Fractures are a break in your bone. Though most fractures occur from impact or trauma, broken bones may also occur from overuse or an underlying medical condition that weakens the bone. No matter the cause or severity of fractures, they require medical intervention from M. Scott True, MD, and the team at Beacon Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine in West Chester and Cincinnati, Ohio. For expert fracture care, call the nearest office or book an appointment online today.
Fractures are a medical condition in which a bone is cracked or broken.
Fractures may be partial or complete and occur from trauma after a fall, motor vehicle accident, or sports injury. You may be at greater risk of developing a fracture if you have a medical condition that weakens your bones, such as osteoporosis.
The Beacon Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine team classifies fractures into types based on how your bone is broken. Types include:
With a simple fracture, your broken bones are stable and aligned.
If the broken pieces of your bone aren’t aligned, you have an unstable simple fracture.
An open fracture, or compound fracture, occurs when the broken bone pierces through your skin. With this type of fracture, you’re at greater risk of developing an infection, and you need immediate medical care.
A greenstick fracture is a broken bone unique to children. It occurs when one side of the bone is broken, and the other side is bent.
Overuse injuries during sports may cause stress fractures, which are tiny cracks in the bone.
Dr. True and the team at Beacon Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine create individual treatment plans for fractures based on the fracture type, location, cause, and your overall health.
Immediately following a fracture, your body gets to work on healing the break, forming bone cells at the fracture line. To assist in the healing process, the team uses various techniques such as:
For simple fractures, your orthopedic expert at Beacon Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine places a cast around the broken bone to stabilize the fracture, ensuring proper healing of the break.
The team uses traction to treat fractures they can’t treat with casting. With traction, the team uses tape (skin traction) or pins (skeletal traction) to keep the bones in place during the healing process.
The team commonly uses traction for fractures of the long bones.
ORIF is a surgical procedure for fractures. You may need an ORIF if you have an open fracture. The team uses wires, plates, screws, or nails to keep your bone fragments for proper healing.
During an external fixation, the team places the stabilization devices outside your body, using screws and rods to keep the bone fragments in the correct position for healing.
For expert fracture care, call Beacon Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine or book an appointment online today.
