Fracture Treatment
A fracture is a break or crack in a bone, often caused by an injury or a condition that weakens the bones, like osteoporosis. When a bone breaks, timely treatment is essential to help ensure proper healing and prevent complications. At Nacogdoches Medical Partners, we offer a range of treatment options tailored to the specific type and severity of the bone fracture, from immobilization with a cast or splint to surgical intervention when necessary. With comprehensive care and support, most fractures will heal well, allowing you to return to your normal activities as quickly as possible.
What Is a Fracture?
A fracture is a medical term for a broken bone. It can range from a small crack to a complete break and can occur in any bone in your body. Fractures often happen due to a high-impact injury, like a fall or a car accident, but they can also occur from minor trauma if the bone is weakened by conditions like osteoporosis or cancer.
Fractures can vary widely in severity and type. Some fractures are simple and stable, where the bone ends remain aligned. Others can be more complex, where the bone breaks into multiple pieces or even pierces through the skin (compound fracture). Regardless of the type, all fractures require prompt medical attention to ensure proper healing and to avoid complications.
What Causes Fractures?
Fractures, or broken bones, usually occur when a bone is subjected to more force than it can handle. The most common causes of fractures include:
- Trauma: Accidents like falls, car crashes, or sports injuries can generate enough force to break a bone.
- Osteoporosis: This condition weakens bones, making them more prone to breaking, even from minor incidents.
- Overuse: Repetitive motions, especially in athletes, can lead to stress fractures, small cracks in the bone that develop over time.
Understanding these causes helps in taking precautions and seeking appropriate treatment to support bone health and prevent fractures.
What Are the Symptoms of a Fracture?
When you break a bone, the symptoms can vary depending on the location and severity of the fracture. Common signs that you might have a fracture include:
- Intense pain at the site of the injury.
- Swelling, bruising or tenderness around the affected area.
- Deformity—the limb may appear out of place or look unusual.
- Difficulty moving the injured part or putting weight on it.
If you notice any of these symptoms, especially after an accident or injury, it's important to seek medical attention right away. Early treatment can help ensure proper healing and prevent complications.
How Are Fractures Diagnosed?
When diagnosing a fracture, your doctor will start by carefully examining the injured area and asking about how the injury happened, your symptoms and your medical history. This initial examination helps them understand the extent of the injury.
To confirm whether a bone is broken, your doctor will likely order an X-ray. X-rays are the most common and effective way to visualize bones and determine if they are intact or fractured. The X-ray will show the type of fracture and its exact location, helping your doctor plan the best course of treatment.
In some cases, additional imaging tests like an MRI or CT scan might be needed to get a more detailed view of the injury. These tools ensure that your doctor has all the information needed to support your bone's healing and restore its function as quickly and safely as possible.
What Are the Treatments for Fractures?
When treating a fracture, the primary goal is to ensure that the broken bone heals correctly and regains its full function. The treatment approach depends on several factors, including the type and location of the fracture, the severity of the break and the patient’s overall health. Fracture treatment may include:
Cast or Splint Immobilization
For many fractures, the first line of treatment is to immobilize the bone with a cast or splint. A cast, typically made of plaster or fiberglass, keeps the broken bone in the proper position, preventing movement while it heals. Immobilization allows the bone fragments to naturally heal back together. The length of time you will need to wear the cast depends on the type of fracture and the specific bone involved, but it usually ranges from several weeks to a few months. Your healthcare provider will monitor your progress and determine when it’s safe to remove the cast.
Functional Cast or Brace
In some cases, particularly with certain types of fractures, a functional cast or brace may be used. Unlike traditional casts, these devices allow for limited or controlled movement of nearby joints while still stabilizing the fracture. This approach can be beneficial for fractures in areas where maintaining some degree of movement is important to prevent stiffness or muscle atrophy.
However, this type of treatment isn’t suitable for all fractures and is typically reserved for specific cases where some joint mobility is needed during the healing process.
Traction
Traction is a less commonly used treatment today but is still important in some situations. It involves the use of a steady, gentle pulling force to help align the bone or bones before further treatment. Traction can be applied externally through weights and pulleys or internally with pins.
It’s often used as a preliminary step before applying a cast or performing surgery, particularly in fractures where bone fragments need to be realigned. While it’s not typically the final treatment method, traction plays a key role in ensuring that the bones are properly aligned, which is crucial for successful healing.
Surgical Intervention
In more severe or complicated fractures, fracture surgery may be necessary to ensure proper healing. During surgery, a doctor may use metal plates, screws, rods or pins to stabilize the bone and hold the broken pieces in place. This type of surgical fixation is often required for a displaced fracture, involving a comminuted fracture (bone broken in at least two places), or a fracture in weight-bearing bones like the femur.
In some cases, an external fixator may be used—this involves inserting metal pins or screws into the bone on either side of the fracture and connecting them to a metal frame outside the body. The external fixator holds the bones in the correct position while they heal, which is particularly useful when the surrounding soft tissues are too damaged for immediate surgery.
Rehabilitation and Physical Therapy
Once the bone has healed sufficiently and the cast or surgical hardware is removed, rehabilitation becomes a key component of the recovery process. Physical therapy helps restore strength, flexibility, and range of motion to the affected area.
Depending on the location and severity of the fracture, therapy may start with gentle exercises and gradually progress to more intense rehabilitation exercises. This process is essential to prevent long-term stiffness, muscle weakness, or joint problems, especially in cases where the fracture occurred near or through a joint.
Potential Complications and Follow-Up Care
Most fractures heal well with appropriate treatment, but complications can occur. These include healing in the wrong position (malunion), delayed healing (delayed union), or no healing at all (nonunion). If complications arise, additional treatments such as bone grafting, ultrasound therapy, or even stem cell therapy might be needed to stimulate healing.
Follow-up care is crucial to monitor the healing process and to address any issues that might arise. In cases where the fracture occurs near a joint, there is a risk of developing stiffness or arthritis, which could affect joint mobility and function.
Lifestyle Factors and Fracture Prevention
Preventing future fractures is also an important part of treatment, especially for those at higher risk due to conditions like osteoporosis. Your healthcare provider may recommend lifestyle changes such as increasing calcium and vitamin D intake, engaging in weight-bearing exercises, and avoiding smoking or excessive alcohol consumption. These steps can help strengthen your bones and reduce the likelihood of future fractures.