Fracture
Overview
Risk Factors
Things that may raise the risk of a fracture are:
- Health problems that weaken bones, such as osteoporosis
- Health problems that may cause falls, such as nerve or muscle problems
- Low muscle mass
- Playing contact sports
- Not wearing a seatbelt
- Poor nutrition
- A sudden increase in activity
- Being around violence
- Side effects from some medicines, such as those used to treat cancer
SymptomsandDiagnosis
Treatments
Treatment
It can take 3 weeks for a mild fracture to heal. It may take many months for a severe fracture of a long bone to heal. The goals of treatment are to manage pain and support the bone as it heals. Options may be:
- Medicine to ease pain
- A splint, brace, cast, or sling to keep bones in place as they heal
- Crutches to take weight off of a broken bone
- Exercises to help with muscle strength and range of motion
Children's bones have growth plates that let bones grow and harden with age. A child with a fracture may need to be checked over time to make sure the bone heals the right way and keeps growing.
Putting Bones Back in Place
Some fractures cause pieces of bone to come apart. These pieces will need to be put back into place. This may be done:
- Without surgery—anesthesia will be used to ease pain while the doctor moves the pieces back into place
- With surgery—pins, screws, plates, rods, or wires may be used to reconnect the pieces and hold them in place
This content is reviewed regularly and is updated when new and relevant evidence is made available. This information is neither intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider prior to starting any new treatment or with questions regarding a medical condition.
Edits to original content made by Denver Health.
Copyright © EBSCO Information Services
All rights reserved.
RESOURCES
American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine http://www.sportsmed.org
Ortho Info—American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons http://orthoinfo.aaos.org
CANADIAN RESOURCES
Canadian Orthopaedic Association http://www.coa-aco.org
Canadian Orthopaedic Foundation http://www.canorth.org
References
Distal radius fracture—emergency management. EBSCO DynaMed website. Available at: https://www.dynamed.com/management/distal-radius-fracture-emergency-management . Accessed September 25, 2019.
Femoral shaft fracture—emergency management. EBSCO DynaMed website. Available at: https://www.dynamed.com/management/femoral-shaft-fracture-emergency-management . Accessed September 24, 2019.
Fractures: an overview. Ortho Info—American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons website. Available: http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/topic.cfm?topic=A00139. Updated October 2012. Accessed September 25, 2019.
Middle phalanx finger fracture. EBSCO DynaMed website. Available at: https://www.dynamed.com/management/middle-phalanx-finger-fracture-emergency-management . Accessed September 24, 2019.
Welck MJ, Hayes T, et al. Stress fractures of the foot and ankle. Injury 2017 Aug;48(8):1722.