Broken Bones Come In A Variety of Forms

An adult human has 206 bones. That may be a lot of bones, but certain ones are more likely than others to get broken (also called fractured). The top five are the clavicles (collarbone), arms (the upper part and forearm), wrists, hips and ankles. From a bash while playing sports to a hard fall, there are many ways to unintentionally break a bone.

The office of J. Turner Vosseller, MD is committed to bone health and strength.We provide the highest quality of skilled and compassionate orthopedic care.

The Basic Breaks

Closed fractures don’t puncture the skin; open ones do. Partial breaks don’t pierce the bone, whereas a complete break is in two or more pieces. When a bone’s pieces can align with each other, it’s a non-displaced break. If the pieces can’t align, it’s a displaced break.

A traverse break goes straight across the bone. A stress fracture (aka a hairline fracture) is a very slim crack. An oblique splits at a slant, while a comminuted ruptures into at least three pieces. As with when you try to break a tree’s small, young branch, a greenstick fracture has a fissure on one side and bends on the other. 

Treatments

It boils down to three stages: properly line up the bone, keep it static until it’s restored and control the pain. The orthopedist will keep the damaged part of the bone immobile by applying a cast, brace or splint. He (or she) might also give you pain medication. 

Multifaceted breaks need in-depth attention: surgery to insert plates, rods, pins and/or screws to hold everything together. The “hardware” might need to remain in place after the bone is all better, or, in some instances, the orthopedic surgeon will remove some or all of it. Drastic treatment involves putting the patient in traction. 

We at the office of J. Turner Vosseller, MD guarantee that our main goal is to relieve your condition. We pride ourselves on our never-ending ability to provide superior patient care. For more information about our practice and how we can help you, please call us to schedule an appointment.

By J. Turner Vosseller

July 26, 2023