Fracture Care

What are fractures?

Fractures are broken bones. Healthy bone is very strong and does have slight flexibility, so it’s resistant to breaking, but under enough force, bones can crack or snap.

Fractures take a variety of forms. Some of the more common fractures include:

Stable fractures

Stable fractures are those where the bone breaks cleanly, and the ends stay in position.

Compound fractures

Compound or open fractures are nasty injuries where the broken bone is visible, often sticking out through your skin. They're particularly painful and prone to infection.

Comminuted fractures

Comminuted fractures occur when your bones break into three or more pieces. Sometimes bones can shatter into multiple fragments.

Greenstick fractures

Greenstick fractures affect children and teens while their bones are still growing. The bone breaks on one side but remains connected on the other.

Stress fractures

Stress fractures occur over time due to overuse when tiny cracks develop in the bone.

Vertebral compression fractures 

Vertebral compression fractures of the spine typically occur in older patients with osteoporosis, a disease where the bones lose density and become brittle. 

What kinds of injuries might require fracture care?

Any of your bones could fracture under enough pressure. Some of the fractures the Sports Medicine and Orthopaedic Institute team sees most often include:

• Clavicle fractures
• Mid-humeral fractures
• Elbow fractures   
• Forearm fractures in children
• Wrist fractures  
• Finger fractures  
• Metacarpal fractures  
• Scaphoid fractures   
• Femoral neck fractures
• Subtrochanteric hip fractures  
• Fractures of the patella
• Microfractures  
• Ankle fractures  
• Fractures of the tibia  
• Scapula fractures

Most fractures are extremely painful, but in some cases, you might have a fracture and not be aware. That often happens with ankles because the symptoms of an ankle fracture are similar to those of a sprain, where you tear the ligaments in the joint. The two injuries can also occur together.

To confirm you have a fracture, your Sports Medicine and Orthopaedic Institute provider looks at X-rays of the injured area. These can also help determine the extent of the damage to ensure you receive the most appropriate fracture care.

What kind of fracture care might I need?

The fracture care you need depends on the kind of break, its severity, and factors like your age and other health problems. Treating fractures in children requires specialist expertise to ensure there's no interference with the growth plates because any damage can affect limb length and bone development.

A stable fracture, where the bones are in alignment, might just need a cast to protect it while the bones heal. A clean but misaligned break might be suitable for closed reduction, where your provider at Sports Medicine and Orthopaedic Institute manipulates the ends of the bones back into position before putting on a cast. 

Vertebral compression fractures are treatable with kyphoplasty, a minimally invasive procedure that raises the damaged vertebra’s height and stabilizes it with bone cement.

More serious fractures are likely to require open reduction, which involves having surgery to repair the bones and tissues. Your surgeon might need to use screws, plates, and other fixtures to mend badly broken bones. Severe fractures of the joints might require joint replacement surgery if the bones aren't repairable.

To ensure optimal recovery from a fracture, you also need to follow a physical therapy program.

If you need expert fracture care, call Sports Medicine and Orthopaedic Institute immediately or book an appointment online.