Fracture- medical terminology

1. TYPES OF FRACTURES
DALENA BULLOCK
MEDICAL TERMINOLOGY

2. CONTEXT
▪Stress Fracture
▪Colles’ Fracture
▪Compound Fracture

3. STRESS FRACTURE
STRESS FRACTURES ARE TINY CRACKS IN A
BONE.

4. CAUSES/RISK FACTORS
▪ Stress fractures are caused by a great
amount of repetitive force that causes
an imbalance between the resorption
and growth of bone.
▪ Example: repeatedly jumping up and
down or running long distances
▪ Stress fractures often occur in people
who suddenly shift from a sedentary
lifestyle to an active training regimen
▪ Women who have abnormal or absent
menstrual periods are at higher risk of
developing stress fractures.
▪ People who have flat feet or high, rigid
arches are more likely to develop
stress fractures.
▪ Conditions such as osteoporosis can
weaken your bones and make it easier
for stress fractures to occur.

5. MRI SCAN OF
STRESS FRACTURE
Runners or people who place
sports that involve running are at
risk of getting stress fracture in this
part of the leg.

6. DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT
▪ Bone scan, Magnetic resonance
imaging (MRI), and X-rays are ways to
test to see if the bone is fractured
▪ In many cases, stress fractures aren't
noticeable on regular X-rays taken
soon after your signs and symptoms
begin.
▪ Reducing the bone's weight-bearing
load until healing occurs helps, you
may need to wear a walking boot or
brace or use crutches.
▪ Surgery is may be necessary to ensure
complete healing of some stress
fractures
Stress
Fracture
Bone
Growth
Imbalance
Repetitive
Force

7. COLLES’ FRACTURE
A COLLES’ WRIST FRACTURE IS WHEN THE
RADIUS BONE IN YOUR FOREARM BREAKS. IT IS
ALSO KNOWN AS A DISTAL RADIUS FRACTURE
OR A DINNER-FORK DEFORMITY OF THE WRIST.

8. COLLES’ FRACTURE
TYPES
▪ Open fracture (if the bone broke
through your skin)
▪ Comminuted fracture (if the bone
broke into more than two pieces)
▪ Intra-articular fracture (if the bone
broke inside your wrist joint)
▪ Extra-articular fracture (if your joint
isn’t affected)
COMMON CAUSES/RISK FACTORS
▪ Putting your hand out to stop yourself
from falling
▪ Any type of injury that directly affects
your wrist can result in a Colles’ wrist
fracture.
▪ Osteoporosis
▪ Walking or other activities in snow or
on ice
▪ Not enough calcium or vitamin D
intake

9. MRI OF COLLES’
FRACTURE
This type of fracture is an extra-articular
fracture. The bone is
broken but the joint was
unharmed.

10. TREATMENT
▪ If the fracture isn’t severe, you can put the wrist in a splint and elevate it or your
doctor might put a light cast to protect it.
▪ If your wrist is severely fractured, there’s surgery: the bones will be straightened
and held together using pins, a plate and screws, or an external device that holds
the pins in place.
▪ Depending on severity, there may be physical therapy to help rebuild muscle: they
will have you do exercises that can help rebuild the strength and help regain normal
range of motion
▪ A Colles’ wrist fracture can take a year or more to fully heal, the cast will typically be
taken off about six weeks after surgery.

11. COMPOUND FRACTURE
AN INJURY IN WHICH A BROKEN BONE PIERCES
THE SKIN, CAUSING A RISK OF INFECTION.

12. CAUSES
▪ They can occur from direct trauma to
the bone form external sources, such
as a gunshot or knife wound
▪ Or from indirect trauma at a site distal
to the fracture, such as rotational force
▪ Open fractures are typically caused by
high-energy injuries such as car
crashes, falls, or sports injuries.

13. CLASSIFICATIONS
▪ Grade I Open Fracture:
occurs when there is a
skin wound with the
fracture that measures
less than one centimeter
▪ Grade II Open Fracture:
have larger soft-tissue
injuries, measures more
than one centimeter
▪ Grade III Open Fracture: the most severe injuries and
include three specific sub-types of injuries:
▪ Grade IIIA: injuries that include high-energy fractures by
severe bone injury and/or large, often contaminated,
soft-tissue wounds
▪ Grade IIIB: significant soft-tissue damage/loss such that
bone is exposed; reconstruction may require a soft-tissue
transfer in order to cover the wound
▪ Grade IIIC: specifically require vascular intervention as
the fracture is associated with vascular injury to the
extremity

14. TREATMENT
▪ When a broken bone penetrates the skin there is a need for immediate treatment
▪ Irrigation and debridement is performed:
▪ The wound must be clean properly to prevent infection, irrigation is then the wound is
surgically cleaning the bone-this is one of the first steps for treating an open fracture.
▪ Debridement means removing foreign material (dirt, gravel, clothing) as well as non-viable
(useable) soft-tissue.
▪ Stabilizing the fractured bone helps to prevent further tissue damage: plates and
screws or intramedullary rods, may not be good options if there is a high chance of
bacterial contamination
▪ In many open fractures, a device called an external fixator will be used to stabilize
these injuries.
▪ Antibiotics should be administered as soon as possible, even before performing the
irrigation and debridement described above. The antibiotics are usually continued
for 48 hours.

15. POST-SURGERY OF
COMPOUND
FRACTURE
A metal rod is placed into both
ends of the fractured bone to
reconnect it. The rod helps to hold
the bone in place so new bone can
form and to stabilize it.