Prevention and treatment of traumatic fractures in the elderly With the continuous improvement of social development and medical science and technology, and the increasing standard of living, the life expectancy of our people is increasing, and our society has entered an aging society. The increase of inorganic salts, the aging of organic matter, the imbalance of calcium and phosphorus ratio, the low bone mass and the microstructural changes of bone in the elderly, the elderly have osteoporosis, brittle quality, weakened elasticity of joint cartilage and degenerative lesions of bone, so they are prone to a variety of orthopedic diseases. Wang Weiguo, Department of Bone Trauma Surgery, General Hospital of Jinan Military District Many elderly people suffer from osteoporosis, which may lead to fracture if they slip a little. According to the clinical observation of the hospital, it is found that the fractures caused by life in the elderly are more than 50%. The most common fractures in the elderly are hip fractures (femoral neck fractures, intertrochanteric fractures), lumbar compression fractures, distal radius fractures and shoulder fractures. Most fractures in the elderly require surgical treatment, as they are mostly associated with osteoporosis, poor self-care ability, or suffer from hypertension, coronary heart disease, sequelae of cerebrovascular disease, diabetes and other diseases before the fracture, and the decline of physiological functions in old age, recovery is poor. Fractures often heal poorly. So for the elderly, prevention is better than cure, and prevention of fractures is especially important for the elderly. How to prevent fractures in the elderly, and how to first aid after a fracture really unfortunate. A. Prevention of fractures 1. Osteoporosis is the root cause of fractures, prevention of fractures is disguised as prevention of osteoporosis. In the daily, eat more calcium-rich foods, such as shrimp, soy products, sesame, milk, etc.. In addition, the elderly should often do some physical exercise within their reach. In winter, they should also get more sunlight to promote the absorption of calcium. 2.Falls are the direct cause of fractures. Older people can avoid falling by following points: ① The temperature of the living room of older people should be kept at about 18℃. This will enable the elderly to wear less clothes and move around lightly; ② the placement of items in the living room should not prevent the elderly from walking; ③ furniture such as tables and chairs in the living room should be stable and not swaying; ④ the floor and shoes in the living room should be non-slip. It is better for the elderly not to wear slippers; ⑤ the lighting of the stairs, aisles and bathrooms should be sufficient, the ground should be kept dry and there should be no standing water; ⑥ the bathroom and toilet should be installed next to the handle for the convenience of the elderly. 2. How to determine whether the elderly have fractures 1. Ask the elderly if they have a history of trauma. If you suspect that an elderly person has suffered a fracture, family members should ask them if they have slipped or fallen recently. If they have, they should be extra careful. This is because sometimes a traumatic injury to an older person, although very minor, can often result in a serious fracture. For example, a fall from a 33 cm high bed may result in a hip fracture; if an elderly person slips on the stairs and lands on his or her hip, a lumbar fracture may occur, etc. 2. Observe the local symptoms. Local pain, swelling and limited activity are the most common manifestations of fracture. The patient’s pain and swelling may be mild at the time of injury, and the patient may even be able to tolerate the pain for daily activities. However, the patient’s symptoms usually start to be obvious only 2-3 days after the fracture, the local skin of the injured area will become blue, the swelling of the injured area is obvious, it cannot be touched, and the local area cannot be moved. 3, to see if there is a deformity of the body after the injury. If the elderly body deformity after a fall, you can generally directly affirm the existence of a fracture. However, if the degree of injury is relatively mild, sometimes the deformity is not obvious, so sometimes the diagnosis is also missed. The common hip fracture in the elderly is sometimes manifested as foot valgus or shortening of the limb; forearm fracture often causes a “fork-like” deformity of the wrist (viewed from the side). How to deal with fractures in the elderly 1. Once a fracture occurs in the elderly, the patient and family members should not panic. 2. Do not pull the fracture site at will to prevent damage to blood vessels and nerves. 3.The patient’s fracture should be fixed with a splint quickly. 4.Take the patient to the hospital for treatment in time.