Incomplete development of one or more limbs at birth.
Limb defects are rare and may be inherited or form part of a syndrome.
In a condition called phocomelia, hands, feet, or tiny finger- or toe-buds are attached to limb stumps or grow directly from the trunk.
The sedative drug thalidomide, when taken by pregnant women, is known to have caused phocomelia in fetuses.
An orthopaedic procedure in which the length of a limb, usually a leg, is increased. The bone is surgically divided and slowly stretched in a special frame. The operation is usually done on people with unequal leg lengths as a result of injury or from PARALYSIS in childhood. Exceptionally, it may be done in both legs to help people of short stature.... limb lengthening
A group of injuries resulting from overuse of a part of the limb. One example is TENNIS ELBOW (epicondylitis) caused by in?ammation of the tendon attaching the extensor muscles of the forearm to the humerus because of overuse of the muscles. Overuse of the shoulder muscles may cause in?ammation and pain around the joint. Perhaps the best-known example is repetitive strain injury (RSI) affecting keyboard workers and musicians: the result is pain in and weakness of the wrists and ?ngers. This has affected thousands of people and been the subject of litigation by employees against their employers. Working practices have been improved and the complaint is now being recognised at an early stage. Treatment includes PHYSIOTHERAPY, but some sufferers have been obliged to give up their work.... upper limb disorders
a rare neurological condition in which upper limb movements occur without an individual’s awareness of or control over the actions. In extreme cases, a person will deliberately use their other arm to restrain the ‘alien limb’. It is caused by damage to connections between the cerebral hemispheres or the frontal or occipital brain areas and can occur following stroke or in dementia.... alien limb syndrome
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