Adult Trauma Principles

• Describing a Fracture
• Classification systems
  • Classification of fractures
    • AO
    • Gustilo-Anderson (open fractures)
    • Upper Limb
      • Distal Radius: Cooney, Fernandez, Frykman, Melone, Universal
    • Lower Limb
      • Pelvis: pelvis, acetabular, anterior hip dislocation, posterior hip dislocation
      • Femur: subcapital, transcervical, intertrochanteric, subtrochanteric, shaft, supracondylar
      • Knee: patellar
      • Tibia: spine, plateau, apophyseal, shaft, pilon
      • Foot / Ankle: ankle, calcaneal, Lisfranc, Talus
  • Classification of soft-tissue injuries
    • Tscherne
    • Strains & Sprains
  • Scoring Systems in Trauma
    • Glasgow Coma Score
    • Injury Severity Score
    • Mangled Extremity Severity
    • Abbreviated Injury Score
• Trauma principles
  • Principles
  • EMST
  • Approach to Multi-trauma patient
  • Open fractures
  • Nonunion
  • Plaster of Paris / Closed Fracture Management
  • Treatment of soft-tissue injuries
  • Compartment Syndrome
    • Foot Compartment Syndrome
  • Treatment of bone injuries | Fractures
  • Fracture healing (bone regeneration)
• Principles of surgical treatment
  • Principles of External Fixation
  • Principles of Internal Fixation
• Biomechanics | Biomaterials of implant design and fracture fixation
  • Pin and wire fixation
  • Screw
  • Plates
  • Intramedullary nails
  • External fixation
• Rehabilitation

Reviewed by Professor Phong Tran, Head of Orthopaedic Surgery, Western Health. Last updated 10 October 2026.