All Types of Fractures & Trauma
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All Types of Fractures & Trauma
What is a fracture?
A bone fracture is a break in the continuity of a bone. A significant percentage of bone fractures occur because of high force impact or stress.
What is a bone fracture?
A bone fracture is a full or partial break in the continuity of bone tissue. Fractures can occur in any bone in the body.
There are several different ways in which a bone can fracture. For example, a closed fracture is a break to the bone that does not damage surrounding tissue or tear through the skin.
There are a number of other fracture types, including:
- Avulsion fracture: A muscle or ligament pulls on the bone, fracturing it.
- Comminuted fracture: An impact shatters the bone into many pieces.
- Compression, or crush, fracture: This generally occurs in the spongy bone in the spine. For example, the front portion of a vertebra in the spine may collapse due to osteoporosis.
- Fracture dislocation: This occurs when a joint dislocates, and one of the bones of the joint fractures.
- Greenstick fracture: The bone partly fractures on one side but does not break completely, because the rest of the bone can bend.
- Hairline fracture: This is a thin, partial fracture of the bone.
- Impacted fracture: When a bone fractures, a piece of the bone may impact another bone.
- Intra-articular fracture: This occurs when a fracture extends into the surface of a joint.
- Longitudinal fracture: This is when the fracture extends along the length of the bone.
- Oblique fracture: An oblique fracture is one that occurs opposite to a bone’s long axis.
- Pathological fracture: This occurs when an underlying condition weakens the bone and causes a fracture.
- Spiral fracture: Here, at least one part of the bone twists during a break.
- Stress fracture: Repeated stress and strain can fracture a bone. This is common Trusted Source among athletes.
- Transverse fracture: This is a straight break across the bone.