A fracture is the term used for a broken bone. There are countless types of fractures within the human body. In a closed, or simple fracture, the bone is broken, but the skin is not lacerated. In an open fracture the skin is pierced, and the bone may or may not be visible in the wound. Every bone can be broken if an abnormal stress is placed upon it. The different ways to treat a fracture depend on the fracture type, the bone broken, the patient, and their requirements. All fractures have an excellent chance of healing, some more so than others. Some fractures require no treatment, other than pain control. This is common for simple hand fractures, some elbow fractures, and some foot fractures. Most rib fractures are treated without any significant treatment other than pain control.

The most common mechanism of managing fractures is cast mobilization. The length of time in a cast depends on the fracture, the patient's health, as well as the specific bone broken. Another common mechanism of treatment is internal fixation, or surgery for stabilization of the fracture with pins, screws, plates, rods or a multitude of other devices. Internal fixation also requires supplemental immobilization in a cast or splint. This is more commonly present in more complex fractures. Some bones are almost always treated with internal fixation, such as femur fractures in adults. A less commonly used method of fracture stabilization is external fixation. External fixation is pins placed around the fracture site, external to the skin, with a rod or bar placed between those pins holding them around a fracture without making significant skin incisions. This is a much more complex method of immobilizing fractures, and typically is employed for high energy fractures and fractures with soft tissue damage.

The specifics of fracture management depend on multiple factors which can be discussed with your orthopedic surgeon. Regardless of the mechanism of treatment, the human body is a wonderful machine that has great capacity to heal almost all fractures.

Stress Fractures