Abstract
Many people present in a clinical setting with severe pain after experiencing profound physical trauma from falls and collisions. It is in this population of patients that the possibility of fracture may be real and present. A chiropractor can utilize several available diagnostic instruments that can confirm or rule out fracture. Among these available tools are tuning forks and therapeutic ultrasound over the area of complaint, and diagnostic imaging such as plain film radiography, computerized tomography and bone scintigraphy. Following is the case of a 23-year-old female patient presenting with localized right elbow pain attributed to a fall off her bike. Application of tuning forks and therapeutic ultrasound over the injured elbow joint failed to reproduce pain. Based upon the negative results of these two tests, it was erroneously concluded that a fracture was not present. Plain film radiography and computerized tomography eleven days post-trauma confirmed the presence of a non-displaced chisel fracture (Mason type I fracture) of the radial head. The application of tuning forks and therapeutic ultrasound to confirm the presence of fracture is presented and discussed.
Keywords: fracture, tuning fork, ultrasonic therapy
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