Fracture Care

Fractures and broken bones are actually considered the same thing by medical professionals, although there are different types. No matter what you call it, Dr. Dear’s goal is to get your fracture healed and restore your motion and function as quickly as possible.

Types of fractures

There are many types of fractures that can happen to people of all ages.

• Nondisplaced fractures (a simple crack where the bone fragments maintain alignment)
• Displaced fractures (bone fragments lose their normal alignment and create a deformity)
• Closed fractures (the skin is intact)
• Open fractures (the fracture causes a break in the skin, increasing the risk of infection)
• Comminuted fractures (multiple fragments)
• Articular fractures (the fracture goes through a joint surface, which increases the rate of future arthritis)

Fracture treatment includes restoring proper alignment, healing the affected bone, and restoring mobility. It is important to consider the importance of maintaining strength and motion while the fracture heals. There are different treatments for fractures, including:

• Simple rest and protected motion
• Casting
• Manipulation of the fracture
• Surgical stabilization with internal or external screws, pins, nails, rods, etc.
• Joint replacement surgery
• Amputation in the most extreme cases

Treating fractures

Thanks to modern medicine, treating broken bones is easier than ever. Many fractures are treated with hardware that is placed inside the body to help support the bone structure. This is known as stabilization. For fractures on long, tubular bones such as the femur or humerus, titanium rods are typically used. For more complicated fractures and those on smaller bones, a mixture of plates and screws can be used for stabilization. Finally, if a fracture occurs through the hip or shoulder joint, sometimes these are treated with total or partial joint replacements.