Treatment Options for Fracture Types

Treatment Options for Fracture Types Leah Jenkins There are many different treatment options for an oblique type fracture, a lot of it has to do with how severe the fracture is and what area of the body it is located. Many doctors will will different types of pain medication to handle the pain, in severe cases the doctor may need to give surgery and reset the bone. In other cases a cast may be a easy option. A plaster or fiberglass cast is usually the most common type of cast used for features, most bones are able to heal in their own if the broken part are positioned back to where they need to be. External fixation may also be used, the is a type of operation in which metal pins and screws are placed into the bone above or below the fracture site holding a frame that connects the bones in the proper position while they heal. Fractures may take many weeks to heal. Even after your cast or brace is removed you still will need to limit your movement until the bone is strong enough for everyday life. The bone will need time to heal and the ability to regain normal muscle strength, joint motion, and flexibility. Compound Fracture: A compound fracture is best described as an open fracture that breaks the skin. A fracture such as this can be more harmful than most due to the risk of infection, and damage to vital parts of the body. This fracture can take longer to heal as the damages can be more severe than others. A compound fracture is caused by pressure being placed on a thus causing it to snap. This type of fracture can be caused by a fall or a car accident. Due to the high energy needed to cause this fracture, the after effect can cause more injuries. Fractures, such as open, can vary on severity. For example, the wound can be pinpointed and the bone may or may not be visible. You can always bet with a compound fracture that the bone will press against the skin. Due to the bone breaking the skin the risk for complications such as soft tissue damage and infections such as staff are at higher levels than a fracture that doesnt break through the skin. With the risk, you need urgent surgery with treatment options of Internal and External Fixations, followed by further medical instructions by your surgeon. 2. Explain how a specific type of injury caused this fracture. To have a spiral fracture to your radius you have to have a pretty specific type of fall or impact. A spiral fracture is a fracture that wraps around the bone in the shape kind of like a spiral notebook. One example of how this can happen is, if a child or teenager (because there bones are more easier to fracture than adults) was in-line skating at a roller rink and fell on an outstretched hand. The energy from the falling would travel up the arm and fracture the arm. So typically a spiral fracture is due to falling or impact. An example of a spiral fracture due to impact is if a teenager hit a volleyball with their forearm with their radius facing up and the impact of the ball travelled to the arm and the bone has no choice but to fracture because there is no outsource for the energy to go anywhere else. Typically a spiral fracture takes 4 to 6 weeks to heal, depending on the severity, age, and health. To help prevent a spiral fracture, be sure to take calcium and get the daily reco mmendation of vitamin D. Having good bone health is a good way to make your radius stronger and the chances of these examples will go down drastically. 3. Explain how a specific type of injury caused this fracture. To have a spiral fracture to your radius you have to have a pretty specific type of fall or impact. A spiral fracture is a fracture that wraps around the bone in the shape kind of like a spiral notebook. One example of how this can happen is, if a child or teenager (because there bones are more easier to fracture than adults) was in-line skating at a roller rink and fell on an outstretched hand. The energy from the falling would travel up the arm and fracture the arm. So typically a spiral fracture is due to falling or impact. An example of a spiral fracture due to impact is if a teenager hit a volleyball with their forearm with their radius facing up and the impact of the ball travelled to the arm and the bone has no choice but to fracture because there is no outsource for the energy to go anywhere else. Typically a spiral fracture takes 4 to 6 weeks to heal, depending on the severity, age, and health. To help prevent a spiral fracture, be sure to take calcium and get the daily reco mmendation of vitamin D. Having good bone health is a good way to make your radius stronger and the chances of these examples will go down drastically. Greenstick Fractures Greenstick fractures are a type of break in a bone of the body that does not break all the way through but comes close, that is called an incomplete fracture. It also is a small break and is typically not very severe usually they are hairline fractures. When you break a bone as a greenstick fracture there are 2 different types of treatment options. One option is to wear a cast and the other one is percutaneous pinning. If the bone isnt badly fractured, which most greenstick fractures arent, then the orthopedic specialists will put the bone in a cast. The cast helps to immobilize the bone and that part of the body whether it is the arm or leg. Several sources have all agreed that the average time that somebody will wear a cast for a time period of 4-8 weeks depending on the severity of the fracture. The other treatment option of percutaneous pinning is for a more severe fracture. The Mayo Clinic said that if the break is bad enough they will chose to put pins through the bone with an external fixator around it to prevent the bone from breaking more and breaking completely through the bone. Another source stated that if the bone is slightly unaligned the Doctor or specialists will slightly tug on it to straighten it out a little and avoid having to pin the bone. In conclusion the two different treatment options agreed upon by multiple sources for a Greenstick fracture is casting and percutaneous pinning, casting is the largely preferred treatment option, however both treatment options meet the same goal of healing the bone and getting it back healthy for everyday activities.