Dr. Balentine received his undergraduate degree from McDaniel College in Westminster, Maryland. He attended medical school at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine graduating in1983. He completed his internship at St. Joseph's Hospital in Philadelphia and his Emergency Medicine residency at Lincoln Medical and Mental Health Center in the Bronx, where he served as chief resident.
Dr. Shiel received a Bachelor of Science degree with honors from the University of Notre Dame. There he was involved in research in radiation biology and received the Huisking Scholarship. After graduating from St. Louis University School of Medicine, he completed his Internal Medicine residency and Rheumatology fellowship at the University of California, Irvine. He is board-certified in Internal Medicine and Rheumatology.
A broken (fractured) arm means that one or more of the bones of the arm have cracked. This is a common injury occurring in both children and adults. In adults, fractures of the arm account for nearly half of all broken bones. In children, fractures of the forearm are second only to
broken collarbones.
Basic anatomy: The arm consists of three major bones. The humerus runs from the shoulder to the elbow. This is called the upper arm, or, simply, the arm. At the elbow, the humerus connects with
two bones: the radius and the ulna. These bones go from the elbow to the wrist and are regarded as the forearm.
Alignment: The relationship of how the broken portions of the bone come together. This is an indication of how badly a bone is broken.
Angulation: The angle formed by the broken pieces of bone. Another measure of the seriousness of the break.
Closed fracture: A broken bone without an open skin wound
Comminuted fracture: A bone that is broken in multiple pieces
Dislocation: A bone that has come out of a joint
Displaced fracture: A broken bone with the parts of the bone not aligned
Fracture: A crack in the bone. This is another word for a broken bone.
Fracture-dislocation: A broken bone that has also come out of a joint
Greenstick fracture: An incomplete fracture seen in children where only one side of the bone is broken
Malunion: Healing of the bone in an unsatisfactory position
Nonunion: Failure of the pieces of bone to heal back together
Occult fracture: A broken bone that does not appear initially on the
X-rays
Open fracture (compound fracture): A fracture that has a
laceration in the skin overlying the break or a fracture that has a piece of bone sticking through the skin
Pathologic fracture: A broken bone that is due to a weakness of the bone itself from some other disease
Almost all injuries to the arm that result in a fracture to the bone are
caused by either falling or a trauma to the arm. The most common symptoms of a
broken arm are:
a large amount of pain and increased pain when moving the arm;
swelling;
there may be an obvious deformity compared to the other arm;
possible open wound either from the bone puncturing the skin or from the
skin being cut during the injury; or
a decreased sensation or inability to move the arm, which may indicate nerve
damage.
