Bone fracture

Overview

If more pressure is put on a bone than its stability allows, it will break in one or more places. This causes severe pain and swelling, and sometimes a misalignment is visible. For such injuries, the limb must be splinted, immobilised and cooled, and a doctor must be consulted immediately.

Symptoms

Main symptoms

• Pain, swelling and bruising (haematoma)
• Limited movement of the affected limb
• Misalignment or abnormal position of the bone (e.g. twisted, torsioned, shortened)
• Loss of stability and unnatural mobility

Other symptoms

• Injury to neighbouring structures
• Blood vessels: heavy bleeding
• Nerves: sensory disturbances, paralysis
• Organs: depending on the organ, e.g. shortness of breath if a rib punctures the lung
• Circulatory collapse (due to severe blood loss following fractures of large bones such as the pelvis or femur)
• Fat embolism: when a fracture occurs, fat tissue from the bone can be released into the bloodstream and block a blood vessel, e.g. in a lung or the brain
• Risk of infection if open fracture

Causes and treatment

Causes

• Receiving a blow, falling, twisting (accident)
• Pathologic fracture: bone weakened by osteoporosis can break during normal everyday activities
• Fatigue fracture: overuse injury caused by repetitive stress in the same place (e.g. march fracture of metatarsal bones suffered by untrained military recruits)

Further treatment by your doctor / in hospital

Possible tests

• X-ray
• CT scan (computed tomography)
• MRI (magnetic resonance imaging)

Possible therapies

• Painkillers
• Immobilisation (e.g. plaster cast or splint)
• Operation (e.g. plates attached with screws to hold the broken bones together)

What can I do myself?

• Try to move the fractured area as little as possible, stabilise and immobilise the injured limb
• Cooling
• Don't move if injury to the spine is suspected (except to get away from a danger zone)

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When to see a doctor?

• Severe pain
• Severe swelling
• Big bruise (haematoma)
• If bones are abnormally positioned or abnormally mobile
• Injuries with open wounds, parts of the bone may be visible

Synonyms

Bone fracture, fractre