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Jai Ganesh

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Registered: 2005-06-28

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Fracture

Fracture

Gist

A fracture is a partial or complete break in the continuity of a bone, caused by trauma (falls, impacts, sports), repetitive stress (stress fractures), or underlying conditions (osteoporosis). Symptoms include severe pain, swelling, bruising, deformity, and inability to move the area, requiring immediate medical attention for diagnosis (X-ray) and treatment, often involving immobilization (cast) or surgery (pins, plates) for proper healing. 

A fracture is a break or crack in a bone, typically caused by trauma like a fall or accident. It can range from a minor crack to a complete break where the bone is in multiple pieces. Other causes include repetitive stress on the bone, a condition called a stress fracture, or a disease that weakens the bone, known as a pathological fracture. 

A bone fracture, or broken bone, is a break in the bone's continuity, caused by trauma (like falls, accidents) or stress, leading to symptoms like pain, swelling, and inability to move the limb normally. Fractures range from hairline cracks (incomplete) to multiple fragments (comminuted) or bone breaking the skin (open/compound). Treatment involves aligning the bone (casting, surgery) so it can knit back together, requiring immediate care for severe breaks. 

Summary

A bone fracture (abbreviated FRX or Fx, Fx, or #) is a medical condition in which there is a partial or complete break in the continuity of any bone in the body. In more severe cases, the bone may be broken into several fragments, known as a comminuted fracture. An open fracture (or compound fracture) is a bone fracture where the broken bone breaks through the skin.

A bone fracture may be the result of high force impact or stress, or a minimal trauma injury as a result of certain medical conditions that weaken the bones, such as osteoporosis, osteopenia, bone cancer, or osteogenesis imperfecta, where the fracture is then properly termed a pathologic fracture. Most bone fractures require urgent medical attention to prevent further injury.

Signs and symptoms

Although bone tissue contains no pain receptors, a bone fracture is painful for several reasons:

* Breaking in the continuity of the periosteum, with or without similar discontinuity in endosteum, as both contain multiple pain receptors.
* Edema and hematoma of nearby soft tissues caused by ruptured bone marrow evokes pressure pain.
* Involuntary muscle spasms trying to hold bone fragments in place.

Damage to adjacent structures such as nerves, muscles or blood vessels, spinal cord, and nerve roots (for spine fractures), or cranial contents (for skull fractures) may cause other specific signs and symptoms.

Complications

Some fractures may lead to serious complications, including a condition known as compartment syndrome. If not treated, eventually, compartment syndrome may require amputation of the affected limb. Other complications may include non-union, where the fractured bone fails to heal, or malunion, where the fractured bone heals in a deformed manner. One form of malunion is the malrotation of a bone, which is especially common after femoral and tibial fractures. Complications of fractures may be classified into three broad groups, depending upon their time of occurrence. These are as follows –

* Immediate complications – occurs at the time of the fracture.
* Early complications – occurring in the initial few days after the fracture.
* Late complications – occurring a long time after the fracture.

Details

Bone fractures are a very common injury and can affect anyone at any age. If you’re older than 50 or have a family history of osteoporosis, talk to your provider about a bone density screening.

Overview:

What is a bone fracture?

A bone fracture is the medical definition for a broken bone.

Fractures are usually caused by traumas like falls, car accidents or sports injuries. But some medical conditions and repetitive forces (like running) can increase your risk for experiencing certain types of fractures.

If you break a bone, you might need surgery to repair it. Some people only need a splint, cast, brace or sling for their bone to heal. How long it takes to recover fully depends on which of your bones are fractured, where the fracture is and what caused it.

Bone fracture vs. break

Bone fractures and broken bones are the same injury and mean the same thing. You might see them used interchangeably. A fracture is the medical term for a broken bone, so your healthcare provider will probably refer to your broken bone as a certain type of fracture after they diagnose it.

Bone fracture vs. bone bruise

Bone fractures and bone bruises are both painful injuries caused by a strong force hitting your body — usually a fall, car accident or sports injury. The difference is how damaged your bone is.

Your bones are living tissue that can get bruised in lots of the same ways your skin can. It takes much more force to bruise a bone than it does your skin, but the injury is very similar. If something hits your bones with enough force, they can bleed without being broken. Blood trapped under the surface of your bone after an injury is a bone bruise.

A bone fracture happens when something hits your bone with enough force not only to damage it, but to break it in at least one place. Fractures are more serious injuries and can take much longer to heal than bone bruises.

If you’ve experienced a trauma and have pain on or near a bone, go to the emergency room or visit your provider as soon as possible. No matter which injury you have, it’s important to get your bone examined right away.

Bone fractures vs. sprains

Bone fractures and sprains are common sports injuries.

If you experience a bone fracture, you’ve broken one or more of your bones. You can’t sprain a bone. A sprain happens when one of your ligaments is stretched or torn.

It’s possible to experience a bone fracture and a ligament sprain during the same injury, especially if you damage a joint like your knee or elbow.

What are the different types of bone fractures?

There are many different types of fractures. Your provider will diagnose a specific fracture type depending on a few criteria, including its:

* Pattern: A fracture pattern is the medical term for the shape of a break or what it looks like.
* Cause: Some fractures are classified by how they happen.
* Body part: Where in your body your broke a bone.

Fractures diagnosed by pattern or shape

Some fractures are classified by their pattern. This can either be the direction a break goes (if it’s a straight light across your bone) or its shape (if it’s more than a single line break).

Fractures that have a single straight-line break include:

* Oblique fractures.
* Transverse fractures.
* Longitudinal fractures (breaks that happen along the length of the bone).

Fracture patterns that don’t break your bone in a single straight line include:

* Greenstick fractures.
* Comminuted fractures.
* Segmental fractures.
* Spiral fractures.

Fractures diagnosed by cause

A few types of fractures are named or classified by what causes them. These include:

* Stress fractures (sometimes referred to as hairline fractures).
* Avulsion fractures.
* Buckle fractures (sometimes referred to as torus or impacted fractures).

Fractures diagnosed by location

Lots of fractures are specific to where they happen in your body. In some cases, it’s possible to experience a location-based fracture that’s also one of the other types listed above. For example, someone who experiences a severe fall might have a comminuted tibia (shin bone) fracture.

Fractures that affect people’s chest, arms and upper body include:

* Clavicle fractures (broken collarbones).
* Shoulder fractures.
* Humerus (upper arm bone) fractures.
* Elbow fractures.
* Rib fractures.
* Compression fractures.
* Facial fractures.

Some fractures that can affect your hands or wrists include:

* Barton fractures.
* Chauffeur fractures.
* Colles fractures.
* Smith fractures.
* Scaphoid fractures.
* Metacarpal fractures (breaking any of the bones in your hand that connect your wrist to your fingers).

Fractures that damage the bones in your lower body and legs include:

* Pelvic fractures.
* Acetabular fractures.
* Hip fractures.
* Femur fractures.
* Patella fractures.
* Growth plate fractures.
* Tibia (your shin bone) and fibula (your calf bone) fractures.

Fractures that affect your feet and ankles are more likely to have complications like nonunion. They include:

* Calcaneal stress fractures.
* Fifth metatarsal fractures.
* Jones fractures.
* Lisfranc fractures.
* Talus fractures.
* Trimalleolar fractures.
* Pilon fractures.

Open vs. closed fractures

Your provider will classify your fracture as either open or closed. If you have an open fracture, your bone breaks through your skin. Open fractures are sometimes referred to as compound fractures. Open fractures usually take longer to heal and have an increased risk of infections and other complications. Closed fractures are still serious, but your bone doesn’t push through your skin.

Displaced vs. non-displaced fractures

Displaced or non-displaced are more words your provider will use to describe your fracture. A displaced fracture means the pieces of your bone moved so much that a gap formed around the fracture when your bone broke. Non-displaced fractures are still broken bones, but the pieces weren’t moved far enough during the break to be out of alignment. Displaced fractures are much more likely to require surgery to repair.

Who gets bone fractures?

Bone fractures can affect anyone. Because they’re usually caused by traumas like falls, car accidents or sports injuries, it’s hard to know when someone will break a bone.

You’re more likely to experience a fracture if your bones are weakened by osteoporosis.

Osteoporosis

Osteoporosis weakens bones, making them more susceptible to sudden and unexpected fractures. Many people don’t know they have osteoporosis until after it causes them to break a bone. There usually aren’t obvious symptoms.

Females and adults older than 50 have an increased risk for developing osteoporosis. Talk to your provider about a bone density screening that can catch osteoporosis before it causes a fracture.

How common are bone fractures?

Bone fractures are a common injury. Millions of people break a bone every year.

Additional Information

A fracture is a partial or complete break in the bone. When a fracture happens, it’s classified as either open or closed:

* Open fracture (compound fracture): The bone pokes through the skin and can be seen. Or a deep wound exposes the bone through the skin.

* Closed fracture (simple fracture). The bone is broken, but the skin is intact.

Fractures have a variety of names. Here is a list of types that may happen:

* Greenstick. This is an incomplete break. A part of the bone is broken, causing the other side to bend.

* Transverse. The break is in a straight line across the bone.

* Spiral. The break spirals around the bone. This is common in a twisting injury.

* Oblique. The break is diagonal across the bone.

* Compression. The bone is crushed. This causes the broken bone to be wider or flatter in appearance.

* Comminuted. The bone has broken into 3 or more pieces. Fragments are present at the fracture site.

* Segmental. The same bone is broken in 2 places, so there is a "floating" piece of bone.

* Avulsion. The bone is broken near a tendon or ligament. A tendon or ligament pulls off a small piece of bone.

What causes fractures?

Fractures most often happen when more force is applied to the bone than the bone can take. Bones are weakest when they are twisted.

Bone fractures can be caused by falls, injury, or as a result of a direct hit or kick to the body.

Overuse or repetitive motions can tire muscles and put more pressure on the bone. This causes stress fractures. This is more common in athletes and military recruits.

Fractures can also be caused by diseases that weaken the bone. This includes osteoporosis or cancer in the bones.

What are the symptoms of a fracture?

Symptoms may be a bit different for each person. Symptoms of a broken or fractured bone may include:

* Sudden pain
* Trouble using or moving the injured area or nearby joints
* Unable to bear weight
* Swelling
* Obvious deformity
* Warmth, bruising, or redness

The symptoms of a broken bone may seem like other health conditions or problems. Always see a healthcare provider for a diagnosis.

How is a fracture diagnosed?

Your healthcare provider will take a full health history (including asking how the injury happened). You will also have a physical exam. Tests used for a fracture may include:

* X-ray. A diagnostic test that uses invisible electromagnetic energy beams to make pictures of internal tissues, bones, and organs on film.
* MRI. An imaging test that uses large magnets, radiofrequencies, and a computer to make detailed pictures of structures within the body.
* CT scan. This is an imaging test that uses X-rays and a computer to make detailed images of the body. A CT scan shows details of the bones, muscles, fat, and organs.

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