Posted by White, Natalie R._Steam Project
For my STEAM project I chose to focus on Kienbock’s disease. Kienbock’s disease, also known as avascular necrosis of the wrist, is a condition in which the lunate loses blood supply, and it leads to the death of the lunate. There are four stages to Kienbock’s disease and my project shows the progression of each stage with a playdoh model. During the first stage, the blood supply to the lunate has been disrupted but x-rays still appear normal or suggest a fracture. Stage two is when the lack of blood supply to the lunate begins to cause sclerosis of the bone and x-rays will begin to show bright areas located on the lunate, indicating the death of the bone has begun. Stage three is when the lunate has died, starts to collapse, and the surrounding bones may begin to shift to different areas of the writs, usually, it is the most noticeable in the capitate. Stage four, the final stage of Kienbock’s disease, is when the other bones located in the wrist start to show signs of deterioration, and the writs may become arthritic.
Natalie White made her STEAM Project on Kienbock’s disease, also known as avascular narcosis that is presented in the wrist. This highlighted the major issue people tend to go through when their hand begins to collapse. Although this disease is rare, treatments are being run to help find a cure. Treatments like observation, hand therapy, or even surgery. But this all depends on the severity of the disease and how far along your bones have been affected. So be advised by your doctor/surgeon. If you miss the first few stages you may ultimately lose mobility in the wrist, but treatments can relieve pain and slow mobility impairment. The project explains the four stages in which the lunate begins to die. To begin, in the first stage Natalie explained how the blood supply is disrupted but goes unnoticeable. When the second stage begins, (sclerosis) the lunate begins to appear that it is dying. In stage three, the bones move to different sides of the wrist because the lunate is dead. Stage four is the arthritic stage when other bones begin to collapse and deteriorate. As a result, the patient’s hand undergoes treatments, but for an incurable disease. The images provided in the slides helped me visualize what is happening internally to the bones. The use of play-doh aided the project with color, shape, and design well. Overall it was greatly executed, with a solid vision that was concise and easy to understand.