A gardener, she writes for California's Flowers by the Sea nursery. The surgical operation that can cure plant thorn arthritis is called a synovectomy with joint lavage (joint washout cleaning). What is the prognosis of plant thorn arthritis? This arthritis persists until the fragments are removed with a surgical operation. Hold the part of the needle or blade that is going to touch the wound over an open flame until the metal reddensfor about a minutethen let it cool before you proceed. 1– 9 ", Facts you should know about plant thorn arthritis. I was trimming the old limbs off my palm trees Saturday and I got poked a few times by the needles close to the base of the branch. Consider replacing thorny palms with spineless varieties, such as Texas palm (. Plant thorn arthritis can be prevented by avoiding exposure to the thorns of plants. a hurry to get the pruning completed so as not slow the construction of a block Inflammation of this tissue is medically referred to as synovitis. “It wasn’t an infection they discovered, it was a chemical reaction; a medical word for poisoning from the phoenix palm. Shortly after the injury, the boy received antibiotics that temporarily relieved his pain and swelling. ©1996-2020 MedicineNet, Inc. All rights reserved. Sharp thorns on their branches, trunks and the undersides or tips of fronds can puncture the skin and cause bacterial or fungal infections. How Dangerous Are the Thorns on a Hawthorn Tree? During a synovectomy, the surgeon will remove the affected and surrounding joint lining tissue (synovium) to be certain that microscopic joint fragments within the joint and its lining are eliminated from the body. MedicineNet does not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. However, chronic arthritis eventually develops even long after the plant thorn injury because of the thorn fragments remaining in the joint. If the thorn of a sago palm tree punctures your skin, get medical help, just to be on the safe side. Find Palm Tree Thorn Injury Woman Knee stock images in HD and millions of other royalty-free stock photos, illustrations and vectors in the Shutterstock collection. Sharp thorns on various parts of the trees can puncture the skin and cause bacterial or fungal infections. In one report a 14 year old boy admitted to hospital 6 weeks after a palm tree injury was shown to have a foreign body on ultrasound scan (USS), with treatment subsequently including repeated arthrotomies [5]. Puncture injuries may look harmless, but bits of thorny debris may lodge inside the wound. This requires cleaning the wound area thoroughly with soap and water and applying antibiotic ointment and a bandage. Finally, most plants that have thorns can cause mechanical injury, and some injuries result in pieces of the thorn breaking off in the skin. Plant thorn arthritis is a noninfectious inflammation of a joint as a result of a thorn puncturing the joint and leaving residual plant matter lodged within the joint. I had throbbing pain and swelling with stiffness of the joints affected. The plant thorn fragments cause a localized inflammation reaction in the joint lining tissue that leads to swelling, stiffness, loss of range of motion, and pain. We report the case of a 14 year old healthy boy, who was admitted six weeks after being injured by a palm tree thorn, with limping caused by pain and swelling in his right knee. What specialties of doctors treat plant thorn arthritis? son-in-law, Jim, as well as enjoy their company during a concentrated effort, I Keep children and pets away from spiny palm trees or, while the plants are small, carefully prune off spines that may be within their reach. The symptoms of plant thorn arthritis may occur long after the thorn is removed from the affected joint. The patient underwent cataract extraction and laser demarcation of the subretinal foreign body, which was not removed. Toxic to Pets, Too. Stevens, K.J., et al. The injuries are usually caused by the thorns lying beneath the trees in place who work in the plantation. I was wearing gloves that had extra padding over Palm trees can be dangerous if you touch them in the wrong spot. Stiffness, swelling and pain near the point of entry are symptoms. The microscopic thorn fragments are easily identified using a polarized light microscope as they appear brilliantly shiny (birefringent) to the examining pathologist. Often, however, the residual thorn fragments are too small to be seen with these methods and are detected only when identified in tissue that is surgically removed from the joint. Patients with palm-thorn problems may be unaware of the origin of their discomfort. Is the Sap From the Century Plant Poisonous? Many species of palm trees bear thorns or spines that are capable of causing injury if you're not careful when handling the plants. Plant palms with dangerous thorns away from areas where they're more likely to cause trouble, such as near walkways, patios, decks and driveways. These forms of arthritis require urgent antibiotic treatment. The plant thorn fragments cause a localized inflammation reaction in the joint lining tissue that leads to swelling, stiffness, loss of range of motion, and pain. Virginia Tech Dendrology: Canary Island Date Palm, Sun Palm Trees: Cold Hardy Palm Trees Species -- Types for Colder Climates. Without surgical resection of the plant fragments, joint inflammation persists and permanent joint destruction can occur. the thorn injury has been forgotten. Plant thorn arthritis is suspected in a patient who presents with a single joint that is inflamed after it has been punctured by a plant thorn. Most mesquite trees will have thorns which can be very long or short and very sharp. © 1996-2020 MedicineNet, Inc. All rights reserved. The tissue forms a characteristic reaction, called a granulomatous reaction, within the synovium (granulomatous synovitis). Terms of Use. Plant thorn arthritis requires operative intervention. The intensity and duration of pain, the results of imaging procedures, and the outcome of treatment were monitored. There is no chance of a tree surviving once the spear leaf, or the youngest leaf of a palm tree… Treatment with antibiotics is critical if such an infection is present. the type and frequency of thorn injury. Date thorn is a modified leaf that ends in a spine of the palm tree, Phoenix anarensis, which is widely cultivated in the Middle-East countries.2 Penetrating injuries of the extremities by date thorn are common in Middle Eastern countries.2Children are exposed to thorn injuries because of … If you remove the thorn yourself, fragments may remain under your skin. ... And a shade tree should have branches that are far spreading. Risk factors for plant thorn arthritis include gardening, especially without gloves, and exposure to thorn-bearing plants, including palm trees, roses, black-thorn shrubs, cacti, bougainvillea, yucca, pyracantha, plum trees, and mesquite trees. While plant thorn arthritis is technically noninfectious, these two forms of infectious arthritis can occur from plant thorn puncture of a joint, with or without true plant thorn arthritis. It took two ultrasound exams to locate the tiny bits of thorn debris that initiated the infection and limited the range of motion in the boy's knee. Palm trees can be dangerous if you touch them in the wrong spot. A lighter works best, but you can use a match or build a campfire, as well. Physical therapy rehabilitation exercises can be helpful to restore normal joint function. She has a Bachelor of Arts in journalism from UC Berkeley, a Master of Arts in education from CU Denver, and has taught K-12. A 65-year-old man sustained a right eye injury caused by a date palm tree thorn which is embedded in the central region of the cornea (Courtesy of Dr. Saeed Akhter Chohan, FRCS, Fujairah Hospital, Fujairah, United Arab Emirates). and rose thorn. It is important to recognize that puncturing a joint with a foreign material, such as a plant thorn, can lead to bacterial infection (septic arthritis) or fungal infection (fungal arthritis) of the joint. According to MedicineNet.com, thorn fragments often affect the synovium or tissue lining a joint and may require surgical removal or synovectomy. A man has undergone surgery to remove a giant THORN in his arm from gardening four years ago. Jim was industriously off at the store purchasing cement blocks, and I was in This is true even if the patient recalls removing the thorn, as described above, because the thorn can leave behind tiny fragments of thorn matter that leads to the chronic inflammation of plant thorn arthritis. Date palm thorn injuries are common in Middle Eastern countries, where there are many date palm plantations. The date palm (Phoenix dactylifera and Phoenix canariensis) (Figure 4) and sentinel palm ( Washingtonia The most common joints affected by plant thorn arthritis are those that can be exposed to being stabbed by falling into or brushing up against plants with thorns. Synovectomy is the surgical procedure that is used to cure plant thorn arthritis. An ultrasound examination revealed a foreign body in the posterior lateral aspect of the right knee. the knuckles... Plant thorn arthritis causes the involved joint to be. Suggest treatment for thorn injury on palm . Examination after 2 weeks of the injury revealed a subretinal foreign body (a palm tree thorn), although there were no signs of endophthalmitis or retinal detachment. Pantoea agglomerans as a cause of septic arthritis after palm tree thorn injury; case report and literature review A Kratz , D Greenberg , Y Barki , E Cohen , and M Lifshitz Pediatrics Department D, Soroka University Medical Center and Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheba, Israel. To help prevent infection, perform immediate basic first aid on any puncture wound – especially those caused by palm tree thorns. The British Medical Journal noted in a November 2002 issue that the fronds of date palms are "particularly dangerous," because the sharp, narrow tips of their spines dry quickly and break off easily when they puncture skin. Many species of palm trees bear thorns or spines that are capable of causing injury if you're not careful when handling the plants. The two inch monstrosity was thought to have been from a palm tree … Joints that are commonly affected by plant thorn synovitis include the small joints of the hands (metacarpophalangeal joints, proximal interphalangeal joints), feet, elbows, knees, and ankles. For plant thorn arthritis, anti-inflammatory medications may quiet some of the inflammation. It is not uncommon for the person affected by plant thorn arthritis to remove the thorn immediately after the puncture and then develop the arthritis many days or weeks later and not even recall that the joint had been punctured previously! 'Punctures by sharp thorns on the petioles of these palms are commonly experienced by nursery workers and landscape gardeners in … An ultrasound examination revealed a foreign body in the posterior lateral aspect of the right knee. Ultimately, the diagnosis of plant thorn arthritis requires either detection of a piece of thorn within the joint by radiology testing or surgical removal of the thorn fragments and identification of the fragments microscopically in the laboratory. Plant thorn arthritis is a noninfectious inflammation of a joint as a result of a thorn puncturing the joint and leaving residual plant matter lodged within the joint. "Imaging of Plant-Thorn Synovitis. Read about Dr. Shiel's diagnosis and treatment of plant thorn arthritis. Administer basic first aid in the event you sustain a palm-thorn puncture injury and keep an eye on the wound as inflammation requires medical treatment. Plant thorn arthritis typically affects only a single joint -- the joint that was pierced by the plant thorn. Arthritis caused by plant thorn penetration is a well known medical condition, especially among children.1–9 It has been described following injuries from thorns of several kinds of plants,includingpalm,yucca,hawthorn,bougainvillea,sentry plant,blackthorn,cactus.and rose thorn.1–9 The thorn of the date palm (Phoenix dactylifera; fig 2) is par- The sooner the synovectomy is performed, the better the outcome as chronic joint inflammation can risk damage to cartilage of the joint. Posted on Tue, 24 Mar 2015 . Exposure to these plants is the greatest risk factor for plant thorn arthritis. We report the case of a 14 year old healthy boy, who was admitted six weeks after being injured by a palm tree thorn, with limping caused by pain and swelling in his right knee. MedicineNet.com notes that although puncture wounds usually bleed little, if at all, they become infected easily. Sharp thorns on various parts of the trees can puncture the skin and cause bacterial or fungal infections. Eliminating infection also requires surgical removal of any thorn fragments. This form of single joint arthritis (monoarthritis) then becomes chronic until appropriately treated. Date thorn is a modified leaf that ends in a spine of the palm tree, Phoenix anarensis. Dogs especially seem to enjoy the taste of the plants. Pathology photo showing multinucleated giant cell granulomatous reaction (triangle point), synovial hyperplasia, fibrosis, and adjacent foreign vegetable matter (arrow with thorn fragments) with hematoxylin and eosin stain (H&E stain). Re: Are the spines on palm trees poisonous? It can help to wear protective clothing, gloves, etc., as well as being cautious when near or working with thorny plants. First, the tree will drop its fruit prematurely. In a reasonable attempt to better the lives of my daughter, Cara, and One in particular was close to the knuckle on my right index finger. Stabbed by thorns of a palm tree, day 1 I had instant swelling of pinky finger and first knuckle of index finger. Pathology photo showing thorn material (blue and yellow birefringent material) visualized under polarized light microscopy. It is associated with an upper extremity arthritis occurring at pruning time. Puncture injuries may look harmless, but bits of thorny debris carrying potentially harmful fungi or soil bacteria may lodge inside the wound and cause infection. MedicineNet does not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. An arthroscopy was performed and the thorn removed. Arthrocentesis, which involves using a needle to withdraw fluid from a swollen joint, eventually led to the identification of Pantoea agglomerans, a common soil bacterium, as the cause of the boy's septic arthritis. 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