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What is the difference between a fracture and a broken bone?
What is the difference between a fracture and a break?
What is a bone fracture?
What is the difference between a fracture and a bone bruise?
Jun 13, 2024 · Understanding the different fracture types, their causes, risk factors, and healing times can aid in better management and recovery. Read on to discover the most common fracture classifications and what to expect during the healing process.
- What's the Difference Between a Fracture and a Break?
A sprain is very different than a fracture. Fractures relate...
- Fracture vs. Break: Is One Worse Than the Other?
While there are many types of fractures, or broken bones,...
- What's the Difference Between a Fracture and a Break?
May 14, 2023 · A sprain is very different than a fracture. Fractures relate to bone problems. Sprains are injuries to the thick bands of cartilage that attach bone to bone—often at a joint—called ligaments. You can break a bone, but you cannot break a ligament. However, you can tear a ligament.
- Overview
- What causes a fracture?
- What are the signs that you have a fracture?
- How is a fracture diagnosed?
- How will your doctor treat your fracture?
- How long will it take your fracture to heal?
- What can you do to prevent fractures?
Bone fractures and breaks are interchangeable terms. They both refer to a bone that has been shattered, typically by excessive force. Doctors are more likely to use the term fracture.
Bone injuries are common. In the United States, more than 1 million people a year fracture a bone.
A fracture occurs when a bone is struck by something stronger than the bone itself. This causes it to break. Car accidents, sports injuries, and falls are common causes of fractures.
Repeated wear on a bone, such as from running, can also cause small fractures. These are called stress fractures or hairline fractures.
Sometimes fractures result from an infection or cancer that weakens the bone. Weakened bones in older people, called osteoporosis, are also a frequent cause of fractures.
Learn more: What causes osteoporosis? »
Fractures can range from minor to severe depending on the force of the impact and whether there is other damage to the body. Some other types of damage that may occur include:
The main sign of a fracture is pain. Most fractures will hurt, especially if you try to move or put weight on the injured bone.
Other symptoms at the site of the injury include:
•swelling
•numbness
•bleeding
•bruising or change in color
Your doctor will examine you and check the area of the injury for mobility, and for possible damage to blood vessels or joints. Most fractures are diagnosed using an X-ray of the affected bone.
Sometimes other tests besides X-rays may be needed to determine the extent of the fracture and associated damage.
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or a bone scan can show more details if the fracture is small. An MRI can also show the soft tissue area around the bone, and may indicate injuries to surrounding muscles or tendons.
A computed tomography scan (CT or CAT scan) can be used to provide a three-dimensional image in horizontal or vertical slices of the affected area. This will show more of the detail of the fracture. Your doctor may also inject a dye into your arteries and then do a scan. The dye can make it easier for your doctor to identify damage to blood vessels. Finally, if nerve damage is suspected, nerve conduction studies can be used to check for any damaged nerves.
The treatment for a fracture depends on the type of injury, the location of the injury, and its severity.
Bones heal themselves by producing new bone tissue to repair the fracture. New bone tissue forms at the edges of the break to “knit” the broken pieces together. The new bone is soft at first, and so it needs to be protected.
Usually a fracture is immobilized to protect the new, soft bone tissue. Your doctor can immobilize the bone using options that include:
•cast
•splint
•sling
On average, fractures heal in six to eight weeks. Children usually heal faster than adults.
The healing time depends on the location and severity of the break. Your age and general health will also affect your recovery time. Follow your doctor’s advice for caring for the fracture to improve the healing process.
The pain usually stops before the fracture has fully healed, but it’s important to keep protecting the injured area until it has healed completely. You may have a physical therapy program and exercises designed to build up muscle strength and joint flexibility in the injured area.
Most fractures heal without complications. A fracture doesn’t necessarily increase or reduce your chances for a break in the same area in the future.
Keeping your bones healthy is important at every age. This means getting enough calcium from your diet and doing weight-bearing exercises to keep your bones strong. Weak bones break more easily.
After age 40, everyone begins to lose bone mass. Your genetic makeup determines your peak bone mass, but diet and exercise make a big difference in keeping your bones healthy as you age.
Read more: 5 Fun water exercise that seniors can do together »
The American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons recommends that both men and women over the age of 40 have:
•at least 1,000 milligrams of calcium every day
•at least 1,000 international units (IU) of vitamin D every day
- Marjorie Hecht
Jan 8, 2023 · While there are many types of fractures, or broken bones, there are other ways to describe fractures that give more specific meaning to the problem. This article explains why bones break and how they are treated.
Bone fractures and bone bruises are both painful injuries caused by a strong force hitting your body — usually a fall, car accident or sports injury. The difference is how damaged your bone is. Your bones are living tissue that can get bruised in lots of the same ways your skin can.
The most common way to evaluate a fracture is with X-rays, which provide clear images of bone. Your doctor will likely use an X-ray to verify the diagnosis. X-rays can show whether a bone is intact or broken. They can also show the type of fracture and exactly where it is located within the bone.
A broken leg (leg fracture) will be severely painful and may be swollen or bruised. You usually will not be able to walk on it. If it's a severe fracture, the leg may be an odd shape and the bone may even be poking out of the skin.
