When treating skeletal injuries to the tibia and femur, external fixation devices apply ________________ and ________________ forces to the bones

Fill in the blank with the appropriate word.

ANS:
tension, compression
compression, tension

External fixation applies tension and compression forces to bone. Tension stimulates bone growth. Compression helps control infection and promotes union in fractures without bone loss. External fixators also can be used for correcting bone deformities and for lengthening the femur and tibia after osteotomy for limb length discrepancy.