Your bones are very tough but even the tough stuff can break. Like a wooden pencil, bones bend when put under strain. And if the pressure is too much, or very sudden, bones can snap. You can often see the people either falling off skateboard or children when crashing down from monkey bar can break their bone.
When the bone breaks it is called a fracture. There are many ways a fracture can happen to a person. A break can be thin hairline fracture to the bone that snapped into two pieces like a broken tree branch. Doctors describe the fracture in following ways:
- A complete fracture is when the bone injured is broken down into two pieces.
- A greenstick fracture is when a bone cracks on one side only, not all the way through.
- Transverse breaks straight across the bone
- Stress fracture is a thin crack also called a hair line fracture
- Oblique fracture when the bone breaks at an angle
- Comminuted fracture when the bone breaks into three or more pieces.
Aside from pain, your body will send you all kind of alarm to tell you that something is wrong. You will feel chilly, dizzy or woozy. You may even pass out. Where the injury is present you will notice change like:
- Bruising
- Stiffness
- Swelling
- Warmth
- Weakness
The bone itself will not look right it’s either bent or at odd angle. Treatment for the bone comes down in three steps:
- Bone is first lined up in the right place
- Keep it from moving until its healed
- Manage the pain
For a basis break your doctor may have to set the bone back to its place. Then, you will probably get a splint, brace or cast to support your bone and keep you from moving it. For pain your doctor will prescribe some medication.
For more severe breaks you may need a surgery. Orthopedic Surgeon have to put in screws, pins, rods or plates to hold bones in place so that they can heal correctly. Those parts may stay in place after you have healed, or in some cases your doctor might take them out. In rare cases you may need traction a system of pulley and weights around your hospital bed that holds the bone in right position. An average recovery takes around 6-8 weeks but can vary based on your bone, type of break, your age, and your overall health.
