BONE FRACTURES Brennan Boyd Fractures Fracture medical term for a broken bone On average each person has 2 in their life Occur when a bone is not able to support the pressure placed on it Common Causes Falling from a height Slipping on ice Motor vehicle accident Athletic injury Overuse Child Abuse Osteoporosis Symptoms Out of place or misshapen limb Intense pain Broken skin with bone protruding Limited mobility or inability to move a limb Swelling bruising or bleeding Diagnosis Use X rays to locate and asses the type of fracture When X rays can t show the fracture ex wrist hip and stress fractures CT scan MRI Bone Scan If you have a skull fracture the doctor will most likely skip the X ray and proceed directly to a CT scan CT scan will diagnose the fracture and potential injuries inside the skull such as bleeding around the brain Types of Fractures Simple closed vs Compound open Simple no part sticks out through the skin Compound part of the bone sticks out through the skin Types of Fractures Displaced vs Not displaced Displaced the pieces of broken bone are spatially aligned Not displaced the pieces of broken bone are not spatially aligned Non Displaced Kevin Ware http www youtube com watch v 4qEIFmUOwd8 Landed awkwardly and suffered a compound fracture I m fine just win the game Types of Fractures Complete Incomplete Linear Transverse Oblique Spiral Comminuted Impacted Complete Fracture bone fragments separate completely Break across the entire cross section of a bone Incomplete Fracture bone fragments are still partially joined There is a crack in the osseous tissue that does not completely traverse the width of the bone Linear Fracture the fracture is parallel to the bone s long axis Transverse Fracture the fracture is at a right angle to the bone s long axis The break occurs across the shorter part of your bone rather than down the length Oblique Fracture the fracture is diagonal to a bone s long axis Spiral Fracture a fracture where at least one part of the bone has been twisted Happens when the break spirals around the bone Comminuted Fracture the bone has broken into several pieces Bone shatters into at least 3 bone fragments Impacted Fracture a fracture caused when bone fragments are driven into each other Happens when forces push against both ends of the bone and push the broken ends together Treatment Fractured bones must be set properly and held there in order to heal properly Most fractures can be set without surgery Serious fractures may require surgery to set the bone fragments Immobilize the fracture with a cast or splint Meds painkillers and antibiotics esp for compound Rehab to restore proper blood flow maintain muscle tone and strengthen bone Sources http www nlm nih gov medlineplus fractures html http www webmd com a to z guides understanding fractures basic information http www nlm nih gov medlineplus ency article 000001 ht m http www webmd com a to z guides understandingfractures treatment