Ladran, Sancho.

Fall from a height

Trauma

Motor vehicle accidents

Direct blow

Child abuse

Repetitive forces, such as those caused by running, can cause stress fractures of the foot, ankle, tibia, or hip

DO NOT

DO NOT move the person unless the broken bone is stable.

DO NOT move a person with an injured hip, pelvis, or upper leg unless it is absolutely necessary. If you must move the person, pull the person to safety by their clothes (such as by the shoulders of a shirt, a belt, or pant legs).

DO NOT move a person who has a possible spine injury.

DO NOT attempt to straighten a bone or change its position unless blood circulation appears hampered and no medically trained personnel are nearby.

DO NOT try to reposition a suspected spine injury.

DO NOT test a bone's ability to move.

FRACTURES

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.

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.

Treatment of Fractures

The goal of treatment is:

to put the pieces of bone back in place,

control the pain,

give the bone time to heal,

prevent complications, and

restore normal use of the fractured area.

Treatment may include:

Splint or cast. This immobilizes the injured area to keep the bone in alignment. It protects the injured area from motion or use while the bone heals.

Medicine. This may be needed to control pain.

Traction. This is the use of a steady pulling action to stretch certain parts of the body in a certain direction. Traction often uses pulleys, strings, weights, and a metal frame attached over or on the bed. The purpose of traction is to stretch the muscles and tendons around the broken bone. This helps the bone ends to align and heal.

Surgery. Surgery may be needed to put certain types of broken bones back into place. Sometimes internal fixation devices (metal rods or pins located inside the bone) or external fixation devices (metal rods or pins located outside of the body) are used to hold the bone fragments in place while they heal.

Fractures can take months to heal as broken bones “knit” back together when new bone is formed between the broken parts.