A fracture is a break in a bone. Bones may break or fracture in several different ways. A simple fracture is one in which the two ends remain in position, and not much damage is done to the surrounding tissue. In a compound fracture, the broken bone sticks out through the skin. A comminuted fracture is a bone that has splintered or shattered. An impact fracture involves the ends of two bones rubbing each other. A greenstick is a partial break of a bone. In other kinds of fracture large blood vessels may be damaged or the bone ends may be smashed.
A fracture causes pain and inflammation in the area around it. Usually, when a fracture occurs, a doctor must set the bone right so that it may heal properly. A plaster cast is often applied to the limb with the fracture to assure proper healing.
The healing process begins when blood from broken blood vessels clots. After a few days the broken ends of the bone become soft and the space between them is filled with sticky ‘glue’ which contains bone forming cells.
Within two or three weeks, new soft bone tissues completely fill the gap between the broken ends. They slowly harden. The complete healing of a fracture may take several months. The only necessary condition is that the two broken pieces must be held in place for several weeks so that they can grow together properly.
Older people with brittle bones are most apt to get a fracture. Children tend to resist fracture.
