Simply put, a fracture is a broken bone. If you've ever fallen off the trampoline or out of a tree, fallen down the stairs or participated in sports, chances are you've broken a bone.
Causes
When a bone is traumatized, the result is often a fracture. This trauma can happen because of a fall, car accident, physical abuse or disease. People who have conditions that weaken the bones, like osteoporosis, are also susceptible to fractures. Stress fractures due to overuse most often happen to athletes.
Types of Bone Fractures
There are five types of fractures---closed or simple; open or compound; transverse; greenstick and comminuted. With a closed or simple fracture the bone is broken, but the skin is not. An open or compound fracture is where the skin has been broken and pierced by the bone or by something that hits the skin at the same time the bone is broken. Sometimes the bone sticks out of the wound. In a transverse fracture, the break is at right angles to the long axis of the bone. A greenstick fracture involves a fracture on one side of the bone, causing a bend on the other side. In a comminuted fracture, the bone is broken into three or more pieces.
Treatment for Fractures
One of the primary treatments for a fracture is immobilization. It is very important to avoid using the fractured bone. Treating fractures can involve a range of treatments from a simple splint to surgery. When a fracture is treated on the outside of the body, doctors use casts made of fiberglass or plaster, a brace, splint or bandages. If the fracture is treated on the inside, usually involving some type of surgical procedure, doctors use metal plates, screws or pins to hold the broken pieces of bone in place. Another treatment method is traction, which involves aligning a bone with a gentle, pulling action.
Healing
When a bone is fractured, the body immediately starts to heal itself. Sometimes the body forms a sort of protective blood clot or it may form a callus or some fibrous tissue. All of this is meant to protect the body from further injury and help in the healing process. Another development is that new strands of bone cells start to grow on both sides of the fracture. These threads grow toward each other, making the fracture close. Fractures can take several weeks or even months to heal, depending on the severity, so it's important to follow your doctor's advice. Physical therapy is sometimes needed as part of the healing process.
Tags: bone broken, Bone Fractures, broken bone, fracture bone, fracture bone broken, fracture treated