During an assessment the nurse notes that a patient has contracture deformities of the hand and complains of severe pain. What musculoskeletal disorder should the nurse suspect this patient is experiencing?
1. rheumatoid arthritis
2. osteomyelitis
3. osteoporosis
4. ankylosing spondylitis
Correct Answer: 1
Typical hand deformities in the patient with rheumatoid arthritis include swan neck deformity and ulnar deviation. Osteomyelitis is an infection of the bone and does not result in contracture deformities. It may cause localized tenderness and other signs of infection such as fever, swelling, erythema and lymph node involvement. Osteoporosis may cause pathologic fractures but does not cause joint deformity. Ankylosing spondylitis is a chronic inflammatory arthritis that primarily affects the axial skeleton and leads to pain and progressive stiffness of the spine.
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