There are many, many orthopedic surgeons out there but unfortunately not all of them have proven themselves wholly competent in thier practice especially where thier patients suffer the devastating effects resulting from a misdiagnosis of an orthopedic injury. Orthopedics is an area of medical practice that seems to be particularly plagued by instances of professional negligence; however, many conclude that the most common level of misdiagnosis in this genre is made at the family physician point and not the orthopedic surgeon point. Often the problem starts where referral to the appropriate orthopedic surgeon is never made by a primary care provider.
How Does Orthopedic Misdiagnosis Happen
If a doctor negligently fails to order an x-ray or misreads an x-ray and fails to diagnose a fracture it can have devastating affects for the patient. Not only can the fracture worsen but an untreated fracture can lead to severe complications. For example, if a hip or joint fracture is untreated it can result in permanent joint damage and a need for a full joint replacement procedure and if a spinal cord fracture is untreated the result can be paralysis. Improper orthopedic care can lead to fracture non-union, mal-union, severe deformities and nerve injuries which may have been completely preventable by a proper diagnosis.
Common Examples of Orthopedic Misdiagnosis
- Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tears are regularly misdiagnosed knee ligament injuries.
- Slipped capital femoral epiphysis often present with little or no hip pain causing misdiagnosis.
- Femoral neck stress fractures, if left untreated, may result in avascular necrosis and re-fracture.
- Delayed diagnosis of scaphoid fracture can cause early wrist arthrosis
- Ulnar collateral ligament tears are commonly missed.
- Achilles tendon rupture is missed almost 25 percent of the time.
Getting Legal Help
Unfortunately the odds are that you or a member of your family may have suffered a misdiagnosis of an orthopedic injury of some kind. This genre of medical negligence occurring due some kind of a misdiagnosis is all too common. The best course of action to take to protect the rights of the injured person is to contact a medical malpractice attorney to discuss the circumstance of the injury so that he can review the situation for negligence on the part of the healthcare provider. Orthopedic injuries are common and those injuries are just as commonly misdiagnosed. Protecting the injured person’s rights can become a complicated maize to navigate without the professional experience of an attorney.
