Dislocation

Dislocation (derived from two Latin words and signifying a displacement) is a term applied in surgery to the separation of the two surfaces of a joint arising from violence or from disease. In some instances the abnormality exists from birth, being acquired in the foetal state; it is then spoken of as congenital dislocation. Dislocations are described as complete and partial, and as simple and compound. By a compound dislocation is understood the condition in which matters are complicated by a skin-wound, which opens up the injured joint and admits air to its cavity. The chief symptoms of a dislocation are pain, impaired power of movement, and alteration in the natural shape of the parts. There are two main methods of treating a dislocation - viz. "manipulation" and "extension." When the surgeon has succeeded in restoring the parts to their natural position, or in "reducing the dislocation" as it is called, he applies some form of apparatus so as to keep the injured structures in place until healing is complete. Some of the more common forms of dislocation are dislocation of the lower jaw, of the clavicle, of the humerus, of the elbow-joint, of the thumb, of the hip-joint, and of the ankle-joint.