There are various causes of bone fractures, and every person – young or old – can get them. The most common reasons for fracturing a bone include falls, car accidents, sports, and even osteoporosis. Every year, more than one million broken bones are treated in hospitals across the United States.
There are four major types of bone fractures, and each one requires an immediate medical evaluation to make sure your bone heals properly. Let’s talk about what these types of broken bones are and how they can best be treated.
Common Types of Broken Bones
Any type of bone fracture constitutes a medical emergency and should be treated as such. Do not attempt to self-diagnose your injury, because you may assume that it is a sprain or strain when it is actually a fracture. If it heals improperly, you could develop a misaligned bone or an infection.
These are the main types of bone fractures:
Simple or Closed Fracture
A bone fracture is classified as simple or closed if the broken bone remains within the body and does not push into or out of the skin. Symptoms include intense pain, swelling, and bruising.
It’s best to avoid moving or straightening the broken bone while you wait for help to arrive – just sit tight. If you try to manipulate it, you could be making it worse and unable to heal properly.
Compound or Open Fracture
With this type of fracture, there is a break in the skin where the fracture is located. The bone may have fully punctured the skin, which can cause bleeding – and the danger is that bacteria and other contaminants can infect the bone through the open wound.
There is therefore a high risk of developing an infection. The wound needs to be cleaned by a medical professional, the broken bone requires stabilization for proper healing, and the open wound must be closed with stitches.
Incomplete or Partial Fracture
A partial fracture is an incomplete break of a bone whereby it bends and only partially breaks. Because the bone did not break into two or more pieces, this is the best-case scenario for a fracture. After having X-rays, your doctor will determine whether a splint is all that is needed or whether a cast is necessary.
In a complete fracture, the bone has completely broken into two or more pieces. It is marked by a complete separation that is further classified according to the position of the breakage:
- Transverse, where the break is straight across the bone in perpendicular fashion
- Longitudinal, where the break is along the long axis of the bone, somewhat down the middle
- Comminuted, where the bone is broken into more than two pieces
The type of treatment you receive will depend on the type of bone fracture you have and the severity of your injury. A doctor will work to realign and set the broken bone in order to allow the injury to heal properly.
Bone Fracture Diagnosis and Treatment in North Dakota
For bone trauma and fracture treatment in North Dakota, our team of board-certified and fellowship-trained orthopedic surgeons at The Bone & Joint Center are here to ensure that you will have a full and speedy recovery from your broken bone.
To schedule a consultation, contact our team at The Bone & Joint Center today by calling us at (800) 424-2663 or fill out our online appointment request form now. We have many locations across North Dakota, and we also gladly serve patients from Wyoming, Montana, South Dakota, and Minnesota.