A fracture It is an injury in which the bone is split or fragmented. This occurs as a result of trauma to the bone during a fall, accident or sports practice. However, it is possible for the bone to break as a result of conditions that weaken it and cause it to lose its strength, such as diseases such as osteoporosis.
There are four ways a bone can be broken:
Fissure. There is a break in the bone that does not cover its entire diameter.
Nondisplaced fracture. In this case the bone splits but the broken ends stay aligned with each other.
Displaced fracture. Unlike the previous one, the ends of the bones have displaced from their place and are not aligned.
Open fracture. It is the most serious form of fracture, in it the ends of the broken bone acted as an element that cut soft tissues such as muscle and even skin. In this type of fracture there are very deep skin wounds through which fragments or ends of the bone can be seen. These bills are often accompanied by heavy bleeding.
How to recognize a fracture?
Injury to a bone is accompanied by blood loss and the formation of a hematoma, which together with the inflammation makes the area swollen and sore.
Fractures are very easy to recognize when they are open fractures, in which you can see the ends of the bones sticking out through the skin. In closed fractures it is also easy to identify the fractures when the ends of the bones move out of place, this produces deformity in the area, a lot of pain when touched or mobilized and a loss of the ability to move the structure where the injury is located.
In the case of non-displaced fractures, where although the bone is broken, its ends are placed in place, it is more difficult to identify it, in fact many times people who have suffered trauma and have very intense pain -which They have preferred to drive at home - they are surprised when an X-ray reveals that there was a fracture. The predominant symptom in these cases is a very intense and well-localized pain, which intensifies when touching the trauma site and which worsens with mobilization, this pain does not disappear with the use of painkillers, which makes the person go to the doctor showing the fracture.
Can a fracture occur spontaneously without trauma?
Although it may seem surprising, bones can fracture from efforts as simple as sneezing or being hugged. Obviously it is a weakened and very fragile bone, as occurs in people who suffer from diseases such as osteoporosis, the imperfect osteogenesis or in the case of bones that have been invaded by tumor metastases.
A "spontaneous" fracture Very common is vertebral fracture, the vertebrae of the spine, being weakened by osteoporosis, collapse and collapse. This is the reason why many elderly people find themselves hunched forward with a very pronounced hump on their back. This occurs because the vertebrae, when collapsing, take the shape of a wedge that causes this type of deformity to develop.
How are fractures treated?
There are two types of treatment for fractures: orthopedic treatment and surgical treatment.
Orthopedic treatment. When the fracture occurs and the bones do not move, it is possible that these are consolidated by immobilizing the affected area, for this materials such as plaster or fiberglass are used, there are also immobilizing devices called splints. This treatment lasts for several weeks.
Surgical treatment. When the fracture is of the displaced or open type, the only way for the bone to reattach, and be well aligned, is by placing metal elements that hold the ends together. For this, titanium material is used, mainly plates, bars and screws, in the case of fractures that cover the ends of the bones, such as the head of the femur, its fracture that occurs mainly in the elderly, is corrected by replacement articulate with a metal prosthesis.
