For patients with an orbital fracture, which symptom may indicate the presence of a muscle entrapment?

In the context of orbital fractures, the presence of diplopia, or double vision, is a significant symptom that suggests muscle entrapment. This occurs because an orbital fracture can lead to a fracture of the orbital floor or wall, potentially trapping muscles of eye movement, particularly the inferior rectus muscle. When this muscle is entrapped, the patient may experience difficulty moving the eye in certain directions, which produces diplopia when attempting to look in the affected direction.

The involvement of extraocular muscles and their movement in relation to the fracture is a direct link to diplopia, as the muscle entrapment can hinder normal eye movement coordination. This symptom is highly indicative of muscle entrapment compared to other symptoms, which may not necessarily be directly associated with muscle involvement.

Other symptoms like decreased visual acuity, increased intraocular pressure, or facial numbness may arise from orbital fractures and be significant in their own right, but they do not prescribe the same level of concern for muscle entrapment specifically. Decreased visual acuity can suggest more severe injury or damage to the eye or optic nerve, increased intraocular pressure might indicate other complications, and facial numbness could signal nerve involvement but does not directly relate to muscle functionality in the way that diplopia