Fracture and Repair

The purpose of this website is to provide information on the areas of bone fracture and repair. The site will address the different types of bone fracture and what causes them, how they are treated and repaired (through external treatment and internal molecular processes), as well as highlighting some disorders that may make people susceptible to fractures.

                                       Fig.1 (Hover over for description)

Fig.1 – Courtesy of f_r_e, flickr

What causes fractures?

Fractures are most often caused by severe impact, but can also be as a direct result of bone weakening diseases or overuse/repetitive strain. A bone is caused to fracture when the force exerted on it exceeds the level of force that the particular bone can withstand.

Common causes of fracture include:

• Traumatic, forceful, unnatural movements (eg. over twisting, crushing forces).
• High impact traumas (eg. falls, car crashes, being struck by a hard object).
• Overuse (eg. over exercise).
• Disorders (eg. osteoporosis, tumours).

Symptoms and Severity

  The symptoms and severity of bone fractures often depend on the location of the bone fracture. Common symptoms of bone fracture include:

• Intense pain.
• Tingling or numbness in and around the area of the fracture.
• Limited mobility or a complete inability to move the fractured limb.
• Irregular or out of shape limb or joint.
• Bruising, bleeding or swelling.

 The severity of the fracture depends heavily on where the fracture is located and how it is treated. For example, the fracture may be in an area where it can cause nerve damage (such as the humerus), or in an area that is difficult to treat. If the fracture is not treated properly it can result in infection, which could lead to the possible need for amputation, or the incorrect setting of the bone, which could result in future pain or mobility problems.

Banner Images - Courtesy of Sjbrown, Wikipedia

Bone Fracture - The cracking or breaking of bone.

Fracture Repair- The re-aligning and re-joining of the ends of broken bones. 

The term bone fracture encompasses many different types of bone breakage, and is common place in medical emergency rooms all over the world. Last year in America alone, around 6.8 million people presented themselves to a physician with some form of fracture, which is something to be expected as an average person in a developed country is likely to sustain at least two bone fractures during their lifetime.

Fractures are most common in males younger than 45 and in females over 45, with fractures of the extremities (fingers, hands, wrists, toes, feet, ankles etc.) being most common. However, this changes with age as the most common fracture changes from wrist fracture before the age of 75 to hip fracture after the age of 75.