Trauma and Orthopaedics

Our Trauma and Orthopaedics departments look after patients with injuries and conditions that affect the bones, joints, ligaments, tendons, muscles and nerves.

Both emergency and elective operations can be carried out at Furness General Hospital and the Royal Lancaster Infirmary, with elective operations also carried out at Westmorland General Hospital.

Common procedures/interventions

• joint arthroscopy – a thin telescope with a light (arthroscope) is inserted into joints via a small incision to investigate joint problems. The arthroscope can be used to look for signs of arthritis and show possible damage to cartilage or ligaments
• bone fracture repair – surgery to repair a broken bone using metal screws, pins, rods or plates to hold the bone in place. A bone graft may be used where the bone has been shattered
• arthroplasty – the replacement of whole joints following damage due to osteoarthritis or rheumatoid arthritis.
• general repairs on damaged muscles or tendons – these could be acute injuries due to trauma, or chronic injury due to progressive deterioration of the tissue.
• corrective surgery – these procedures correct problems of anatomical alignment which limit function and could cause long-term problems if left untreated.

Following major trauma, such as a road traffic accident, some patients may need to be transferred to a Major Trauma Centre for more specialist care or treatment.  The closest Major Trauma Centres are in Preston, Manchester and Liverpool, however depending on the individual patient’s needs they may need to be transferred elsewhere in the UK.