteomyelitis.

Which of the following is the first-line medication that would be used to treat and prevent osteoporosis?

Bisphosphonates R: Bisphosphonates, along with calcium and vitamin D supplements, are the first-line medications given to prevent/treat osteoporosis. The other medications are prescribed after these drugs are used.

A nurse is caring for a client with eczema. Which medication would be prescribed when an allergy is a factor causing the skin disorder?

Chlorpheniramine

Which of the following is the most common and most fatal primary malignant bone tumor?

Osteogenic sarcoma (osteosarcoma) R: Osteogenic sarcoma (osteosarcoma) is the most common and most often fatal primary malignant bone tumor. Benign primary neoplasms of the musculoskeletal system include osteochondroma, enchondroma, and rhabdomyoma.

Which of the following would the nurse use to determine that a client is exhibiting signs and symptoms of chronic osteomyelitis?

Persistent draining sinus R: Persistent draining sinus indicates a chronic infection in a client with osteomyelitis. High fever, rapid pulse, and tenderness or pain over the affected area is evidence of an acute infection.

A client has Paget's disease. An appropriate nursing diagnosis for this client is:

Risk for Falls R: The client with Paget's disease is at risk for falls secondary to pathological fractures and impaired gait/mobility.

Which is not a risk factor for osteoporosis?

being a male

The nurse is educating a client with low back pain on proper lifting techniques. The nurse recognizes that the education was effective when the client

places the load close to the body. R: Instructions for the client with low back pain should include that, when lifting, the client should avoid overreaching. The client should also keep the load close to the body, bend the knees, and tighten the abdominal muscles; use a wide base of support; and use a back brace to protect the back. Bending at the hips increases the strain on the back muscles when lifting.

A client diagnosed with carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) asks the nurse about numbness in the fingers and pain in the wrist. What is the best response by the nurse?

"CTS is a neuropathy that is characterized by compression of the median nerve at the wrist."

A nurse is teaching a client who was recently diagnosed with carpal tunnel syndrome. Which statement should the nurse include?

"Ergonomic changes can be incorporated into your workday to reduce stress on your wrist." R: Ergonomic changes, such as adjusting keyboard height, can help clients with carpal tunnel syndrome avoid hyperextension of the wrist. This condition is associated with repetitive tasks such as clerical work, not sports. The condition may be managed with medications, yoga, acupuncture, and wrist (not arm) splints.

A client with diabetes punctured his foot with a broken acorn in the yard. Within a week, the client developed osteomyelitis of the foot. The client was admitted for IV antibiotic therapy. How long does the nurse anticipate the client will receive IV antibiotics?

3 to 6 weeks

When an infection is bloodborne, the manifestations include which symptom?

Chills R: Manifestations of bloodborne infection include chills, high fever, rapid pulse, and generalized malaise.

A female client is at risk for developing osteoporosis. Which action will reduce the client's risk?

Initiating weight-bearing exercise routines R: Performing weight-bearing exercise increases bone health. A sedentary lifestyle increases the risk of developing osteoporosis. Estrogen is needed to promote calcium absorption. The recommended daily intake of calcium is 1,000 mg, not 300 mg.

Which of the following are routes of administration for Calcitonin? Select all that apply.

Nasal spray Intramuscular injection Subcutaneous R: Calcitonin is administered by nasal spray or by subcutaneous or intramuscular injections.

A nurse is caring for a client following foot surgery. Which nursing intervention is most important for the nurse to include in the nursing care plan?

Perform neuromuscular assessment every hour. R: The priority nursing intervention is to perform a neuromuscular assessment every hour. Early detection of neurological and perfusion problems is important to prevent complications from the surgery. The surgical dressing does not need to be examined hourly. Administering pain medication is important, but assessing the foot color and temperature are most important. Vital sign monitoring is important, but not a priority after foot surgery.

The nurse is educating the patient with low back pain about the proper way to lift objects. What muscle should the nurse encourage the patient to maximize?

Quadriceps

What food can the nurse suggest to the client at risk for osteoporosis?

Broccoli R: Calcium is important for the prevention of osteoporosis. Broccoli is high in calcium.

Which term refers to a disease of a nerve root?

Radiculopathy R: When the client reports radiating pain down the leg, the client is describing radiculopathy. Involucrum refers to new bone growth around the sequestrum. Sequestrum refers to dead bone in an abscess cavity. Contracture refers to abnormal shortening of muscle or fibrosis of joint structures.

Which area of the spinal column is subject to the greatest mechanical stress and degenerative changes?

Lower lumbar R: The lower lumbar disks, L4 to L5 and L5 to S1, are subject to the greatest mechanical stress and greatest degenerative changes.

Morton neuroma is exhibited by which clinical manifestation?

Swelling of the third (lateral) branch of the median plantar nerve R: Morton neuroma is swelling of the third branch of the median plantar nerve. Pes cavus refers to a foot with an abnormally high arch and a fixed equinus deformity of the forefoot. Flatfoot is a common disorder in which the longitudinal arch of the foot is diminished. Plantar fasciitis is an inflammation of the foot-supporting fascia.

A client with low back pain is being seen in the clinic. In planning care, which teaching point should the nurse include?

Use the large muscles of the leg when lifting items.

Which should be included in the teaching plan for a client diagnosed with plantar fasciitis?

Management of plantar fasciitis includes stretching exercises. R: Management also includes wearing shoes with support and cushioning to relieve pain, orthotic devices (e.g., heel cups, arch supports), and the use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. Plantar fasciitis, an inflammation of the foot-supporting fascia, presents as acute-onset heel pain experienced upon taking the first steps in the morning. The pain is localized to the anterior medial aspect of the heel and diminishes with gentle stretching of the foot and Achilles tendon. Unresolved plantar fasciitis may progress to fascial tears at the heel and eventual development of heel spurs.

A client with chronic osteomyelitis has undergone 6 weeks of antibiotic therapy. The wound appearance has not improved. What action would the nurse anticipate to promote healing?

Surgical debridement R: In chronic osteomyelitis, surgical debridement is used when the wound fails to respond to antibiotic therapy. Wound packing, vitamin supplements, and wound irrigation are not the standard of care when treating chronic osteomyelitis.

A nurse is teaching a client about preventing osteoporosis. Which teaching point is correct?

The recommended daily allowance of calcium may be found in a wide variety of foods. R:Premenopausal women require 1,000 mg of calcium per day. Postmenopausal women require 1,500 mg per day. Clients usually can get the recommended daily requirement of calcium by eating a varied diet. Osteoporosis doesn't show up on ordinary X-rays until 30% of bone has been lost. Bone densitometry, however, can detect bone loss of 3% or less. This test is sometimes recommended routinely for women older than 35 who are at risk for osteoporosis. Strenuous exercise won't cause fractures. Although supplements are available, they aren't always necessary.

During a routine physical examination on an older female client, a nurse notes that the client is 5 feet, 3/8 inches (1.6 m) tall. The client states, "How is that possible? I was always 5 feet and 1/2? (1.7 m) tall." Which statement is the best response by the nurse?

"After menopause, the body's bone density declines, resulting in a gradual loss of height."

A client is admitted with acute osteomyelitis that developed after an open fracture of the right femur. When planning this client's care, the nurse should anticipate which measure?

Administering large doses of I.V. antibiotics as ordered R:Treatment of acute osteomyelitis includes large doses of I.V. antibiotics (after blood cultures identify the infecting organism). Surgical drainage may be indicated, and the affected bone is immobilized. The client usually requires I.V. fluids to maintain hydration, but oral intake isn't necessarily prohibited.

The nurse is caring for a client with a hip fracture. The physician orders the client to start taking a bisphosphonate. Which medication would the nurse document as given?

Alendronate R: Alendronate is a bisphosphonate medication. Raloxifene is a selective estrogen receptor modulator. Teriparatide is an anabolic agent, and denosumab is a monoclonal antibody agent.

A nurse is caring for a client following foot surgery. Which nursing intervention is most important for the nurse to include in the nursing care plan?

Perform neuromuscular assessment every hour. R: The priority nursing intervention is to perform a neuromuscular assessment every hour. Early detection of neurological and perfusion problems is important to prevent complications from the surgery. The surgical dressing does not need to be examined hourly. Administering pain medication is important, but assessing the foot color and temperature are most important. Vital sign monitoring is important, but not a priority after foot surgery.

A nurse is teaching a client who was recently diagnosed with carpal tunnel syndrome. Which statement should the nurse include?

"Ergonomic changes can be incorporated into your workday to reduce stress on your wrist." R:Ergonomic changes, such as adjusting keyboard height, can help clients with carpal tunnel syndrome avoid hyperextension of the wrist. This condition is associated with repetitive tasks such as clerical work, not sports. The condition may be managed with medications, yoga, acupuncture, and wrist (not arm) splints.

Which of the following inhibits bone resorption and promotes bone formation?

Calcitonin R: Calcitonin, which inhibits bone resorption and promotes bone formation, is decreased in osteoporosis. Estrogen, which inhibits bone breakdown, decreases with aging. On the other hand, parathyroid hormone (PTH) increases with aging, increasing bone turnover and resorption. The consequence of these changes is net loss of bone mass over time. Corticosteroids place patients as risk for developing osteoporosis.

While the nurse is performing a physical assessment, the client reports numbness, tingling, and pain when the nurse percusses lightly over the median nerve. What should this assessment indicate to the nurse?

Carpal tunnel syndrome R: Tinel's sign (numbness, tingling, and pain in response to light percussion over the median nerve) is a positive finding for carpal tunnel syndrome. Morton's neuroma is assessed as a painful condition that affects the ball of the foot. Dupuytren's contracture is when knots of tissue beneath the skin cause one or more fingers stay bent toward the palm. Impingement syndrome is a shoulder condition.

Which group is at the greatest risk for osteoporosis?

Caucasian women R: Small-framed, nonobese Caucasian women are at greatest risk for osteoporosis. Asian women of slight build are at risk for low peak bone mineral density. African American women, who have a greater bone mass than Caucasian women, are less susceptible to osteoporosis. Men have a greater peak bone mass and do not experience sudden estrogen reduction.

A nurse is planning discharge teaching regarding exercise for a client at risk for osteoporosis. Which exercise would the nurse be most likely to suggest?

Walking R: Weight-bearing exercises should be incorporated into the client's lifestyle activities. Walking is a low-impact method of weight-bearing exercise and would be the most universal or most likely form of exercise for the nurse to recommend. Bicycling, and swimming are not weight-bearing exercise and will not increase bone density. Yoga may or may not be weight-bearing exercise depending on the yoga poses being performed; it is not as likely as walking to be recommended by the nurse.

Which of the following presents with an onset of heel pain with the first steps of the morning?

Plantar fasciitis R; Plantar fasciitis, an inflammation of the foot-supporting fascia, present as an acute onset of heal pain experienced with the first steps in the morning. Hallux valgus (commonly called a bunion) is a deformity in which the great toe deviates laterally. Morton's neuroma is a swelling of the third (lateral) branch of the median plantar nerve. A ganglion, a collection of gelatinous material near the tendon sheaths and joints, appears as a round, firm compressible cystic swelling, usually on the dorsum of the wrist.

Which term refers to a flexion deformity caused by a slowly progressive contracture of the palmar fascia?

Dupuytren's contracture R: Dupuytren's disease results in a slowly progressive contracture of the palmar fascia, called Dupuytren's contracture. A callus is a discretely thickened area of skin that has been exposed to persistent pressure or friction. A hammertoe is a flexion deformity of the interphangeal joint, which may involve several toes. Hallux valgus is a deformity in which the great toe deviates laterally.