2. What is a fracture?
• Commonly called a broken
bone
• An injury to the bone that
causes it to break
• The name of a fracture
describes the kind of
damage to the bone
• Usually caused by an
injury, either due to
trauma or underlying
disease
3. Symptoms
• Severe pain
• Swelling
• Tenderness
• Bruising
• Deformity in the location of the break
4. Types of Fractures
• Comminuted—fracture type in which the bone is
shattered or crushed into many pieces
• Simple—fracture that does not break the skin
• Impacted—fracture in which bone fragments
push into one another
• Oblique—fracture that occurs at an angle to the
bone
• Spiral—fracture type where the fracture line
winds around the bone
6. Transverse Fracture
• A fracture that occurs
across the bone at a
right angle
• Usually due to trauma
directly to the bone
7. Greenstick Fracture
• A fracture type in which the break is
incomplete; the bone may be broken on one
side and bent on the other
• Often occurs in children as their bones are
softer
8. Compound Fracture
• Fracture in which the skin has been broken
• Risk of infection is higher in these types of
fractures as there is an open wound
9. Treatment
• Treatment depends on the location and
severity of the fracture
• Treatments can vary from simple
immobilization and rest to surgery for a more
complicated break
10. References
• Medical Terminology: A Living Language.
Fregman, Bonnie F. and Suzanne S. Frucht.
Pearson, Upper Saddle River, New Jersey.
2009.
• www.mayoclinic.com
• Pictures courtesy Sinew Theraputics,
University of Maryland Medical Center,
3Dscience.com, and Mayo Clinic
