Reviewed by Dr. Clement J. Cheng
Fractures, or broken bones, are often the result of injury or accident. Whenever stress on a bone is stronger than the bone, the bone breaks. Around 5.6 million fractures happen in the United States every year.
Bone fracture may be suggested if the person is unable to move or put weight on an injured area; if it looks misshapen; or if it is very painful. Without an X-ray, diagnosis of a bone fracture is difficult. In case of doubt, the injury should be treated as if it is a fracture until a test determines otherwise.
If there is no pulse below the injury, or the area below the injury is numb, tingly, or paralyzed, CALL 911 IMMEDIATELY! These are symptoms of a rare emergency that needs immediate medical attention.
Fractures are categorized as either open or closed. An open fracture means that the broken bone breaks through the skin. If a wound is visible over a fracture, it may be an open fracture. A closed fracture means the bone does not show through the skin; this means less damage to the muscles and other tissues.
While most broken bones are the result of an accident or injury, there are less obvious causes.
A stress fracture results from either repeated stress on one bone or too much stress on one bone for too long. These can happen in the spine of women with osteoporosis, the hands of golfers, or the long bones of active people. Repeated stress may lead to compression fractures.
Avulsion fractures happen when strong muscle contractions pull off a section of the bone to which the muscle is attached. These are most common in the shoulder, knee, leg, and heel.
Aging, osteoporosis, and cancer can make the bones increasingly weak and brittle until they break very easily.
Proper treatment of a fracture is imperative. Otherwise, the bone may rejoin out of alignment. If a bone fragment is separated from its blood supply, it may die. In some open fractures, the bone may get infected. All open fractures require the attention of an orthopedic surgeon. Moreover, broken bones can affect everything around them. Bone fragments can compress or sever nearby blood vessels or nerves. A broken rib can puncture a lung. Some of this damage to soft tissues requires surgery.
