Fractures: Types, causes, symptoms, and treatment

A Fracture can happen to anyone! A broken bone can range from a hairline crack to a complete split into two or more pieces. It can occur at the same time when a person may experience other injuries such as strain, sprain, or dislocation. In older people, arthritis and osteoporosis can cause easy breakage of bone even after a slight twist or trauma of the old injury.

Types of Fractures

Fractures can be classified into many forms, each one needs medical supervision and prompt treatment to avoid

Fractures can be classified into many forms, each one needs medical supervision and prompt treatment to avoid complications. Some common types of fractures that may occur;

• Incomplete Fracture- In this condition, the broken bone is not completely separated or there might be cracks without breaking the bone all the way through. Hairline, Greenstick, Buckle or Torus are all incomplete fractures.
• Complete Fracture- As the name suggests, one may experience a snap in the bone causing two or more fragments at the fracture site. Compression, Segmental, Comminuted, and displaced all come under complete fracture.
• Transverse- Forming a horizontal fracture line, the break occurs in a straight line across the bone.
• Oblique- It’s a critical fracture that has an angled pattern across the bone.
• Spiral – The fracture that spirals around the bone; it is more common in a twisting injury.
• Open Fracture- Also known as compound fracture, tears skin with the end of broken bone. The broken bone may or may not be visible through the wound but it can increase the risk of infection exposing internal tissues due to severity.
• Close Fracture- In contrast to open fracture, the broken bone doesn’t break your skin, protecting it from internal infections.
• Stress Fracture- Quite common among athletes, it can happen due to repeated strain and stress to the particular bone.

There are several other types of fractures and the severity of each one depends on the external force applied to the bone.

Signs and Symptoms

You cannot escape the excruciating pain of the broken bone! While the rest of the symptoms vary according to which bone is affected, the severity of the injury, level of damage to the bone, and some other factors. Signs that could indicate the case of bone injury include;

• Pain
• Swelling
• Discoloration of skin
• Bruising
• Angulation
• Difficulty in weight bearing
• Loss of sensation
• Bleeding (Open fracture)
• Lack of movement
• Grating sensation
• Visible deformity

In many cases, a person may pass out, feel dizzy, nauseated or sick due to excruciating pain. 

Causes of Fracture

Our bones are the most rigid part of the body, still they can break! Some common causes of fractures are;

Trauma- A terrible fall, vehicle accident, or a major sports injury can all result in fractures.

Osteoporosis- A disease which can decrease bone density making them more prone to injuries and easy breakage. Women are more likely to get affected from osteoporosis than men.

Overuse- The repetitive actions can put pressure on muscles putting excessive force on bone resulting in stress fractures. These fractures are more common in athletes.

Diagnosis

Your orthopaedic doctor will perform certain types of imaging tests to detect the exact part or location of a broken bone. These tests include;

• X-rays: The first diagnostic tool to diagnose a broken bone is an X-ray. A maximum number of fractures are easily detected through detailed images of injury.
• Bone scan: It is recommended when your orthopaedic suspect the case of fracture, but it cannot be displayed through an X-ray.
• CT scan: A CT Scan is done using a computer and X-rays to develop detailed slices or cross-sections of the injured bone.
• MRI: Similar to CT-Scan, an MRI also gives a detailed image of the fracture, the procedure applies using strong magnetic fields. Often it is used to diagnose a stress fracture.

Treatments for a Fracture

For every fracture, a specific treatment is planned to determine several factors including;

• Patient’s Age
• Location of the fracture
• The extent of the damage and injury
• Overall health and medical history
• Outcomes of the treatment
• Observing a method (medications, surgery, or therapies)

The aim of treatment is to control the pain, promote healing, prevent complications, and restore normal functionality of broken bone.

In case of an open fracture, one needs to seek immediate medical attention as it is no less than an emergency. The more delay, the more risk of infection increases as the wound exposes the bone through the skin.

For other types of fractures treatment options such as a splint, cast, medications, traction, physical therapy or surgery are available which are applied under the supervision of your orthopaedics.

Splint / Cast

A cast or splint is applied to stabilize your broken bone. It can be made of plaster or fiberglass that accumulates broken bone pieces to provide rest in the correct position to heal the area.

Medications

Medications are prescribed to control pain, and infection caused due to injury. In the case of surgery, it manages other symptoms and complications associated with the procedure.

Physical Therapy

Usually, therapy is suggested after the bone has healed to restore strength, flexibility, and mobility of the affected area. In some sports-related injuries or minor fractures, physical therapy helps in speedy recovery. 

Traction

It’s a process where an external force is applied to stretch particular parts of the body in a specific direction which includes strings, pulleys, weights, and a metal frame attracted over or on the bed. Traction is required to stretch muscles and tendons surrounded around the broken bone that allow it to heal and align in the right position.

Surgery

In complex conditions, surgery may be required to fix broken bones. According to the injury and location of fracture, your surgeon will decide to use either internal or external fixation devices to align the fragments of bone in the correct position that provides support and healing to the fracture.