I remember when I was six, I broke my left arm. I remember how I couldn’t touch my ear or raise my arm without excruciating pain. How can something as resilient as your bones also be so fragile? Well, we’re going to explore broken bones.
Bone fractures are the medical term for “broken bones,” and fractures are usually caused by traumas such as falls, car accidents, and sports injuries. However, some medical conditions can increase your risk for certain fractures.
There are five main types of fractures: greenstick, transverse, comminuted, spiral, and compound. Greenstick is the term to use when the fracture is about halfway or less into the bone, but it’s not quite a straight-line fracture.
Transverse is a classic broken bone. This is a straight across fracture, meaning it cuts all the way to the other side of the bone, and not just halfway in. It cuts horizontally, not vertically; all of these cut horizontally.
Comminuted is similar to transverse, a clean cut across the bone in a straight line, but there is one unmistakable difference: The gap is a bit wider, and the bone that broke is shattered, not the bone itself, but the area that fractured is shattered. So the pieces that broke are shattered.
Spiral, as the name suggests, involves twisting. The bone is usually facing upwards, but when a “spiral” fracture occurs, the upper part of your bone twists to the side, while there’s a sideways cut that goes across the bone, it’s not all the way across, and the fracture is at a slight angle.
A compound fracture is when the bone is sliced across. There will be a big fracture across the sides, and it’s noticeable.
The broken bone healing process is a long one, but efficient. There are three main stages to bone healing. The inflammatory stage, the reparative stage, and the remodeling stage.
The inflammatory stage is when the bone breaks, and then the body sends out special cells to go to the site of the injury. Some of these special cells make the area swollen and red, hence the name inflammatory, but it’s to let your body know to stop using this part because it’s healing. The special cells form blood clots to bridge between the broken pieces of bone.
Next comes the reparative stage, which starts within a week of injury. A soft callus (a callus is a soft bone) replaces the blood clots that formed during the previous stage. The callus holds the bone together, but it is in no way strong enough to be used. Over the weeks, this soft callus becomes stronger and suitable for everyday use.
The remodeling stage — the final stage — begins 6 weeks after injury. In this stage, regular bone replaces the hardened callus. Over the next few months, the bone would be reshaped to look how it did before the injury.
Some factors can affect bone healing, and these include severe breaks (such as compound fractures), tissue damage near bone (muscles, nerves, skin, etc.), vitamin deficiencies, medical conditions (osteoporosis, osteogenesis, diabetes, or anemia), specific medicines (corticosteroids), and substance abuse.
Bone healing time varies based on where the break is and the severity, but according to South Shore Orthopedics, “Healing is not a one-size-fits-all process.” Healing time varies between 3 weeks at least and 12 weeks at most.
As there are misconceptions surrounding many medical topics, the same goes for bones. A common one is that only athletes or active individuals can get fractures. According to The Bone and Joint Center, “While it’s true that athletes see a greater incidence of fractures due to their increased level of physical activity, a fracture can happen to anyone, from pediatric patients to seniors. Even with a sedentary lifestyle, you can sustain a fracture.”
Broken Bones show just how strong — and fragile — our bodies can be. Healing takes time and depends on many factors, but with proper care, bones can repair themselves and return to full strength. Fractures can happen to anyone, and understanding helps us recover smarter and stay healthier.
